Report: Alvin Gentry agrees to become lead assistant for Steve Kerr with Warriors

The plan was to get an offensive minded coach to sit at the right hand of Steve Kerr in Golden State. Ideally one with head coaching experience to help guide Kerr through his first year.

Check. And check.

Golden State is about to poach Alvin Gentry — who has spent all or part of a dozen NBA seasons as a head coach and is considered a strong offensive coach — away from the Clippers, reports Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports.

Gentry, who spent last season on Doc Rivers’ staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, has agreed in principle to a three-year deal with the Warriors, a source said. The Warriors had to come close to doubling Gentry’s salary with the Clippers to convince him to leave a similar position with their Pacific Division rival, a source said. Gentry previously worked under Kerr, a former Phoenix Suns executive, in Phoenix and is the first addition to Kerr’s staff.

What was Gentry doing with the Clippers? Largely being in charge of their offense, which scored 109.4 points per 100 possessions, best in the NBA. He (along with Doc Rivers) persuaded Chris Paul to give up the ball more and trust his teammates to make plays, and it worked.

Gentry was considered one of the two finalists for the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job. That he accepted this one is another sign David Blatt will become the next coach in Cleveland. Doc Rivers now needs to fill out a couple spots on his roster and is reportedly considering Mike Woodson or

This is a good hire for Golden State, Gentry is a smart offensive coach who wants his teams to get out and run in transition, them move off the ball in the half court. With Stephen Curry as the guy with the ball in his hands Gentry has something to really work with (and he could have Kevin Love, too, although that is still up in the air).