Steve Kerr reportedly takes head coaching job with Warriors

Steve Kerr and Andre Iguodala are joining forces.

Kerr has decided that the Golden State Warriors are a better fit for him as he enters into NBA head coaching, and the former Arizona guard spurned the New York Knicks on Tuesday to accept a five-year, $25 million contract just about 24 hours after the Warriors made a desperate final pitch to the current TNT analyst, reports Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

While the New York media -- funnily enough coaxed on by former Arizona coach Lute Olson -- believed Kerr was set on joining former mentor Phil Jackson, things quickly turned in Golden State's favor. The Knicks were slow to hand over a long-term contract to Kerr and on Wednesday afternoon finally became willing to offer him a fourth guaranteed season -- it seems it was too little, too late.

Kerr had met on Tuesday night with the Warriors management after Golden State had first moved in another direction with Stan Van Gundy as their top target. Van Gundy took the Detroit Pistons opening instead, leading the Warriors to circle back to Kerr. Apparently, their final pitch was impressive enough.

Kerr now takes lead of a roster led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Iguodala and David Lee that can immediately win in the deep Western Conference. He'll be close to his wife in San Diego, and a daughter who plays volleyball at Cal. And Kerr is familiar with owner Joe Lacob and president Rick Welts, who worked with the new head coach when he was the Suns' general manager. With the Knicks, he would have been forced to run Jackson's triangle offense and work under owner James Dolan, a man known for meddling. Most of all, Kerr would possibly inherit a roster without Carmelo Anthony -- or one that would struggle to win even with the All-Star forward.