SAN FRANCISCO – When Warriors coach Steve Kerr began his search for a top assistant this summer, he fell in love with a pugnacious Philadelphia Eagles fan who grew up in New Jersey and quickly concluded that violence in sports need not be limited to the NFL.Frank Vogel believes collisions are a crucial aspect of NBA defense, and his goal in his first season as Kerr’s associate head coach is to stamp that onto the minds of the players.
“I want our guys to embrace their physicality,” Vogel told NBC Sports Bay Area this week. “Hitting people is fun, like knocking a dude on his ass, being the stronger player. Winning the war in the trenches is fun. I try to instill that part of the game out there is where you knock people to the floor.”
Kerr has put Golden State’s defense in the hands of Vogel, who replaces the tandem of Jerry Stackhouse and Chris DeMarco that opened last season. The hope is that Vogel can bring a searing intensity like that of Mike Brown during his six-season tenure with the Warriors.
Vogel’s defensive philosophy was built in the 1990s, beginning with his time as a student manager...