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Why Kerr is faced with toughest task yet in 11th Warriors season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – As the Warriors wade into the regular season, they do so with an NBA roster they like, one designed to do plenty of sprinting, scoring and defending while also testing the limits of Steve Kerr’s considerable people skills.
The one thing that could spare the coach a season of challenge is a major trade. That presumably would boost the talent and alleviate the traffic jamming the current roster, which is built for movement.
There are, as of Monday morning, more quality players than there are slots to fill.
“It’s better than the alternative, right?” Kerr, smiling wryly, told NBC Sports Bay Area.
“But you’re asking guys to (pause) . . . this is their career,” he added, turning stone serious. “This is their livelihood. And there’s so much at stake for them individually. The guys who don’t get to play, it’s rough on them. And I feel for them.”
Three or four Warriors will spend most of their days practicing and studying video yet rarely leaving the bench after tipoff. The inactivity could lead to feeling marginalized while constantly hearing their names tossed about the torrent of trade buzz.
What must it feel like to be a capable NBA player on a team that doesn’t need you?
Do you quietly – or loudly – hope for an opportunity elsewhere?
Golden State’s current roster has talent, but most of it is complementary. Draymond Green is elite at what he does, but only Stephen Curry projects as an obvious All-Star. Kerr raves about his team’s depth but bemoans the effect it will have on those outside the rotation and braces for what lies ahead.
“The hardest thing for everybody this year – coaches and players – is that right now I would say we’ve got 13 players who look like they’re rotation players to me,” Kerr, entering his 11th season with Golden State, said last week.
The 13: Kyle Anderson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevon Looney, De’Anthony Melton, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski, Lindy Waters III and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-kerr-faced-toughest-task-151301556.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-21 15:13:00
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