Steve Kerr Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Notes: Kerr, Clippers, Melli, Mavs

September 23rd, 2019 at 9:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All the changes to the Warriors roster will make training camp “critical,” coach Steve Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. While in recent years the Warriors have only made tweaks to their scheme, this training camp will involve sorting out the rotation and finding the team’s strengths.

“This year, it’s totally different,” Kerr said. “Nobody really knows each other that well. We’re really going to have to examine our team in camp, the exhibition season, early in the season. Figure out the best way to play on both ends.”

Kerr sees the need to take more control of the offense.

“When you lose continuity, it’s more important to have sets and calls that you can rely on,” he said. “Random stuff gets more difficult if you don’t know each other well.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Sixth man Lou Williams was the Clippers’ closer the last couple of seasons, but the additions of superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George change that dynamic, as coach Doc Rivers explained to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Lou is always going to be a closer, but it’s more closing plays now than who the closer is,” Rivers said. “You know who the closers are. The fact that that’s plural is a very good thing. Now it’ll be the closing lineups, the closing sets, the closing formations.”
Pelicans forward Nicolo Melli has returned to the court after undergoing offseason knee surgery, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Melli skipped the FIBA World Cup due to the injury. The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $8MM contract in July after playing professionally in Europe for over a decade.
The Mavericks have prioritized continuity on their roster, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News notes. More than half of the players on the training camp roster have played at least half a season for Dallas, Townsend notes. The Mavs have also invested $320MM in guaranteed contracts over the next four seasons, Townsend adds.

Kerr Hopes Livingston Returns To Warriors In Some Capacity

August 22nd, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Shaun Livingston was among the many Warriors to depart this offseason. His release, while prudently planned, was not an easy decision for the franchise, as coach Steve Kerr tells LetsGoWarriors (h/t Josh Schrock of NBC Sports).

“It’s something we anticipated because of his age, his contract situation,” Kerr said. “I was prepared for that one, but it’s still a huge loss from a leadership standpoint. Shaun is one of those people that you just want to be with in any circumstance. He’s smart, funny and humble. He’s just a great human being. He also happens to be a hell of a basketball player and a good teammate. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed my five years with Shaun.”

Livingston was a valued veteran in Golden State’s locker room. The point guard is currently a free agent and some have speculated that he will retire rather than play another season. Kerr hopes Livingston returns to the organization in some capacity.

“He’s somebody I’m hoping can be involved with our organization for many years to come,” Kerr said. “That would be the plan if we can pull it off, but he’s got to get away right now and get some freedom, enjoy his family before he figures out what’s next.”

Steve Kerr Talks Changes To Warriors’ Roster, Team Decisions

August 6th, 2019 at 7:11pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s been a while since Golden State entered a season without being viewed as the undisputed favorite to win it all. In many ways, things will feel different in Northern California this upcoming season, as the Warriors will play in a new arena without the championship expectations to which they’ve grown accustomed.

“This summer was painful in many ways, losing the guys that we did,” said coach Steve Kerr said. “But reassuring, in the sense that we brought back some key guys who are going to help us kind of get to that next era, whatever that looks like.”

The Warriors lost Kevin Durant in free agency and cut ties with several key contributors from their championship runs, including Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston. Golden State retained some stability after the franchise inked Klay Thompson to a five-year deal.

Draymond Green also signed a new deal this summer, putting pen to paper on a four-year extension. Kerr said that he and GM Bob Myers have discussed securing Green long-term for quite some time.

“I think every player sort of faces these moments where they’ve got to decide, ‘Am I going to mitigate risk and sign something now or play it out?’ That’s up to them,” Kerr said. “Obviously, everyone goes about it differently. But it didn’t surprise me that Draymond signed. He wanted to be here. He’s talked about it all along.”

D’Angelo Russell will join the mix and Kerr called the point guard a “great young talent” who’s going to “fit right in” with the group.

“Without Klay, especially, we’ll need D’Angelo’s scoring and it’s up to us as a staff to figure out how best to use him to shake the team, shake the offense. And we’ll figure it out,” Kerr said.

With Thompson slated to miss considerable time next season, the Warriors will have to rely on young, unproven options to get them through the year. Kerr is embracing the challenge of building the team back up to a championship level.

“I’d rather be the favorite again, to be honest with you,” Kerr said. “But I like coaching. Every year’s a little different. This will be a lot different. But I’m excited to coach the guys who are coming back and the many young, new players that we’ve got. It’s a new challenge and I’m excited for it.”

Pacific Notes: Kerr/Davis, Rubio, Harding, Vogel

July 24th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by clarkcrum

As if the Pacific Division wasn’t already exciting enough after a summer that saw Kevin Durant leave and Anthony Davis, Paul George, and 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard arrive to join LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added some fuel to the divisional fire today when he criticized Davis’ public trade demand out of New Orleans.

Appearing on NBC Sports’ Warriors Insider Podcast (h/t to ESPN), Kerr said there is a troubling trend in the NBA right now wherein players who are healthy and still have a couple of years left on their deal (e.g. Davis) publicly request a trade. Kerr said that situations like that are both a “real problem” and “bad for the league.”

“I’m talking more about the Anthony Davis situation… where a guy is perfectly healthy and has a couple years left on his deal and says, ‘I want to leave.’ That’s a real problem that the league has to address and that the players have to be careful with.”

“When you sign on that dotted line, you owe your effort and your play to that team, to that city, to the fans… (and) if you sign the contract, then you should be bound to that contract… (Now) If you come to an agreement with the team that, ‘Hey, it’s probably best for us to part ways,’ that’s one thing, (b)ut the Davis stuff was really kind of groundbreaking — and hopefully not a trend, because it’s bad for the league.”

There’s more out of the Pacific Division this evening:

The Suns have been searching for a point guard to help lead them back up from the bottom of the Western Conference standings for years now, and the three qualities that veteran Ricky Rubio possesses that makes Phoenix think he’s the guy are playmaking, defense, and leadership, writes Cody Cunningham of Suns.com.
Lindsey Harding, recently hired as an assistant coach for the Kings under head coach Luke Walton, says that fear of the unknown is more of a factor than a lack of respect for women coaches when it comes to the absence of a female head coach in the NBA today (per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN).
New Lakers head coach Frank Vogel plans to incorporate a similar style of play incorporated by Walton, telling Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that he will continue preaching pace, attacking the basket, and shooting a lot of free throws. But more importantly, Vogel’s goal will be to put shooters at all four positions around James, including center, a la Brook Lopez surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.

Durant, Cousins Could Miss Conference Finals

May 13th, 2019 at 9:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins are not close to returning to action, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the media, including the Associated Press’ Janie McCauley, on Monday.

A report earlier in the day indicated Durant would miss at least Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday with his calf strain. Durant was injured during Game 5 of the conference semifinals against Houston.

Kerr said Durant hadn’t “even stepped on the floor” yet, so any speculation about when he’ll return is pointless.

“We’ve tried to remain somewhat vague because the injury is really sort of open-ended in terms of how long he’s going to need to recover. But I think in doing so people have gotten the idea that he’s going to come back and be Willis Reed or something,” Kerr said. “He hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet, he still has pain. There’s time ahead of him on the rehab process.”

Golden State defeated Houston on the road Saturday without Durant to wrap up that series. Now, the Warriors are faced with the possibility of playing without Durant for much, if not all, of the conference finals against Portland. The Trail Blazers are banged up as well, as they’ve advanced through the playoffs without starting center Jusuf Nurkic. Key reserve Rodney Hood suffered a bone bruise on his knee Sunday in Game 7 against Denver.

Cousins partially tore his left quadriceps muscle in Game 2 of the first round against the Clippers. There has been growing optimism that he’d back at some point during the conference finals but Kerr downplayed that possibility.

“He hasn’t had any live stuff on the court yet, so he’s not that close either,” Kerr said. “Hopefully another week goes by and things start to get better and now we have a better prognosis. At this point we’re getting ready for this series without both of them.”

Pacific Notes: Beverley, Kerr, LeBron, Vogel

May 12th, 2019 at 8:46pm CST by JD Shaw

Clippers guard Patrick Beverley is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, a process the 30-year-old is looking forward to after his seventh NBA season.

Beverley, who averaged 7.6 points, 3.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 27.4 minutes in 78 games with Los Angeles this year, discussed a variety of subjects with Khari Arnold in a story posted to NBA.com this week — including where his mind stands ahead of the free agency period.

“I feel like I can play with any team,” Beverley said. “Whatever team that is, I feel like I can make an instant impact. It’s all about doing the right things. Building a new culture. Whether it’s a young team that I’m with and I have to build a new culture, or if it’s a team that’s already established and I have to figure out how can I fit in and make this team better, I’m selfless when it comes to that.”

Beverley sent a cryptic tweet to Mavericks star Luka Doncic last week, which prompted Arnold to ask him a question about potentially joining the Mavs and how he would see himself fitting in.

“Of course [I can fit in]. He’s ball dominant, makes the right plays,” Beverley said of Doncic. “If that does come, it would be me, Luka, Tim Hardaway Jr., (Kristaps) Porzingis, Courtney Lee. It’s tough when you actually think about it. But I’m going to have fun with free agency man. I work hard. I’m gonna enjoy this process.”

The Mavericks are said to be pursuing a point guard this summer and have also been linked to Hornets star Kemba Walker.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:

Warriors coach Steve Kerr regrets not playing his bench more in the team’s series against Houston, Mark Medina of The Mercury News writes. “I probably should’ve used them earlier,” Kerr said. Regardless, the Warriors wound up winning the series, with Kevon Looney (14 points) and Shaun Livingston (11 points) giving key performances off the bench.
Lakers star LeBron James is many things, but a victim isn’t one of those things, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. James has had a sensational career filled with good luck, despite being shocked about Magic Johnson’s recent exit, Tyronn Lue’s contract-negotiation breakdown and an underwhelming regular season from his team.
Kevin Pelton of ESPN examines whether Frank Vogel will be able to turn around the Lakers in his first season as head coach. Vogel was hired by the organization this past week, with former NBA head coach Jason Kidd set to join his staff in an assistant coaching role.

Warriors Notes: Kerr, Durant, Green, Iguodala

April 27th, 2019 at 8:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Warriors coach Steve Kerr is calling for a change in the rule that imposes an automatic one-game suspension on any player who receives seven technical fouls in the playoffs, relays Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The penalty is significant for the Warriors because Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were among the league leaders in technicals during the regular season.

“I will never understand the rule that everybody falls under the exact same category, in terms of whether you lose in four games in the first round or you play 25 games and you go to the Finals, that it’s the same technical fouls points that lead to a suspension,” Kerr said. “It seems strange. But I do know that Kevin and Draymond have a good feel for when they reach that number. They generally are able to shut that off, shut that emotion off and stay on the floor. That’s going to be important.”

Green and Durant each picked up two T’s in the first-round series with the Clippers. Both of Durant’s came in the opening game, which got him ejected, while another technical in Game 3 was rescinded. Golden State is hoping the league will also rescind a technical foul Green received last night.

“He ran over to [referee David Guthrie] and said, ‘Tell me what I have to do to defend that better,’ and he got a T,” Kerr explained. “I was surprised. We’ll see what happens, but we’ve got to understand that we’ve got to be on alert, because the rules are the rules in terms of the suspensions and all that stuff.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Durant tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic that the key to finishing off the Clippers was to block out distractions. After giving up a 31-point lead in a Game 2 loss, Durant averaged better than 40 PPG for the rest of the series. “There’s a lot of speculation about me, about my attitude, about where I’m playing next season that a lot of these (media) dudes in here are trying to distract us with and then want to blame it on me because it’s easy to blame it on me,” Durant said. “I understand that. We understand that. So for us, we just made it about basketball.”
Durant has established himself as the best player in the league and should stay with the Warriors to see how many titles he can win, contends Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Andre Iguodala‘s value as a playoff defender convinced the Warriors to give him a three-year, $48MM contract when he was a free agent in 2017, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. After Golden State made an original offer of $36MM, Iguodala had discussions with the Spurs, Lakers, Kings and Rockets before owner Joe Lacob approved the larger deal.

Warriors Notes: Green, Kerr, Bogut, Durant

March 13th, 2019 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

A year away from free agency, Warriors forward Draymond Green has signed with Klutch Sports, writes Marc. J. Spears of The Undefeated. Green, who was formerly represented by B.J. Armstrong and The Wasserman Group, said he made the change late last month.

“Klutch is a cutting-edge company, it’s a pure environment, and I’ve grown to know [president and agent] Rich [Paul] over the years,” Green said. “We’ve become very close. When you really take a step back and actually study what is going on, he checks every box that a player would want in an agent. So, why not? Some are afraid of what people will think or what will be said. That’s not the case for me.”

Klutch represents some of the NBA’s top talents, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Ben Simmons and John Wall. Green serves as a minority owner in James’ “Uninterrupted” venture, but said LeBron never recruited him to the agency.

“It’s impossible to say LeBron played no part in me joining Klutch, simply because he has been Klutch since the beginning,” Green added. “He’s essentially a founding partner. I’ve already had a relationship with LeBron for years, so it’s always good to be able to do business with family that’s going about their business in the right fashion and getting things done. But as far as recruiting me — no, LeBron didn’t recruit me at all.”

There’s more Warriors news to pass along:

Green isn’t upset by a video clip of coach Steve Kerr in Sunday’s game telling assistant Mike Brown, “I’m so [bleeping] tired of Draymond,” relays Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Green said coaches get tired of players all the time and blamed the controversy on the overwhelming media attention the league gets. “We live in a day and age where there is a camera everywhere. If anything, he’ll be more conscious of that,” Green said of Kerr. “But as far as me and him clearing the air, there’s no air to clear.”
Andrew Bogut is now planning to join the Warriors after their current road trip ends next week, Medina adds in a separate story. Bogut’s agent, David Bauman, said that could be as soon as the March 21 game against the Pacers. An Australian citizen, Bogut is still attempting to get a work visa, which he hopes to acquire by this weekend.
Speculation about Kevin Durant‘s future has hung over everything that has happened for the Warriors this season as they pursue a third straight title, notes Nick Friedell of ESPN.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Zubac, Kerr, Warriors

February 14th, 2019 at 7:50pm CST by JD Shaw

Klay Thompson once again reaffirmed his desire to finish his career with the Warriors prior to the team’s game against Portland on Wednesday, according to ESPN’s Dave Pasch (Twitter link).

This isn’t the first time Thompson has publicly stated these hopes, with the All-Star guard also discussing the possibility back in September before the 2018/19 season began.

“Just look around the walls at all the art and to see I was a part of this buildup is what keeps me motivated and keeps me wanting to be a Warrior for my whole career,” Thompson said at the time, as relayed by Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Thompson has spent each of his eight seasons with the Warriors, having being drafted by the team back in 2011. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, along with with teammates Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, both of whom have yet to make similar public declarations about their summer plans.

Of the Warriors’ starting five, only Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are locked into deals past this season (with Green set to reach free agency next summer). Golden State has grown tremendously with Curry, Green and Thompson, dating back to when the trio won their first championship in 2015.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers knew exactly what they were getting when they traded for Ivica Zubac, Mirjam Swanson of the Orange County Register writes. The team acquired Zubac, an improved center on both ends of the floor, in a deal with the Lakers on trade deadline day.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was fined $25K for verbally abusing and confronting a game official prior to his ejection on Wednesday, the NBA announced today. Kerr was arguing a flagrant foul call on Draymond Green with veteran referee Ken Mauer before losing his temper, causing Mauer to issue two technical fouls and remove him from the game.
Kirk Lacob, assistant GM of the Warriors, addressed the team’s approach with the buyout market in an appearance on the “Joe, Lo & Dibs” radio show. “We don’t want to commit to something before we know what’s going to happen with our roster,” Lacob said. “You never know what can happen — there could be an injury or a slump or anything — so, we want to keep our options open. But our goal is to add a really good player — someone who fits in the locker room who fits these team and just really wants to be part of a championship run and will understand their role.”

Pacific Notes: Bell, Booker, LeBron, Warren

January 24th, 2019 at 10:47pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors coach Steve Kerr and reserve big man Jordan Bell engaged in a brief argument during the team’s game against the Lakers on Monday, with both figures visibly upset and Kerr eventually walking away.

The dispute occurred during a timeout with 5:14 left in the fourth, with Bell playing the final seven minutes of the team’s blowout victory.

“It was a total misinterpretation of something I said,” Kerr said, as relayed by Monte Poole of NBC Sports, “and we cleared it up.”

Bell has seen his minutes decrease from 14.2 to 10.9 per game this season, with the 24-year-old currently in his second campaign with Golden State. The return of DeMarcus Cousins is only going to complicate his role further, as most of the back-up center minutes are set for Kevon Looney.

“We’re all gonna go through times throughout the NBA when we want to speak our minds and vent, and we might be frustrated over some things,” teammate Kevin Durant said when discussing Bell. “Coach has been so open in letting guys get that out but also challenging guys as well. It’s a healthy dialogue, and it’s just a healthy relationship between us and Coach. He lets us know what he sees out there and if you have something to say to him back, he’s not going to be afraid to go back at you.

“I think Jordan understands that, at this point, we just want to continue to keep getting better. Coach will always – especially the younger guys in the league – definitely be on them a little bit more because he expects a lot out of them. He sees the potential in him. On Jordan’s side, we just want him to keep playing. That stuff happens, so we’ll move on.”

The Warriors have the option to offer Bell a $1.8MM qualifying offer prior to free agency this summer.

There’s more from the Pacific Division tonight:

Suns guard Devin Booker was fined $25K for escalating an on-court altercation by pushing Wolves center Gorgui Dieng on Wednesday, the NBA announced. Both Booker and Dieng were ejected following the scuffle.
The talent and leadership of LeBron James may not be enough for the Lakers to make the playoffs this season, Bill Oram of The Athletic cautions. James signed a four-year, $154MM contract to join the Lakers in free agency last summer, immediately changing the direction of the franchise to compete this season. He’s missed the past 14 games due to a groin injury, however, watching his team slip to the ninth-best record in the West (25-23) from afar. “No one here is just counting on LeBron carrying all the weight and taking us there,” coach Luke Walton said. “We know the only way to get there is to work. And for everyone to step up and make plays.”
Suns forward T.J. Warren is expected to miss two to three weeks after sustaining a bone bruise in his left ankle, tweets Gina Mizell of The Athletic. Warren’s timetable means he’ll likely return around the All-Star break in mid-February, with second-year player Josh Jackson set to get additional minutes in his place. Warren has averaged 18 points and four rebounds per game this season, shooting 49% from the floor and a career-high 43% from behind-the-arc.