Steve Kerr: Draymond’s ejection was “unforgiveable”

Steve Kerr: Draymond’s ejection was “unforgiveable”

Hey dub Nation it’s Steve ker and you’re listening to Willard and dibs on 957 the game well yeah but but mainly coach I I I I think a lot of people might be here right now to listen to you so uh dibs ready to rock oh yeah let’s do this

Steve cerr is brought to you by Xfinity at home or on the go you’ll get the fastest internet to all your devices and presented by Great Clips in sports success is about team effort and the same is true for your hair Great Clips it’s going to be great okay here he is

Coach of the dub Steve Kerr with us as always hey coach how you doing today I’m good how are you guys uh we’re doing good the first thing I’d love to do is give you a chance to talk about what you saw from the players who did

Play last night it with with kaminga out and what happened with Draymond uh what what what would you have to say about the effort of the rest of the group oh man just phenomenal level of uh competitive fight and spirit um really fun to watch the guys um you know they

Know how important every game is right now and and uh you could see them come together and and uh and really fight for everything against a really good Orlando team on their home floor on a backto back so that was a that was a big time

Win so you you talk about the fight in a in a big moment in a big time win and I have to think in my mind that that had something to do with what was going through Steph’s mind as Draymond gets thrown out of the game we’ve all seen it

What looked like being overcome with emotion you’re there patting him on the back we don’t see that from him very often what how would you put into words why Steph responded that way in this moment because of uh everything that you just described I mean every game being

So important and um you know us fighting for everything and then to for Draymond to get kicked out 3 minutes in um it was really unforgivable you know for and and and you know I think Steph may have even been a little upset with himself for not

Pulling Draymond out of there but I think mostly it was just come on man you know we got we need this and um and and you know Steph is such a fighter he’s such a competitor he wants it so badly and um I think all of that combined just

Led to that that reaction what can be done to try to head these things off and you know we’ve talked before to you Steve about you know calling timeout if he gets one Tech and maybe giving him time to decompress but in those moments where he goes from zero to 100 so

Quickly what can be done by anyone to try to diffuse it in the moment well I I actually am kicking myself a little bit uh because I thought you know for the most part from the last uh six weeks or so since Draymond came back from the suspension

For the most part he’s been really good with the refs and I think he’s found a really good balance of of being competitive and and feisty and playing with an edge but not going overboard um and that a lot of that starts with you know just staying off the refs and I

Thought in the Miami game he was on the refs too much and I should have intervened I should have talked to him after the game and um and just reminded him that you know this all starts for him finding that right spot it all starts with being able to uh stay off

The refs and I didn’t and I so I I I’m upset with myself for that as for what happens you know after he gets the first tech um that’s completely up to Draymond I you know we can you know I watched the whole replay of it we had multiple

Players out there we had multiple security guys out there um at that point you know we’re not going to drag him back to the bench that makes makes it look even worse um that looks like he’s trying to get to the rest so it at that

Point it’s really up to him to to know I I I can’t I got to end it and um and he knows that I’ve talked to him about it he’s talked to Steph about it he apologized to to Steph and clay and the whole team um he feels terrible about it

Um but he he made a huge mistake and and all I can say is thank God we won because had we lost this would be a much much bigger issue coach it’s fascinating to listen to you talk about how how you sort of feel about your own role here

And how Steph might feel about his own role here um have you ever seen Steph react in that sort of an emotional way before yeah yeah a handful of times not not often you know um you know dur during the the seasons that we’ve had where there’s been some

Frustration uh I’ve seen staff occasionally kind of just lose it and and become really angry really emotional but you know it might be once a year it doesn’t happen very often you’re hearing National voices again questioning Steph Curry’s leadership in terms of Draymond Green’s Behavior just how much

Culpability is there even for yourself when it comes to another grown man and the way he comports himself and and the words he chooses to use at an official well there’s culpability for me because I’m his coach and and as I just detailed you know I felt like in

Hindsight I I look back at that Miami game and I regret not saying something cuz I thought he was on them too much so so that you know that that’s definitely my fault um but to your point Draymond knows I mean he’s he’s a grown man he’s

Got to handle his own business any any mention of Steph being culpable is just ridiculous um the way Steph has carried our franchise represented our franchise uh for 15 years um it’s absolutely ridiculous you he was the first one out there you saw he was the first one out

There trying to talk Draymond off and and uh handled it the right way and the reason Draymond got kicked out is because as he was walking back to the bench he muttered an exploitive that the refs heard and so he deserved it you can’t do that but that’s not Steph’s

Fault you know that’s that’s draymond’s fault and that’s you know Steph was trying to do everything he could to get him out of there Steve Cur with us Willard and dibs 957 the game as he is every single week yeah coach I I I I bet

You get this watching this game and this experience especially bit two minutes into the game this was for even just the fan perspective this was intense this was intense to have this go this way for that player and then to watch Steph Curry uh react the way he did and and

And potentially even be in tears because of it can you take take us inside uh in whatever way you can to to sort of the the current moment of the team’s mental state when when something like this happens well there’s not much time to discuss it or think about it and so you

Know we we took a time out um as the tech happened I was upset about the two reaching fouls that we had and the two turnovers that Draymond had and that so I I took the time out um to remind the guys that we needed to play with more

Poison discipline next thing I know draymond’s gone and um you know the timeout is ending so there’s there’s not a whole lot of time to say hey like you know let’s have a discussion about it’s just we move on we move forward and uh that was my message to the team and

Everybody uh followed suit and the guys you know played uh with so much passion and energy and and um it was just a just a wonderful wi for us yeah and I I mean noticing just the way everybody was kind of reacting in that moment like it

Really was kind of a i i for lack of a better word it was all it felt like a touching moment to watch the way you were reacting with Steph you’re patting him on the back as he’s as he’s dealing with that what what what you know what

Kind of made you feel like that was what he needed in that moment well I could see how emotional he was and how rattled he was by it and I just you know wanted to number one make sure he was all right but number two remind him you know we

Gota we gota go we gotta go play and um and that you know that’s that’s about as simple as it gets but um you know and I I felt like the rest of the half Steph was almost trying too hard you know he was he was really forcing the issue and

Was much better in the second half just um you know taking what the defense gave us that’s a really good defense they’ve got size and length and athleticism all over the floor and uh I thought Steph’s second half was great the way he managed the game and obviously hit the two

Biggest shots of the game at the end but um was just um you know really um playing a mo is kind of traditional point guard role he had 10 assists and and only two turnovers and played played well enough for us to win on a night that wasn’t wasn’t his best stuff

Draymond got the first tech for bumping the official which according to the rules comes with it an automatic one game suspension have you gotten word of a suspension or are you anticipating that he’ll be able to play tomorrow night when you’re in Charlotte I I had

No idea that there was a bump I didn’t I didn’t even I didn’t think there was a bump so I I I that’s this the first I’ve heard of it uh coach I tell you what else in in just sort of the way uh this all looked after after the game you know

Draymond’s there to congratulate Steph and the rest of the team as you guys head into the locker room there’s also his podcast where he’s sort of just said his body was in the wrong position and he wished that the ref uh didn’t didn’t hear it that I I think

That sort of resonated with a lot of people a as if maybe he didn’t gather the seriousness of this but that doesn’t maybe match with what you said earlier with what he said to the team after the game what what what’s your reaction to

That uh I you I I don’t know I mean I I all the all I know is what I experienced at what I saw and um so it was something that uh that Draymond did the ejection he deserved and um I know he’s handled it behind the scenes with the team and

He and I have spoken and we move forward is this something where Draymond just takes the team together and speaks to him or is it something handled in more of a casual manner after the fact uh he talked to them at halftime before before the coaches even got in

There huh that’s interesting St C joining us here uh Willard and dibs hey uh what a night what a week for Andrew Wiggins and this comes after comments that you Klay Thompson have made um you know talking about wanting him to be more aggressive so first and foremost

What what did you see from him last night well he was uh super aggressive but I I think um you know part of what you saw too was the fact that Draymond and uh Jonathan were not out there those guys are pretty high usage and um wigs

Had the ball in his hands a lot more so we went to him more often he felt that responsibility and I think he really enjoyed the opportunity and uh good reminder to me you know that we’ve got to get him the ball a little bit more than than we do

Sometimes sometimes he gets lost in the shuffle little bit you know draymond’s pushing the ball JK’s got it Stephen Clay are shooting um they wigs can go four or five possessions without touching the ball sometimes and that’s a tough way to play and I thought uh last

Night he did did a great job of continuing to to attack and um but again the opportunity was greater for him because of the guys who were missing so that’s interesting you’re you’re you’re sort of saying like this is just a matter of opportunity for Andrew rather

Than maybe his own mindset which as you know like we’ve all talked a lot about um you know why why Andrew doesn’t appear Ultra aggressive all the time right no I I think it’s a it’s a combination I think we want him to be more aggressive regardless but I think

Giving him some more opportunities with the ball uh helps him be more aggressive so I think we we have to be mindful of that tjd comes in and has another great performance 14 rebounds Off the Bench does it feel like that he’s really starting to get his full sea legs lished

And maybe you might think about keeping him in the starting lineup going forward this guy’s really good he really is I mean he 14 rebounds last night the uh the passing I thought um you know maybe the biggest basket of the game was Gary Peyton’s layup you know before before

Steph’s two Final Shots um that layup came from a no look pass from Trace after um you know Trace had gotten the ball um you know from Steph in the pocket and Brilliant pass um this guy is really skilled with the ball um smart tough um we’re lucky to

Have him and and it’s been fun watching him with uh with Draymond um you know because it gives us more sides and and um just a better paint presence defensively um but you know if we’re going to put him in the starting lineup um you got to decide who you’re going to

Take out and I don’t think there’s an easy answer there either um coach what’s uh what’s the status of Jonathan kaminga for tomorrow uh questionable so he’s got some tontis uh in his knee bothered him during the Miami game and um so hopefully after you know the last two

Days uh being off hopefully he’ll be able to go but at this point He’s listed it’s questionable yeah hopefully he can come back it’s uh impressive he’s only missed two games all year for the youngster to to come in and be that durable cavon Looney speaking of durability even though he’s had a

Handful of dnp of late feels like you can just dust him off and throw him in there and get quite good production out of him lon’s been great I mean he just uh you know you you can always count on him he’s so professional um I think he had

Gone four or five games really without playing much if at all and um comes in and plays big minutes in these two Road winds but um doesn’t surprise me one bit um coach you know you had uh we understand this whole thing is fluid for sure but you had talked so GL blowingly

About the role that clay was playing Off the Bench what what was the thought process in bringing him back to the starting lineup and will he stay there well we just wanted to get a little more scoring uh you know I I just felt like uh the spacing would be a

Little bit better bringing clay back I think he’s been in such a good place I was hesitant to do it but um just felt like it was the right time and and I think Clay’s been great uh it’s opened up the floor a little bit more for wigs and JK and um

You know and for Steph as well and just gives us a little more pop to start games and and you know BP’s going to play plenty regardless of whether he’s starting or coming off the bench he’s such an important player for us and uh so we’ll see I don’t know if it’s going

To be the entire you know last 10 games but um we’ll play a game by game it looks like pods is struggling a little bit with his three ball would do you think it’s fatigue or you seen something mechanical that’s maybe leading his three-point shot to not be as effective

As it was earlier in the year I think it’s just typical for for rookies especially to to be you know a little up and down with their shooting and and uh you know he’s still at a pretty high percentage for the year I think he’s 37

Or 38 it’s just he’s a little streaky and um right now he seems to be um in a little bit of a spot where he you know he’s not feeling it quite as as confident but um overall he’s a good shooter I think I think with Brandon

What you’re going to see is uh as he moves forward in his career he’s going to get better and better um as he just gets more and more threes up in practice and in games and and just gets more comfortable with everything coach I don’t know if you’re a big Instagram guy

But did you see uh tar een of the rockets on Instagram yesterday no I’m not on Instagram yet all right yeah I didn’t think so so here this is uh this is something he put a little video that he put as uh he’s now pointing toward you guys Warriors come out to play

Warriors come out to play yeah it’s like that okay so so so obviously the the Rockets have won 10 games in a row and they’re very excited so but but in in all seriousness coach I wonder if there’s a built-in disadvantage for you guys in any way

Here in that the Rockets are so thrilled to be battling for the 10 seed while you guys are a bunch of Champions not really used to this area of the standings yeah I I I I don’t care I mean you know it’s I love that by the way I I

Think uh you know they should be excited they’re playing great and uh you know the whole point of the play in is to keep teams engaged and and uh this is all good stuff so I’m I’m I’m all for you know people being excited about playing and winning and so I but we

Don’t we don’t really pay any attention we just uh you know we got to handle our own business whatever happens with them happens I know you’re big on scoreboard watching light night tonight in the association but uh your cats going up against the Clemson Tigers what are your

Thoughts so far so good for Arizona yeah I will not just be scoreboard watching I will be watching uh the cats yeah I am uh I’m fired up this seems to be our best chance in in a while um you know the Staples uh or crypto now is uh kind of male Center

West and um you know we got we got a couple games um if we can win tonight got another game against a team that has had to travel across the country one way or the other so we got a pretty good opportunity here and it’s pretty

Exciting and uh yeah I got I’m I’ll be pulling for the cats hard yeah here we go they’re playing in less than an hour I was just thinking it’s a good thing you’re on the East Coast or you would have canceled this interview huh yeah I would not have talked to you guys

Wow priorities I get it well we’re we’re glad that you’re sitting there in uh in North Carolina then uh thank you coach great to have you as always yeah you too see you guys thanks all right there he goes Steve Kerr uh with us on

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr joins Willard and Dibs to react to Draymond Green’s ejection from last night’s game, his team’s win in Orlando, Andrew Wiggins’ great performance, and more.

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