Good-natured Steve Kerr laughs about the observation, but those not-so-long-ago boyish features that always made him a made-for-television hit as a player, and later as an analyst, suddenly have vanished.
This job is aging him rapidly.
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| Steve Kerr took a huge gamble in trading for Shaquille O'Neal in February, and it might wind up costing him his job. (Getty Images) |
Kerr, 43, is early in only his second year with the Phoenix Suns, but he also is one of a handful of NBA executives who will be scrutinized carefully this season and will come under fire quickly if their respective teams can't produce some noticeable improvement.
It's no fun presiding over a team on a downward slide, which is what the majority of these hot-seat GMs have on their hands.
Some of the wounds were inherited, some were self-inflicted. Others came from gambles gone bad. All have issues that need to be resolved.
Yet just as easily, any of them could find himself being hailed as a visionary if his team greatly exceeds expectations.
As Boston coach Doc Rivers -- who went from firing line to champion in a year -- often says, it's just not very far from the outhouse to the penthouse in the NBA.
"That goes with the territory in this job," Kerr told reporters at training camp in Arizona recently. "My imprint is on this team. If it doesn't work, it's my fault. But I'm very comfortable with the direction we're heading."
Joining Kerr on the Big Six list are Donnie Nelson (Dallas), Chris Mullin (Golden State), Kevin McHale (Minnesota), John Paxson (Chicago) and Danny Ferry (Cleveland).
1. Kerr, Suns: Kerr won five NBA titles as a player -- three in Chicago and two in San Antonio -- and left as one of the game's greatest long-distance shooters. Yet success as a GM might be the toughest task he ever has faced. The clock is ticking.
After trading for Shaquille O'Neal at midseason, the Suns fell in the first round of the playoffs, their worst finish in five years. With Shaq, 36, Grant Hill, 36, and Steve Nash, 34, they are beginning to resemble a Sun City retirement home. Their window of opportunity is close to slamming shut.
Although Nash remains the best up-tempo point guard in the league, the best up-tempo coach in the league, Mike D'Antoni, left for New York because he and Kerr didn't see eye to eye. The Suns will become a more post-up, defensive-minded team under coach Terry Porter. The whole plan just sounds risky.
2. Paxson, Bulls: A year ago, Chicago was considered a team on the rise, expected to build on its playoff success and become a regular in the 50-victory club with a team of talented young players. Instead, the Bulls imploded.
Before the season began, Paxson flirted briefly with a Kobe Bryant trade, which sideswiped Chicago's young players. The debate over who deserved a new contract tore apart the team, causing serious chemistry issues. Poor shooting and a slow start led to the firing of coach Scott Skiles. Paxson was able to dump Ben Wallace's contract, but he had to swallow hard to take an even worse one with Larry Hughes.
Now Paxson has a rookie coach (Vinny Del Negro) with no experience and a rookie point guard (Derrick Rose) who might sink before he learns to swim in the NBA.
Even this summer, the stress of who to hire as a coach and who to take as the No. 1 pick in the draft was taking a toll on him.
"Will you just let me do my job?" Paxson implored reporters who were trying to quiz him.
3. Nelson, Mavericks: Ever since Dallas blew that 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals, things have been sliding backward. A 67-victory follow-up season ended with a crushing, first-round upset loss to Golden State in 2007. And last year, it was one-and-done in the playoffs, leaving behind a feeling that opportunity had passed right by the Mavericks.
A player revolt forced a change of coaches. But it was Nelson and owner Mark Cuban who orchestrated the risky trade for aging Jason Kidd in exchange for young Devin Harris. It was a gamble they lost, and it will only look worse this season.
Cuban dumped Nelson's father as coach a few years before. If things sour now, he might do the same with the son.
4. McHale, Timberwolves: Picking Kevin Garnett directly from high school in the 1995 draft was a great move by McHale. Failing to ever build a consistent winner around him was bad managing. It was seen first as disappointing, but then as desperate. Sending K.G. to Boston to win a championship last season was viewed almost as treasonous by T-Wolves fans.
Yes, Al Jefferson and the young cast are going to improve, but McHale probably won't be around to see it. Minnesota fans have run out of patience. After 22 victories last season, it will take a miracle to show any rapid rise.
5. Ferry, Cavaliers: The search to find a reliable sidekick for LeBron James will determine how long Ferry survives. High-priced Hughes was a disaster, but getting rid of his contract at midseason led to more wasteful spending in Wallace.
James will test-drive point guard Mo Williams this year as part of another gamble. If the Cavs can't get past the second round, the talk of James flirting with free agency and the New York market will be deafening. Ferry had better cover his ears.
6. Mullin, Warriors: Mullin was one of the best players in franchise history, but this executive thing has been a rough ride. One playoff appearance in four seasons -- even if it included that great upset of Dallas -- isn't going to keep your boss happy. The loss of Baron Davis and the absence of Monta Ellis at the start of this season do not bode well for his future.
