Check out the full notes for “The Victory Machine: The Making and Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty” by Ethan Sherwood Strauss
When 2020 started, I had this idea that I’d take Steve Kerr’s team value of “joy” and try applying it in my life. 2020 made that pretty tough, but it’s still a value worth working toward.
Anyway, I’m about 1/4 through “The Victory Machine” and am enjoying the backstory of the team I rooted against so hard. One of my favorite things so far is Flip Saunders’ advice for Steve Kerr:
“I worked with Flip at TNT, he did a few games with Marv and me years ago,” Kerr said. “I asked him the same question and he said, ‘Just make sure when you sit down with an owner, you bring a lot of stuff.’ And I said, ‘Well, what do you mean a lot of stuff?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know. It could just be a binder of a bunch of plays, but the main thing with owners was to have them look at a bunch of stuff because then they think you’ve really really put a lot of time into it.’” — From Ethan Sherwood Strauss’s
To be the coach inside the victory machine, you need to get the job first. Bring a lot of stuff.