Getty Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr look on during a game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As if there were any doubts about it before, it just became nigh impossible to deny that Steve Kerr is an elite-level head coach. The Golden State Warriors‘ sideline guru just received some major recognition for his Xs, Os and innate ability to manage players.
The NBA announced its list of the top 15 coaches in league history, as voted on by all 30 current head coaches and 13 former head coaches. To the surprise of no one who is actually paying attention, Kerr was among the honorees, joining such luminaries as Red Auerbach, Gregg Popovich, Phil Jackson, Dubs alum Don Nelson and others.
With a regular-season winning percentage of 69.4, five Finals appearances and three championships to his credit, Kerr’s résumé speaks for itself. However, that doesn’t stop fans from rage-tweeting about perceived missteps. The way he utilizes Stephen Curry, for example, has been a big point of contention for some.
During his latest appearance on NBC Sports Bay Area‘s Dubs Talk podcast, Steph spoke out on the complaints about his usage.
Steph Unplugged on Kerr
When Grant Liffmann referenced fans and even some media members being critical of Kerr for his handling of the superstar — from his minutes to what he’s doing on the floor — Curry had a whole lot to say on the matter. Clearly, he hears the talk — as he sees it, though, Kerr is just taking a big-picture approach with him:
It surprises me, I guess every year, that there is not an inherent understanding that I don’t just show up into the locker room, head up going to the bench, go through all these practices, and me and Coach [Kerr] don’t have these type of conversations in terms of my rotations, or play calls, or whatever the case may be. Yes, I might not get the answer that I want in terms of … you know, I’d love to play 42 minutes a night. I feel like I can do it.
And certain games where you can push it a little bit, and you all can see my face or my reaction, body language, whatever, and then the questions come after the game.
‘Did you want to come out in the middle of the fourth quarter?’ And it’s like, of course, I didn’t, but [Kerr’s] making decisions for the good of the big picture, that is what his job is to manage. So for like all that stuff, of course we have conversations about our rotation…
Sometimes, granted, I will say that sometimes you can over-complicate things a little bit in terms of — and me and Coach have talked about this — he will be the first one to tell you that sometimes he wants to use me as a decoy, and executing that offense especially in late-game situations sometimes becomes a little more difficult. And we go through those reps throughout the season so that when we get to the playoffs, we have a refined understanding of how we are going to win games, in all different types of scenarios and situations.
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Steph Welcomes the Criticism
Although some players might let the fan commentary get to them, Curry actually welcomes it. He’s happy to know that Dubs Nation notices all the little things that they do and that fans have such a vested interest in the club.
“I will say that I appreciate the passion of all our fans to know the ebbs and flows of the season,” Curry said. “And everyone wants to play coach; that is how it is supposed to be. But as long as we are winning, we will be able to figure it out.”
At the least, the chatter goes to show that what he and his teammates are doing really matters.
“That passion, keep it coming. You are right, if there is ever a situation if nobody is asking that question, then I probably would get concerned like, ‘Are we not relevant anymore?'”
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