Luke Walton has yet to win a game as a coach this season, at least by the current NBA rules. That could change because the league is considering crediting him for Golden State's victories ahead of November's Coach of the Month vote, according to Bay Area News Group.
Despite leading the Warriors to an NBA-best 17-0 start, Walton is currently ineligible as an interim coach to win the award. Instead, Steve Kerr, who is out while rehabilitating persistent back problems, is technically 17-0.
However, Walton is unconcerned with the unfortunate technicality. Kerr is awarded the wins because he still participates in practices and is available for most halftimes.
"It doesn't matter to me," Walton said. "It really doesn't. ... I'm good either way."
"For a while there, I'd get the text after every game or if [Kerr] was still in the building just a 'Thanks for another one' type of text," Walton added. "Or before we'd walk out, he'd tell the whole staff, 'Go get me a win, boys' on our way out to the court."
But in a recent interview, Kerr said it's "ridiculous" he's getting credit for the wins.
"I'm sitting in the locker room and watching the games on TV and I'm not even traveling to most of the road games," he said. "Luke's doing all the work with the rest of the staff. Luke is (undefeated) right now. I'm not. So it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, to be honest with you. I don't even understand it."
Kerr, who last season became the first rookie NBA coach to win a title since Pat Riley in 1982, is projected to return to regular coaching duties in 2016. His 67 wins last season were the most by a rookie head coach in NBA history.
Walton, on the other hand, made his coaching debut this season. If he is awarded the wins, and the team can start 18-2 or better, Kerr and Walton would be the first back-to-back rookie head coaches to lead the same franchise to 18 wins in the first 20 games of a season.