Despite the Warriors sitting with the second-best record in the NBA at the All-Star break, there remains persistent conversation and criticism pointed at the coaching staff for their strategy and usage of superstar Steph Curry on offense.
Whether justified or not, some variation of this criticism has been present since the Warriors' dynastic years under Steve Kerr.
When Curry recently joined the Dubs Talk podcast, he addressed some of the criticism by explaining how he is involved in the decision-making and that he is having constant conversations throughout the year with Kerr strategizing what is best for him and the team.
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Curry explained that he might not always get the answers that he wants, but if he were to come to Kerr with his desires, for instance running the plays Curry wants on offense in a specific game, that his head coach would be receptive to them.
When these comments were relayed to Kerr as he joined the latest episode of the Dubs Talk podcast, he verified the accuracy of Curry's sentiments:
"Everything is dead-on. We are a collaboration. Steph and the coaching staff, we collaborate on everything," Kerr said. "Draymond [Green] as well. You know, those two guys in particular help coach the team. That is how this works. When I was in Chicago, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen helped coach the team. When I was in San Antonio, Tim Duncan same thing. You have to have a collaboration with your best players and that includes what you are going to do as a team, and it includes how you are going to coach that particular person and what the details are.
"So for Steph, this year most of the talk has been about the rotation, with Klay [Thompson's] absence and then his return, and so many different combinations that we have had because of injuries and young players and all that stuff, his rotation pattern has not been that consistent. When Kevin Durant was here, the discussion was more on-ball, off-ball, can we run more pick-and-rolls, we need you to be more dominant with ball and don't defer too much.
Golden State Warriors
"These discussions happen every year, and Steph is the ultimate collaborator, and it's been a wild success. But no season is without issues and things that you have to deal with."
When it was relayed to Kerr that Curry also mentioned that he thought the rotation was the right strategy for now, here is what the Warriors coach had to say:
"Well, I'm glad that we got to this point because early in the season it wasn't perfect, and I could see that he wasn't quite comfortable. But we were just trying to win games and the bottom line was, we were winning games," Kerr said.
"We were 18-2 after our first 20 but his rotation was different than it had ever been. So with all the changes that have happened, Steph's focus is still 'just win.' And that is my focus too. The reason all of this works is because Steph is one of the greatest people I have ever been around in terms of just his humility, this willingness to be part of the group, and not only a willingness but an enjoyment in being part of the group. So the personal sacrifices that he makes are genuine and always about winning. So the guy is a dream to coach."
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It has been made known that Kerr had stepped away from most social media, including Twitter, citing the toxicity of the conversations in the past. When asked if by stepping away from Twitter, the criticisms still reach him or is he able to shield them off, here is how he responded:
"They really don't. Maybe once in awhile I might see something, I mean, I still read stories about our team," Kerr said. "So inevitably you face criticism in the media, and I'm fine with that. That is all part of it. But I don't really hear much from the outside. You know, the bottom line from me is that we literally spend every waking hour thinking about what is best for the Warriors and we have this coaching staff that is filled with people that have been around the game their entire lives. That is all we do. Sit around and talk about how we can be the best team we possibly can.
"So when you get suggestions or thoughts from fans or media members, you sort of take it for what it is. This is a sport that is wildly popular, this is a team that is wildly popular, everyone is going to have thoughts and opinions. That is great, that means people are watching and people are interested. But our job is to do what we think is best and we are qualified to do it. That is why we are here."