Kerr clarifies comments about ‘not chasing wins' this season

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After the Warriors lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Feb. 8, Steve Kerr was asked if he is tempted to increase Steph Curry's minutes this season.

Golden State's coach caused quite a stir with his answer.

"Not for me. I'm into the long game,” Kerr said. “We're counting on having Steph here for a long time -- many, many years ahead. And I'm not interested in grinding through this season, which is already a very difficult season given the COVID regulations and just the nature of the games themselves -- these eerie, empty stadiums.

“For me, for our organization, we're not throwing Steph out there for 40 minutes to chase wins. We got another game tomorrow. We want Steph to be playing at a high level for many years so we're gonna stay very disciplined and try to keep him at that 34-35-minute mark."

Kerr clarified his comments during an appearance this week on "The TK Show" podcast with The Athletic's Tim Kawakami.

"Maybe the uproar that I caused came from the phrase 'chasing wins,' " he said. "And I think people are probably thinking, 'Isn't that the whole point -- to chase wins?' The point I was making was we're not playing him 40 plus minutes in order to chase wins in a season like this.

"We are looking to the future. We think we can be a championship team in the next couple years. That's the focus. If that means being disciplined this season and keeping Steph fresh and keeping his minutes around 34-35, then by all means that's worth it -- rather than maybe scrounge together a few more wins this year and wear him down."

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Yours truly doesn't think Kerr needed to provide another explanation, as his comments last week made perfect sense.

But perhaps these new words will resonate with some fans who were frustrated with the original remarks?

RELATED: How D-Lo undergoing knee surgery impacts Warriors, NBA draft

Finally, if you are somebody wondering why Curry is averaging only 5.2 fourth-quarter minutes per game, this information is for you (tweeted Monday night when the two-time NBA MVP did not play in the final frame because the Warriors had a huge lead):

Also, there have been six games this season in which Curry has played seven or more minutes in the fourth quarter. So Kerr actually has "chased" some wins at times.

As always, context very much matters.

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