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Pacific Notes: Kerr, Crawford, Teletovic, Lakers

November 5th, 2015 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

One Warriors player told ESPN’s J.A. Adande he wouldn’t be surprised if Steve Kerr is out until after the All-Star break, as Adande passed along as the sideline reporter for the network’s coverage of Golden State’s win Wednesday over the Clippers (transcription via James Herbert of CBSSports.com). Kerr told Adande that he’s still dealing with headaches and remains heavily medicated as he tries to recover from back surgery. The Warriors haven’t missed a beat under interim coach Luke Walton, who’s steered the team to a 5-0 record and dominant performances. See more from the Pacific:

Jamal Crawford is seeing decreased minutes this season as expected, but he’s still OK with that, observes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. Crawford, a subject of trade rumors this summer with the Heat, Cavs and Knicks reportedly having shown interest, wasn’t present when many of the Clippers traveled to persuade DeAndre Jordan to renege on his decision to bolt to the Mavericks, and when asked why, he said, “I can’t answer that,” according to Bresnahan. However, Crawford did allude to a pro-am tournament that he hosted the same day, Bresnahan points out.
Offseason signees Sonny Weems and Mirza Teletovic have underwhelming numbers thus far for the Suns, observes Zach Buchanan of the Arizona Republic. Weems feels his defense and decisions have been solid even though he’s yet to score much, while Teletovic thinks a lack of playing time has affected his 3-point accuracy, which is at 25% for the season after Wednesday’s game. “You can’t expect me to come in and score three threes in two minutes,” Teletovic said prior to Wednesday’s game, as Buchanan relays. “It’s tough. You’re not in rhythm. Obviously coming in in the fourth quarter and stuff like that is really tough. I’m trying, but I’m still working.”
The Lakers are hoping they can balance winning with player development this season, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News told us for a recent edition of The Beat, and coach Byron Scott acknowledges that it’s his job to do both, as Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com relays. The 0-4 Lakers start a five-game road trip Friday at the Nets. “I’m not always thinking about necessarily developing them,” Scott said of his young players. “I’m always thinking about trying to win. I’m always thinking about trying to win. The development part comes secondary to that, but in practice and everything is where you really work on the development part.”

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Frazier, Eddie, Lakers

October 28th, 2015 at 10:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who is currently on a leave of absence while recovering from two offseason back surgeries, hopes to make his return to the bench prior to January, Janie McCauley of The Associated Press writes. “I am feeling better, so that’s the good news. The bad news is I’m not feeling well enough to coach yet,” Kerr said. “It’s hard because I don’t know when that will be. There’s no timetable. It’s not a sprained ankle, two-to-four weeks type thing. When I feel better, I’ll feel better. It’s very frustrating but I am improving. I’m able to physically work out now, which has helped quite a bit the last couple weeks. But I know I’m not healthy enough yet to do this. It’s a demanding job and it wouldn’t be fair to the team and it wouldn’t be smart for me. We’ll see.”

Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:

Shooting guard Michael Frazier, who was waived by the Lakers last week, has signed with the team’s D-League affiliate, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).
Jarell Eddie will rejoin the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s D-League affiliate, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest relays (Twitter link). Eddie was waived by the Warriors this past Friday.
Lakers coach Byron Scott said that it was an agonizing decision to choose between Jabari Brown and Metta World Peace for the team’s final roster spot, which ultimately went to World Peace, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. Scott called it a “very, very, very … difficult decision” to waive Brown and added that “It was probably the most difficult cut that I’ve ever had to make,” Holmes notes. But Scott added that with such a young roster, it was important to add a veteran who could mentor the team’s plethora of younger players, the ESPN scribe relays.

Pacific Notes: Crawford, Barnes, Ezeli, Hibbert

October 21st, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

It took a sell job from Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers, but Jamal Crawford is on board with continuing to be a part of a crowded rotation, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register details. Rivers and Crawford spoke about their issues over the summer and again before camp, and while Crawford took to social media this summer to drop vague hints that he was dissatisfied, the two-time Sixth Man of the Year now says it can “easily work” for him in L.A. Rivers said in September he was unlikely to trade Crawford, swatting down rumors. See more from the Pacific Division:

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob would like to see the team sign Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli to extensions before the November 2nd deadline, but he’d still be OK with them ending up in restricted free agency next summer, as Lacob said in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Lacob also made it seem as though it’s unlikely that Steve Kerr will coach the team in the opener as he continues to nurse his ailing back.
Roy Hibbert is fostering team chemistry in a way that no one did on the Lakers last year, Jordan Clarkson tells Bill Oram of the Orange County Register. The big man doesn’t see it as all that important but thinks that if he can help others perform, it will reflect well on him in the future. Hibbert is poised to hit free agency this coming summer. “When the team wins,” Hibbert said, “everybody wins. So helping them is going to help me on the court in the long run and then that will help whatever contract stuff. So you have to be selfless.”
Omri Casspi is struggling in the preseason, but coach George Karl isn’t worried about the player in whom the Kings invested $5.8MM on a new two-year deal this summer, observes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I think the way he played at the end of last year, he’s earned the right to be given some freedom and opportunity to figure out what happens this year,” Karl said.

Western Rumors: Warriors, Green, Ingles

October 19th, 2015 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors remain uncertain when coach Steve Kerr can return to the team on a full-time basis, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein and Ethan Sherwood Strauss report. Kerr, who underwent two offseason back surgeries, was with the club on its weeklong preseason trip through Southern California, but there’s no timetable on when he can coach on a daily basis, the story continues. ‎”He still doesn’t know,” interim coach Luke Walton told reporters after the team’s practice on Monday. “He’s not going to force a return.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

Clippers coach Doc Rivers feels the Warriors are too thin-skinned about recent comments he made about them, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area Sports Group. In an interview with Grantland, Rivers insinuated that the Warriors were lucky they didn’t have to play his club or the Spurs in the playoffs last season, Leung continues. He told reporters on Monday that he’s taken aback by the Warriors’ strong reaction to that notion, Leung adds. “I’m really surprised how sensitive they are about it,” Rivers said. “They are the champions, so they can just be the champions.” Walton told Leung that Rivers is playing mind games with the champions. “It doesn’t make much sense if it’s not,” Walton said. “There’s no other reason to bring that type of stuff up.”
Second-year point guard Erick Green is making a strong case for a Nuggets roster spot even though he doesn’t have a guaranteed contract, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post writes. New coach Michael Malone has raved about Green during camp, though Green suffered a temporary setback with a minor knee injury, the story continues. Green, who could make $845,059 if he stays with the team through the season, bounced back with a 16-point, four-assist outing against the Thunder on Sunday night. But the club would have to move one of 15 players with guaranteed contracts in order to retain Green, Dempsey points out.
Jazz forward Joe Ingles had more difficulty deciding to take the summer off than he did re-signing with the club, Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Ingles stayed put by inking a two-year, $4.3MM deal, then opted not to participate in the Australian national team’s Olympic qualifiers over the summer. “I’m not going to say it was like the hardest decision of my life, but it was something that weighed on me for a little bit,” he told Falk. “I did want to play.”

Pacific Notes: Staten, Murray, Henderson, Kerr

October 16th, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Juwan Staten, who was waived by the Warriors earlier today, will sign with Golden State’s D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter link). Colin Bryant, Staten’s agent, confirmed the news to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (on Twitter). NBA teams can retain the D-League rights to up to four players they waive. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Lakers have officially signed Tracy Murray for the remainder of the season as the team’s shooting coach, Los Angeles announced. “I’ve known Tracy a long time, and he was one of the purest shooters I’ve ever seen,” said coach Byron Scott. “I think he’ll be a benefit to our players, especially our young guys, and I look forward to working with him as a member of our staff.” Murray appeared in 659 games during his 12 year NBA career.
The Kings have offered point guard Marshall Henderson a spot on their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, Spears relays (via Twitter). The 24-year-old, who was waived by Sacramento on Thursday, is also garnering interest from teams overseas, the Yahoo scribe adds.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who took a leave of absence from the team after experiencing complications related to back surgery he had undergone in July, is expected to return to the team soon, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com relays. Of Kerr’s impending return, interim coach Luke Walton said, “I think it’s great. Obviously Steve’s one of those guys just having him around makes everything better, so he wouldn’t be coming down with us at all if he was still as bad as he was. So I think it shows signs of improvement. I don’t think it means he’ll be back within the next two days, but all we can ask for is that he keeps getting better.”

Pacific Notes: Kerr, Jackson, Price, West

October 13th, 2015 at 9:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Warriors coach Steve Kerr suffered a spinal fluid leak during his July 28th back surgery on a ruptured disk, which has led to his absence from the team during the preseason. Dr. Neel Anand, the director of spine trauma at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles, believes that Kerr is likely to make a full recovery, though the exact timetable still remains unclear, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle relays. When discussing Kerr’s prognosis, Anand said, “The body forms spinal fluid constantly. As long as it doesn’t continue to leak, he’ll make a full recovery and be back to normal. It’s like 99.9% that he’ll probably make a full recovery.” That’s certainly encouraging news for Kerr and the Warriors, and now here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Warriors team consultant Jerry West, in an interview with Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com, noted that one reason Mark Jackson, who was Kerr’s predecessor as Golden State coach, was let go after the 2013/14 campaign was his inability to adapt the offense to better suit the team’s personnel. “Coaches who have been players in the league, they get so attuned to playing how they were successful, and who their coaches were,” said West. “Mark was a real pick-and-roll guy and very, very good at it. Steve played for two championship coaches, and I think the coach obviously he has replicated is [Gregg] Popovich. He liked his style of play, even if he had great success in Chicago. Moving the ball, moving your body, all the little things you do to get defenses to make mistakes and to try to be able to counter. I think that’s been his philosophy offensively.“
While Ronnie Price may have been signed with designs on him being a mentor to the Suns‘ young backcourt duo of Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe, Price has found them to be more talented and prepared than he anticipated, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “They don’t need to learn anything from me,” Price said. “I’m just here to be a brother and a teammate and to help them get through the season with a clear mindset. These guys are gifted. You don’t often have a chance to compete against two All-Star caliber point guards in practice. It’s been a joy. I have a newfound respect for Bled and B-Knight. You don’t have a chance to know how talented people are until you play against them every day. I respect their games even more. I’m just happy they’re on my team.”

Western Notes: Kerr, Spurs, Lakers

October 11th, 2015 at 5:30pm CST by Will Joseph

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, that he suffered a spinal fluid leak during his July 28th back surgery on a ruptured disk, which has led to his absence from the team during the preseason. There is no timetable for his return. Luke Walton, the team’s lead assistant, is serving as the interim head coach.

“The leak is fixed, but I’m still getting some symptoms. That’s why I’m out,” Kerr said. “I wanted to be clear to you guys and the fans. I want to be upfront about what’s happened. Because I’m still having symptoms, it makes it difficult for me to be on the floor. The prospects are good. I’m going to heal.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

LaMarcus Aldridge called his preseason debut with the Spurs “a little overwhelming,” Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio-Express News relays. “It doesn’t really hit you until you put on a jersey and go play,” Aldridge said. Aldridge is working on learning where to find his new teammates when he gets doubled, McDonald adds.
The Lakers have six players — Ryan Kelly, Metta World Peace, Jabari Brown, Robert Sacre, Tarik Black and Robert Upshaw — competing for the final four roster spots and Upshaw is the “wild card” because of his talent and checkered past, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register writes. Upshaw is a talented shot blocker, but he was also kicked off teams at Fresno State and the University of Washington, as Oram points out. Lakers head coach Byron Scott said it is conceivable that the team will keep four centers, including starter Roy Hibbert, but indicated that would only be in an extreme circumstance, Oram adds.
Wolves coach Sam Mitchell believes Zach LaVine‘s shooting woes are a product of LaVine thinking too much, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets.

Steve Kerr To Take Leave Of Absence

October 2nd, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

3:29pm: Walton tempered Adams’ remarks a bit, saying that a return for Kerr within a few days would be the best-case scenario and that his absence could still stretch on for weeks, notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 10:28am: Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams expects Kerr to return in only a few days and that he will certainly be back in time for the team’s regular season opener on October 27th, which takes place at home against the Pelicans, Adams told SiriusXM NBA Radio this morning (Twitter links or hear the audio).

THURSDAY, 3:26pm: Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will take a leave of absence from the team in order to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation from back surgery, the team announced in a press release. The length of Kerr’s absence is unknown, and it will be determined by the speed of his progress. Luke Walton, the team’s lead assistant, will serve as the interim head coach.

Kerr underwent surgery on his back to repair a ruptured disc back in late July and then had follow-up surgery in early September. “After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season,” said Kerr. “As I noted last week, my summer was difficult and no fun due to the multiple back surgeries. At this point, I simply want to get healthy and back to my normal daily routine on and off the court.”

It’s unclear at this time if Kerr, who led the Warriors the NBA title last season, his first as a coach, will return in time for the start of the regular season. “At this point, the most important thing is to make sure Steve is healthy, completely recovered and ready for not only the rigors of a long NBA season, but day-to-day life in general,” said Warriors GM Bob Myers. “We don’t anticipate the recovery process will be long term, but as of today we don’t know the exact timeframe. We’ll evaluate his progress daily and provide updates as necessary.”

Pacific Notes: Williams, Lakers, Looney

June 29th, 2015 at 10:55pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Kings have expressed interest in bringing forward Derrick Williams back next season, though the organization’s first priority is to upgrade the point guard position, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Sacramento is reportedly interested in the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe, and free agent Rodney Stuckey, as well has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Rajon Rondo. Williams can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,045,894. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Despite the reports that Kings coach George Karl wants center DeMarcus Cousins traded, Karl is excited to see what a pairing of Cousins and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein can do, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter links). Karl believes the duo will mesh well together because each has a different skillset on defense, Jones adds.
The Lakers are expected to try and add a rim-protecting big man, a 3-and-D capable small forward, frontcourt depth, as well as a veteran point guard this summer, Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders writes. Davis lists LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Robin Lopez, Jimmy Butler, and Wayne Ellington as potential free agent targets for the Lakers.
Steve Kerr doesn’t believe that the Warriors winning a championship his first season as coach will increase the pressure on him, but instead, it will allow him to continue to just be himself, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group writes. “It’s funny you say that because as an observer and an analyst for TNT and even as a player, I always felt that when a coach won a championship, it freed him up to be himself,” Kerr responded when asked if his approach would change next season. “Coaching in the NBA is such a fleeting thing; guys get fired left and right, and so a lot of guys coach out of fear. And they try to hang onto their jobs. I always felt like the ones who won titles were freed up to just do it their way and to not worry about anything.”
Todd Ramasar, the agent for Warriors draftee Kevon Looney, denied the reports that his client underwent surgery on his hip last year, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Looney believes that he can continue to play without surgery but will undergo a medical evaluation to determine if a procedure is necessary, Leung adds. “I had suffered a hip injury when I first got to UCLA, and I played the whole season with it,” Looney said. “I went through the [draft] workouts with it. I still can play now. I can play just fine. I can walk good. I’m not hurting right now. I’m looking to the doctors to tell me what they really want to do, but this is an injury that I had, and I can actually play with, and I can actually do well with it.“
Though the Warriors declined to extend Justin Holiday a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the team may look to re-sign him for less than the $1.147MM tender it would have required to make Holiday a restricted free agent, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets.

Pacific Notes: Thompson, Towns, Okafor

June 9th, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Count Andrew Bogut among the Warriors glad the team didn’t budge on its refusal to trade Klay Thompson to the Cavs for Kevin Love, as the Australian center told Grantland’s Zach Lowe. “Thankfully, we didn’t pull the trigger,” Bogut said. “I don’t know if that trade would have gotten us to this point. I didn’t think it would be a huge upgrade. David Lee provides the same output, besides the 3-point shooting. I thought we could have just found a stretch 4 at the veteran’s minimum — someone like James Jones.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Steve Kerr lobbied against the trade this past summer because he preferred to see how a largely untouched Warriors roster would continue to develop, as he said to Lowe for the same piece. “Continuity was the biggest thing for me,” Kerr said. “When you’ve got something good, let it grow organically. We were already really good on defense, and I knew we would get better on offense. Why do something dramatic? I had a real fear of the unknown.”
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says that the franchise has been unsuccessful thus far in getting Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns to come in for a workout or interview, but he does believe it will happen prior to the NBA Draft, Kevin Ding of BleacherReport tweets.
Duke center Jahlil Okafor has downplayed the reports that he is angling to become a member of the Lakers, but he definitely sounds like a player who wants to wear purple and gold in the NBA, Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News notes (Twitter link).
You can see Hoops Rumors’ full prospect profiles for Towns, Okafor, and many other potential draftees here.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.