Getty/Katelyn Mulcahy Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr looks for a call against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
Over the course of the losses that have been mounting, Warriors fans have been getting uneasy and looking to blame. Fingers have been pointed directly at Steve Kerr. That’s usually the case when teams start struggling, instead of players, blame always start with coaches. Just look at the treatment of Frank Vogel both from fans and the Lakers front office.
From the Warriors blowing 20-point leads to questionable rotations, Warriors Twitter has been a cesspool for Kerr slander.
“We have a lot of different rotations and lineups and we try to make adjustments on the fly,” Curry said. “We have to be more in sync as a five-man unit.
75% of the season in and Curry finally calls out Kerr in the most indirect way possible.
Interpreting Steph Curry’s comments as a dig at coach Steve Kerr seems to be a stretch. So many players with signification roles in the rotation have been out, and it isn’t uncommon to see coaches trying out new combinations to see if there are any new things that could potentially work.
Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney and Steve Bulpett talked about the constant critique of Kerr’s rotations during a March 3 livestream.
“Rotationally, they’ve been in a difficult situation because you didn’t have Klay Thompson, now you do and you’re trying to work him in and he is playing guys he has never played with before,” Bulpett talks about the reasons with the inconsistent rotations. “The missing Draymond thing is critical for that team because he is one of those guys who gets everything in line. You have young guys who are trying to find themselves and older guys who have, probably, a small measure of boredom. When you have made the long journey that often as they have, the regular season is not as critical.”
Deveney brings up a key point that has not been previously bought up much by fans or the media about Kerr’s tendencies.
“One of the things that Kerr is doing which is something he should be doing, is seeing what he can get out of different guys in different situations. That’s going to screw up the rotations, they’re not going to be consistent. If you have guys who you know what you’re going get out of Andre Iguodala or Steph Curry, but now you want to see, ‘OK, how does this guy play with that guy?’ Or, ‘What do these three guys look like when they are on the floor together?’ It might look strange at times, but I can guarantee he has a long-term plan.”
Looking at Kerr’s track record this does make sense. As Bulpett points out, the core of the team has had so much experience together, the regular season can be used like a preseason for the playoffs, when the games actually matter. Game 7s on the road don’t faze the Dubs like they would with a less experienced organization.
Anonymous GM Calls Steve Kerr Job ‘Bulletproof’
All being said, just how secure is Kerr’s job with the Warriors? Currently, Kerr is the third longest tenured head coach in the NBA, and it seems like ownership and the front office has had no qualms with the job Kerr has been doing.
For much as fans want Kerr to be removed, that’s simply not going to happen anytime soon. Deveney dropped some intel during the livestream as to what a rival general manager told him concerning Kerr’s job status.
“I had one GM say to me, ‘Look, there is no coach right now who is more bullet-proof than Steve Kerr. Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, they could nudge him into retirement. Even Erik Spoelstra in Miami, they’d probably fire him before you could ever fire Steve Kerr. He’s bulletproof right now.’ I’d agree with that. He would probably be No. 30 on the list of coaches on the hot seat.”
Bob Myers Appreciates the Fans, But Backs Up Steve Kerr
All this slander has even caught the attention of the popular 95.7 The Morning Roast. With Warriors GM coming on to make an appearance, the hosts had to do their jobs and ask Myers about the critique coming Kerr’s way.
“The reason why people are so hard on coaches is they care about their team,” Myers talks about his genuine appreciation for the fans. “It’s not apathy. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t criticize the coach or what I do. It comes from passion. If you’re talking about working in this market, the basketball fans in this area, I put them up against anybody. Even the 80s, 90s when the team wasn’t as great, people love the Warriors.”
Myers understands the role that fans have had in the team’s success and he highlighted that point too. When the team wins, the fans just as much celebrate their success as they criticize during their struggles.
Much to the dismay of the haters, Myers stood firm to back up his coach for the past eight years.
“We support Steve. It’s not about two games, it’s about eight years.”
Having said all this, expect Kerr to be the coach for the foreseeable future. It would be more likely Kerr decided to step away than him actually being removed from his post.
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Rival GM Issues Stern Message on Warriors Coach Steve Kerr