Warriors Fans Need To Trust Steve Kerr

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00:00play-in type scenarios. One was for a

00:02playoff spot and obviously... Huge game. Two biggest

00:04games of the year. Huge. And

00:05Kaminga got DNPs in both of them. What did you

00:08make of that? I think

00:10if there was any question

00:11about how the Warriors

00:14feel about Kaminga's impact

00:15on winning in this

00:17very moment, it became

00:20pretty clear because

00:21what Steve Kerr

00:23and the Warriors are doing, and by the way, this was not like

00:25a one-person decision.

00:27Steve Kerr doesn't just show up to the Warriors

00:29facility and unilaterally

00:32tell everybody, yeah, Kaminga's not playing

00:33today. He doesn't? No.

00:35Oh, I thought that's how it worked.

00:37He puts it on the whiteboard, walks in the locker room,

00:39no Kaminga today. This, I am sure

00:42was a conversation that has been going

00:43on for a while,

00:45and it was something that the Warriors

00:47discussed internally, I would imagine.

00:51All of the

00:51coaches, I would

00:53venture to guess that Steph Curry and Draymond

00:55Green were part of these conversations as well,

00:58and the Warriors ultimately get to a point

00:59where they just, they think,

01:01alright, this is

01:02essentially a must-win

01:04basketball game.

01:05What gives us the absolute

01:07best chance to win this basketball game?

01:09And if they think that

01:11Kaminga not playing, or

01:13a better way to look at it, is playing

01:15others instead, right?

01:17Like, this isn't necessarily

01:18anti-Kaminga. It's just,

01:21alright, I'd rather play Jimmy 40 minutes,

01:24I'd rather play Guy 8 minutes,

01:26than play Kaminga those minutes.

01:28And, frankly, I

01:30can't really argue with that.

01:32But, where I think there's a

01:33really big disconnect between

01:36how the Warriors are approaching this,

01:38and how a lot of the fanbase

01:39has taken it, Spadone,

01:41is

01:42the idea that

01:44there's, like, some kind of

01:46personal vendetta

01:47that the Warriors, or Steve Kerr

01:49specifically, has against Kaminga.

01:50We got callers calling in saying

01:52Kerr hates Kaminga.

01:53Like, let's relax, people.

01:54Hey, look, I don't have

01:56inside information about Steve Kerr,

01:57or truthfully feels about Kaminga,

01:59but I can't possibly believe

02:01that's true.

02:02All the Warriors are doing,

02:04and all Steve Kerr's job is,

02:06is to do anything possible

02:08to win a basketball game.

02:10And when you,

02:11we already talked about this,

02:12when you're in a single game,

02:14essentially a do-or-die game,

02:16right?

02:17Tuesday against the Grizzlies,

02:19you lose, your season's not over,

02:20but for all intents and purposes,

02:21your season is over.

02:22You have to play Friday,

02:24and you have to turn around

02:25and then play Sunday

02:26versus Oklahoma City.

02:28Like, you're not winning that series

02:29with that lack of time off.

02:32I'm sorry.

02:33I don't have that kind of belief

02:34in that Warrior team

02:35if they had to play Friday.

02:37So, when you're in that situation,

02:39and you know it's going to be

02:41a competitive game

02:41that comes down to the wire

02:43as it does,

02:44you play somebody

02:45that you're not entirely confident in,

02:47it takes one misstep.

02:49It takes one mistake

02:51for you to lose that basketball game.

02:52And that doesn't mean

02:53that if you play GP2,

02:55he's not going to make a mistake.

02:56That does not mean

02:56that even Steph

02:57isn't going to make a mistake.

02:58Eight turnovers

02:59versus the Clippers.

03:01But if you're trying

03:01to maximize your chance

03:03of winning

03:03a single basketball game,

03:06your goal should be

03:07not to take

03:07any unnecessary risks.

03:10And the way that

03:10Jonathan Kaminga

03:11has played of late,

03:13it's risky.

03:14It doesn't mean

03:14that he can't be good,

03:16but the risk

03:16does not outweigh,

03:18or the risk

03:19does outweigh

03:20the potential reward

03:21in a one-game situation

03:22like that.

03:23I guess where the fans

03:24get frustrated

03:25is when they see a guy

03:26like Buddy Heald

03:27out there

03:27getting consistent

03:2812, 15,

03:30maybe 20 minutes

03:30and he's not doing anything.

03:32If he's not shooting the ball,

03:33what is he doing out there?

03:34And I think that's where

03:35fans get a little frustrated.

03:36It's like,

03:36wow, this guy,

03:37I get it.

03:38He's a great teammate

03:38and he's out there

03:40to shoot the three ball.

03:41I get it.

03:42That is his role,

03:43so maybe that's

03:43what it comes back to.

03:44The role of a Jonathan Kaminga

03:45is what on this team

03:47going forward?

03:47And if that's on the head coach,

03:49if that's on the player himself,

03:50I don't know.

03:51There's a combination

03:52of both there.

03:53And I think that's where

03:53the disconnect comes

03:54within the fan base is,

03:56hey, this guy's been here

03:57this long.

03:58How does he still not have

03:59a defined role

04:00on this team?

04:01And I think that just goes back,

04:03you know,

04:03it's kind of like

04:03the chicken or the egg thing.

04:04Like,

04:05who is in charge of that?

04:06Who do you place

04:07the blame on?

04:08You can put the blame on me,

04:10right?

04:10Is that Steve Kerr

04:11at this point?

04:11Like,

04:12I go back,

04:13and it's not like

04:13for like comparison,

04:14but I go back

04:14to when,

04:16you know,

04:16Trey Lance got traded,

04:18right,

04:18from the 49ers.

04:19And I remember that presser

04:20when it happened.

04:21It was Kyle Shanahan talking.

04:23He said,

04:23you know what?

04:23I take blame

04:25for Trey's development.

04:26A lot of that was on me,

04:28and I'm sorry.

04:29And he owned that.

04:30And I actually thought

04:31that was kind of refreshing

04:31if I was a fan of the 49ers.

04:33Okay,

04:33okay.

04:34He owned it.

04:34Now,

04:34it's easier to say that

04:35when he had Brock Purdy,

04:36right?

04:36Like,

04:37had the entire situation

04:38that didn't play out that way,

04:39maybe he would have thrown

04:40Trey Moore under the bus

04:41to save his ass,

04:42but that's how it played out.

04:44Like,

04:44when this whole thing ends

04:45in this saga

04:46of Jonathan Kaminga,

04:47because I gotta be honest,

04:48right now,

04:49April 17th,

04:502025,

04:51the year of our Lord,

04:52on Holy Week,

04:53on Holy Thursday,

04:54yeah,

04:54I don't think Jonathan Kaminga

04:55is coming back.

04:56I'd be very surprised

04:57if he's in a Golden State Warriors

04:58uniform next year.

05:00Warriors hold all the cards.

05:01We'll see.

05:02He's a restricted free agent.

05:03If you're betting on it,

05:04is he coming back next year?

05:05If you had to bet money

05:06on $100,

05:07is Jonathan Kaminga

05:07going to be a Golden State Warrior

05:08next year?

05:09Yes or no?

05:09Probably not,

05:10but the decision is the Warriors,

05:12not Kaminga's.

05:13Well,

05:13that's fine,

05:13and I think the Warriors

05:14are going to move on from him,

05:15just given what I've seen

05:16these last few weeks

05:17and the comments made

05:18from the head coach.

05:20That being said,

05:21Buddy Heald only played

05:2112 minutes on Tuesday.

05:23And the thing about Buddy Heald...

05:25I've seen,

05:25you know,

05:26Guy Santos played six minutes.

05:27J.K. couldn't have gotten six minutes?

05:28I'm just playing devil's advocate

05:29here from the fan base.

05:30That's how they're feeling right now.

05:31I hear you.

05:34Buddy is,

05:34even if he's not hitting his shot,

05:36he's still spacing the floor,

05:38and we've heard Steve Kerr

05:39talk about,

05:40you know,

05:41the Kaminga,

05:42Draymond,

05:43Jimmy lineup.

05:44It doesn't work together.

05:46Why?

05:46Because there's a lack of spacing.

05:48We got the sound right here.

05:49This was on with Will and Tibbs

05:51last week.

05:53You know,

05:53Jimmy's arrival

05:54took away a lot of

05:55Jonathan's minutes at the four.

05:58You know,

05:58there's no doubt that,

05:59you know,

06:00as soon as Jimmy arrived

06:02and we started winning,

06:02we leaned into lineup combinations

06:04that enhanced Jimmy

06:07because we were winning.

06:08And Jonathan was out

06:09for that whole stretch.

06:10We went like,

06:11you know,

06:1117 and three or something.

06:13So we're going to keep doing

06:14what's been winning.

06:15But the lineup with Jimmy,

06:17Jonathan,

06:18and Draymond

06:19doesn't fit real well,

06:20frankly.

06:21It just doesn't.

06:22We need more spacing.

06:24We've found other lineups

06:25that have clicked.

06:26And it's just part of the deal,

06:28you know,

06:29being in the NBA

06:29and you've got to adapt

06:32to whatever,

06:33you know,

06:33whatever's happening

06:33with the team.

06:34Jonathan's done a great job of that.

06:36He's working hard.

06:37He's playing well

06:37when he's out there.

06:38But I'm just going

06:39with the lineup combinations

06:41that I think are going to

06:42give us the best chance to win.

06:44And, you know,

06:44there's going to be nights

06:45where he's absolutely part of that,

06:47like the Laker game.

06:49And then there's

06:49going to be nights

06:51where I go to Buddy

06:52or Moses

06:52or Dave Payton.

06:54It just changes

06:55every game

06:57based on what's happening.

06:58And I have to read that

06:59as a coach.

07:00So if that unit,

07:02Kaminga,

07:02Draymond,

07:03and Jimmy

07:03is not working,

07:05and he was pointing

07:06to some of the reasons,

07:07the main thing is spacing.

07:08You just don't have enough

07:09shooting on the floor.

07:10And Buddy Hill can go

07:110-4-4 from deep

07:12one game.

07:13And that's not good.

07:15The Warriors need Buddy

07:15to make a couple of shots.

07:17Changes everything

07:17if he does.

07:18It does change everything.

07:19But even if he's not,

07:20he is still spacing the floor.

07:22He's made 200 or more threes

07:23in seven straight seasons.

07:25You look down

07:26all of the all-time

07:28NBA three-point list,

07:29Buddy Heald is there.

07:30He's one of the best

07:31three-point shooters

07:32of all time.

07:33I know this season

07:34has been really uneven.

07:35It's been a rollercoaster

07:36ride for Buddy.

07:36That sounds hilarious

07:37when you just said

07:38Buddy Heald's one of the

07:39greatest three-point shooters.

07:39He is!

07:40Volume-wise,

07:41I hear you.

07:42He makes a lot of them.

07:43Percentage-wise,

07:43he's like 40% for his career.

07:45On that volume,

07:45that's amazing.

07:46But why do we not

07:47trust him then?

07:48I know.

07:48I'm just saying.

07:49I know.

07:50Even when he's on the floor,

07:51even if he's not

07:52making his shots,

07:53he's spacing the floor.

07:54The other thing

07:54that Buddy does,

07:56and he's not the best defender,

07:58doesn't have the greatest

08:00necessarily defensive instincts.

08:04The other thing Buddy does,

08:05you play him for two minutes,

08:06you play him for 30 minutes.

08:08He is going to hustle

08:09his ass off

08:10for every single

08:12one of those minutes.

08:13He is not going to leave

08:15a single ounce of energy

08:17in him.

08:17He is going to

08:18give it his all.

08:20And you mentioned

08:21Guy Santos played

08:22how many minutes

08:23versus six minutes.

08:24The second that

08:25Guy Santos checked in,

08:27offensive rebound and one.

08:28He had three

08:29offensive rebounds.

08:30He tried to get another one too.

08:31In six minutes,

08:32three offensive rebounds.

08:32You're going to get

08:34that same energy level.

08:35And if there is one thing,

08:37Spadoni,

08:37that Steve Kerr

08:39just despises

08:40more than anything else,

08:43it is

08:44lack of energy,

08:45lack of hustle,

08:47lack of attention to detail.

08:48There was a moment

08:49in the Clippers game

08:50on Sunday,

08:51and this is probably why

08:52Moody did not play

08:54to close the game.

08:55They went with GP2, right?

08:56And that was another

08:56big thing that a lot of

08:57Warrior fans were arguing about.

08:59Why GP2?

09:00He was getting cooked by Harden.

09:01We need Moody in there.

09:02You know why?

09:03Because there was a moment,

09:04I think it was in the third quarter,

09:06Draymond taps a rebound

09:07out to Moody along the perimeter.

09:09And Moses Moody,

09:10he's like the only guy

09:11in the area.

09:12Instead of like racing

09:13to the ball

09:13to clear the rebound,

09:14he just kind of lollygags

09:16and walks his way

09:16to the ball.

09:17And then James Harden

09:18comes up from behind,

09:20knocks the ball

09:20off of Moody,

09:21out of bounds,

09:22ball goes back

09:23to the Clippers,

09:24Kawhi scores a layup

09:25as a result.

09:26They take a lead,

09:27their run continues,

09:28Steve Kerr and Draymond Green

09:29both immediately

09:30start screaming at Moody.

09:33It doesn't matter

09:34who you are.

09:35You could be Kaminga,

09:36you could be Draymond,

09:37you could be Steph,

09:38you could be Jimmy,

09:39you could be anybody

09:40on this roster.

09:41Jemski?

09:41Yeah, you could be.

09:43But he screamed

09:43and banged on the table

09:45in Denver earlier this year.

09:47This is not just unique

09:48to Kaminga.

09:49It's just what Kaminga

09:50is going through right now.

09:51If you do not show

09:52that consistent energy

09:54and effort

09:54and you do not give 100%,

09:56100% of the time,

09:58your minutes are going down.

10:00I'm sorry.

10:01And that's just

10:01what's going on right now.

10:03Do you think he's not giving

10:04110% effort?

10:05Because again,

10:06it goes back...

10:06He loses focus?

10:07I don't know.

10:09Like,

10:10it goes back to body language

10:11for me, right?

10:11Like,

10:12I hear you.

10:13Like,

10:13the body language thing,

10:15like,

10:15a lot of fans

10:16look to that on the side.

10:17He looks disinterested.

10:19We did this with Brandon Bell.

10:20We did this with Andrew Wiggins.

10:21By the way,

10:21Andrew Wiggins,

10:22big game yesterday.

10:23Big win for your Miami Heat,

10:24Mark Randy.

10:2535 minutes,

10:2520 points,

10:26my Miami Heat.

10:272 assists,

10:279 rebounds.

10:28I know you're a big Miami guy.

10:29Got up 20 shots.

10:30Dude,

10:31Wiggins.

10:31And 9 boards?

10:33Warriors legends,

10:34Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson

10:35going off.

10:36Brings a tear to your eye,

10:37doesn't it,

10:37Dub Nation?

10:38I'm buying stock in Andrew Wiggins.

10:39Well,

10:39Bonte is now,

10:40yeah,

10:41right?

10:41Bonte will in studio tomorrow,

10:43courtesy of River Islands.

10:45But,

10:46yeah,

10:47I look at body language

10:48with players,

10:49and Andrew Wiggins is one of them.

10:50We always used to get on them,

10:51right?

10:51Oh,

10:52he looks disinterested.

10:53He doesn't care.

10:54I like to pause during that

10:56because I don't know

10:57what's going through that guy's mind.

10:59And then maybe that's who he is

11:0024-7-3-6-5,

11:02where he's just very nonchalant.

11:03He's relaxed.

11:04He's calm.

11:05Like,

11:05I get,

11:05like,

11:06Willie Adamas' guy,

11:07who was struggling early on this season.

11:08By the way,

11:09the Giants went again

11:10in Philadelphia,

11:1111-4.

11:12But Willie Adamas is a guy

11:13that,

11:13like,

11:13you can see him.

11:14Like,

11:14he gets pissed.

11:15He gets,

11:15oh,

11:16he gets angry at himself.

11:16And I think fans like that stuff.

11:18It's like,

11:18okay,

11:18he's clearly invested.

11:19He cares.

11:20Like,

11:20I just want to pause.

11:21I'm not saying you're saying this,

11:23that he doesn't care,

11:23that Kaminga doesn't clearly care.

11:25But,

11:26I question the,

11:29you know,

11:29us getting,

11:31I don't know,

11:32going inside the psyche

11:33of one Jonathan Kaminga

11:34on and off the court

11:36when it comes to caring

11:37and not giving 100% effort.

11:39He can make mistakes.

11:40Doesn't mean the effort's not there.

11:41But I hear you.

11:42In these kind of games,

11:43in a one-game scenario,

11:44the mistakes,

11:45it's times a thousand

11:47in these scenarios.

11:48That's why Steve Kerr

11:49didn't play him at all.

11:50In the series,

11:51though,

11:52like,

11:52you can't just be pulling him

11:54after he makes a mistake or two.

11:56Like,

11:56you just can't do that.

11:57Like,

11:57he's got to be a part

11:58of this playoff run,

12:00whether it's in the first,

12:01second,

12:01third round.

12:02Because again,

12:02you mentioned it,

12:03and Steve Kerr mentioned it.

12:04It's a matchup thing.

12:06He was great against the Lakers.

12:08Amazing.

12:09He closed against the Lakers.

12:10It was pods,

12:12it was Kaminga,

12:13it was,

12:14and the big three.

12:15Like,

12:15that was the closing lineup,

12:17and they needed

12:17every single ounce

12:18of those Kaminga minutes.

12:20And they dominated

12:20down the stretch.

12:21Yes.

12:21Yes,

12:22and he was a huge part of that,

12:23going up against

12:23the LeBron James of the world.

12:25And I was so impressed

12:26with him in that game

12:27because LeBron,

12:29you know,

12:29was baiting him.

12:30Baiting him

12:30because LeBron was defending JK.

12:32And he was like,

12:32oh yeah,

12:32shoot that three,

12:33shoot that three,

12:33I'll give it to you.

12:34But JK,

12:34what did he do?

12:35He was patient.

12:36He passed the ball off,

12:37got a better shot,

12:38got a better layup opportunity,

12:39or a jump shot,

12:40a mid-range jump shot.

12:41So,

12:41I hear you,

12:42they're going to need him

12:43going forward,

12:44and it's going to be

12:45very interesting to see

12:46what he does on Sunday.

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