USA Basketball is seeking to replace head coach Gregg Popovich before the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. After a few weeks of speculation, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has emerged as the leading candidate.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported on Thursday that Kerr has become the frontrunner, edging out Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Stein noted that international experience was a big requirement for Team USA managing director Grant Hill.
Kerr was an assistant to Popovich on their Summer Olympic team in Tokyo that recently won a gold medal. He previously won the 1986 FIBA World Championship as a player.
NBA fan reaction to the news has been fairly negative. Many fans believe that Spoelstra is more deserving of the job since Kerr has proven unable to win much without healthy superstars.
USA Basketball had a good run https://t.co/3KLRfYxkEc
— Killjoy 🤔 (@KilljoyGSW) September 30, 2021
Spo was right there smh https://t.co/idKaceEtyB
— Shaq (@_YoungShaq20) September 30, 2021
Ahh that’s interesting https://t.co/cef3pdib5d
— Travonne Edwards (Blk Tray) (@Travonne) September 30, 2021
But Spo is better… https://t.co/wwbg4iluiV
— #Culture (@HeatBetter) September 30, 2021
100p should be Spo https://t.co/aWMzKZ9gtw
— Justin (@jclutch1mut) September 30, 2021
Unless he brining Curry to save em USA might be cooked lmao https://t.co/kK1jyvCkIK
— 💎 (@WeBeHoopin) September 30, 2021
Team USA was able to win gold at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo without some of the NBA’s biggest stars. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and James Harden all missed it for various reasons.
The next big tournament for Team USA will be the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. Under Popovich, USA Basketball finished seventh at the 2019 tournament – their worst finish in tournament history.
Their next Olympic tournament will be one year later.
Is Steve Kerr a good fit for the job? Or did USA Basketball mess up by picking Kerr over Spoelstra?
The post NBA World Reacts To USA Basketball Coaching News appeared first on The Spun.
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