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00:00out to the River Islands guest line we go. It is time for Coach Kerr presented by Great Clips
00:05in Sports. Success is about team effort and the same is true for your hair. Great Clips,
00:09it's going to be great. It's been a great start for Jimmy Butler with the Warriors. Coach,
00:13how you doing? I'm doing well. How are you guys doing tonight? Yeah, we're doing good, man. And
00:19these two wins since the acquisition of Jimmy Butler certainly have everybody's eyebrows up.
00:25I wonder if you could kind of take us through the effect of the last six days, an emotional
00:31night six days ago when you trade some players away. But now this boost of these two games,
00:37how much of it do you attribute directly to Jimmy? Yeah, I mean, the whole thing really
00:45kind of captures what the NBA can be, you know, where you have to say goodbye to guys who you love,
00:52um, you know, and then you welcome a new guy and you feel a little burst of energy and maybe a,
00:59you know, resuscitation of the season. And it's a reminder that, uh, you know, this is all part
01:05of it. And as much as you, um, you hate to see guys go and you grow attached to people,
01:12it's, it's always about winning and, you know, the players understand that and coaches understand
01:18that, but you know, whatever it takes to win, that's, that's what you have to do.
01:22And I think ultimately, um, it was obvious we needed a change in this season. We were kind of
01:28stuck in mud and, um, this seems like the best possible move we could have made. And I give my
01:34family, uh, a lot of credit. I mean, he's, he's done an incredible job since he's been here,
01:40um, you know, under, under difficult circumstances, but he's, uh, think about the guys he's traded
01:46for the guys he's drafted. Um, you know, we've got a pretty good group and it's exciting.
01:51Can you take us through the moment where you had to call the team back in the locker room to
01:55deliver the news? Did you, you obviously had some inkling that something might be afoot,
02:00but in the moment when it becomes confirmed, how do you, as the head coach go about getting
02:06everybody back in the room and then delivering the tough news? Well, there's a, yeah, there's
02:12not exactly a handbook for it, but, um, you know, the, the bottom line is, uh, these guys are all
02:19great friends and, and tight and, you know, you're together every single day. So you,
02:24there's no way you can not gather everybody together. You know, everybody's, um, everybody
02:30needs to, uh, to say goodbye and to have a final moment together when something like this happens.
02:35And it's not always possible. You know, a lot of times guys get traded and they're at home and,
02:41you know, that's it. And, uh, this was a rare occasion where trade happened, you know, at the
02:46arena where the whole team is there. Happened one other time in my existence. That was when we
02:52traded Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson in Brooklyn right before a game about five years ago, six
02:58years ago. And, uh, so it was, um, yeah, it's a, it's a strange moment, but it's one that,
03:03that I think you have to have to have with the group to just to be able to express thanks and
03:09say goodbye. Coach, I have to admit then after the game, I was, I was surprised to hear you say
03:17you've never even met Jimmy Butler with all the, the, the dealings throughout the league.
03:23How is that possible? And then what were your first impressions?
03:27Yeah, you know, I mean, I would say probably half the guys in the league I've actually
03:34shaken hands with and met a lot of guys you just play against, but you don't really,
03:39you know, you don't spend time with them. You don't really say anything to them or vice versa.
03:43And that was the case with Jimmy. Obviously he's been in the East, um, you know, for most of his
03:49career. So only played him a couple of times a year and there was just never a moment where we,
03:54um, you know, even said hello. So, um, it's brand new relationship, but, um, you know,
04:00it's great timing. I mean, I, what I've learned in this league is everything is about timing for
04:05players, for organizations. Um, when you get a guy it's so crucial and it feels like we're getting
04:11him at the right time for him and for us. Well, now you've known him a long time. I mean,
04:16five days by my count, uh, it's time for some sweeping judgment, Steve. What have you made
04:22so far of, of just working with Jimmy? I know it's a really, really small sample,
04:26but what has surprised you most about having Jimmy in the building?
04:31I don't know if anything has surprised me. Um, you know, I, it's just really fun to see him play,
04:36um, when he's on your team and you get to, to watch the tape and you see all the little things
04:42that he does. And it, it makes sense, you know, cause he's not a guy who jumps off the page,
04:47like, you know, like other players in the league who are, you know, maybe more athletic or better
04:52shooters or whatever. It's just, it's the totality of the package with Jimmy. It's, uh, it's the,
04:58it's the incredible IQ, uh, the amazing fundamentals. I mean, you saw the plate he
05:05was making against the zone last night where he catches the middle, you know, pivot, like it was
05:11John wooden basketball camp, you know, in 1974 and then, and then make a perfect bounce pass
05:18to Quentin or dream on for a dunk. It's like, you'd be surprised, but there aren't that many
05:23guys in the NBA who have that level of a fundamental base. So when it comes in a star
05:30players, uh, body and package, it's really powerful. And so watching the tape this morning
05:36and after the Chicago game, you just get a sense of why Jimmy is so great. And it's,
05:42it's everything. It's the competitiveness, it's the skill, it's the passing, it's the awareness,
05:48the feel he's, he's just got a, uh, you know, an amazing game.
05:53Coach Steve Kerr with us as he is every week, Willard and Dan's 95, seven, the game coach,
05:57there's what we all see on the basketball court. I'm interested in what we don't see. How has he
06:02fit into the locker room so far? It's been great. He's right in the middle of the card game on the
06:08plane with the dream on and stuff. Uh, there seems to be a lot of laughter in that locker room.
06:14Um, you know, he's a very charismatic guy and, uh, I think, like I said, it's, um, it's, it's
06:21great timing. I mean, he, he needed to change. Obviously he had a great run in Miami and he was
06:26ready for something different and we needed a burst and, um, you can feel that it's a good fit,
06:32both on the court and in the locker room. He's just got really good energy about him. He thrilled
06:36to be here. The guys are happy he's here. And there's a, a sense of confidence that,
06:42that he can really help us get where we want to go. Coach, I'm, I'm interested in this because we
06:46all know what was being said about Jimmy and Miami and everything that was going on there
06:51for the weeks leading up to this. And, and so that, that locker room fit, there was even a report at
06:57one point that, that you and Steph Curry were kind of curious about the locker room fit with, with
07:04what we know about a big personality like that, to what level was that something you guys talked
07:10about and considered? Well, you know, it's not nearly as big of a deal or as much of a thing as
07:21you think it might be. I mean, honestly, um, Steph and I do not have a, you know, a huge role in this
07:27stuff. Mike is great about, um, you know, checking in with us, letting us know, you know, what he's
07:33thinking, what deals are potentially out there. Uh, but neither Steph nor I is dictating any of
07:39this stuff. Um, and that's how it should be. I mean, I believe in the separation of church and
07:44state, you know, I think it's really hard for a coach to make personnel moves, um, or, or a star
07:52player to dictate them. Uh, there's a reason that, that it's a healthy separation. And, uh,
07:58I think, uh, any of these conversations were, um, you know, not nearly as extensive and as
08:05detailed as you might think it was more, you know, Mike, Mike touching base, um, occasionally
08:10during the last couple of weeks and saying, Hey, here's what we're working on. And that's about it.
08:16And here he is. And it seems to me to be a great fit after two games, but how does it change the
08:21way you go about playing from a pace and tempo standpoint, and maybe less of a reliance on the
08:27three point shot when you look at it through two games, how does it change the way you go about
08:32playing? Well, he, he just, um, based on who he is, he automatically, um, controls the game.
08:41Um, and it's really interesting. I mean, all we did was give him three or four plays that we run
08:47a couple out of bounds plays. And that's it. We, we had a shoot around, um, one shoot around
08:54in the last, um, you know, three days and no practice time other than that. And it didn't
09:00matter. Like he just knows how to play and there's a tempo and a pace that he plays that
09:05never gets sped up and it's not impacting like the number of threes we're taking. Um,
09:12in fact, I think it's improving our shot quality. Uh, but what the biggest thing is the, um, you
09:19know, his ability to pass and manipulate defenses means Steph and buddy and those guys are Moses.
09:25They're getting better looks on the back end of possessions, uh, much like Steph did, you know,
09:31in early years with Andre and Sean Livingston and guys like that, who just had great feel
09:35like, um, you know, like Jimmy. So possessions seem cleaner. And then the ability to get to
09:41the line, which is something we frankly never had since I've been here. Um, I think 28 free
09:46throws and two games. Uh, amazing. The calming effect that free throws have on a, on a game.
09:53So Jimmy's bringing all of that to the table and more Steve, the core of this team has been in
09:59place for so long and, and sure there was Durant for a period of time and obviously clay throughout
10:05most of it, but Steph and Draymond are like the heartbeat of the whole organization.
10:12How does the stew kind of change with this new ingredient? You know what I mean? Like,
10:17how does the identity of the whole squad adjust with a presence like Jimmy Butler now on it?
10:23Well, I think, uh, it's interesting just, you know, being a part of a team, you know,
10:28year, year after year, and you'd see the subtle shifts in the psychology, the emotion, the
10:33confidence, some of it is based on the roster itself. Some of it is based on the rest of the
10:38league, you know, where the league is and, and, you know, how other teams are doing. And so I
10:43just think we had gotten to a point, um, you know, that really this year where we, we didn't have
10:50the, whatever it is, you know, whatever, however you want to describe it, we didn't have the factor
10:56anymore. And, uh, wasn't anybody's fault. Um, sometimes you just need new blood. Um, I think
11:02the West has gotten so much better teams around us have gotten so much better. And frankly,
11:08we needed, we needed what Jimmy is bringing us, which is, um, kind of a, um, you know, a star,
11:15um, confidence, you know, you, you can just feel his, uh, his presence and his force.
11:22And, uh, I think it's, uh, it's infusing the team with some, some energy, some new energy that we
11:28needed. And maybe some new confidence as well. Is it fair to say that you got Quentin post who is
11:33now suddenly emerging and Moses Moody getting more minutes and buddy healed looks to be coming
11:38a little bit out of his funk. Is that a by-product of a star and the confidence he brings, or is it
11:44the way he plays in terms of getting other guys involved in better spaces? It's both it's, um,
11:52it's confidence, uh, that, that he brings to the group, but it's, um, it's basketball IQ.
11:58And, um, you know, it's just, to me, this is what made, uh, the warrior special, uh, from 15 to,
12:05you know, through 22 was just the, uh, the incredible IQ that, that supported Steph and
12:12clay, um, you know, the ability to create stuff out of nothing and, uh, to create really good
12:19possessions that generated, you know, open threes on the back end, rather than just coming down and,
12:24and launching threes, which, um, you know, we saw more of that, I think the last, you know,
12:30this year of early in the season for sure. So the combination of all that, but, um,
12:36you know, I just, I mentioned earlier what Mike has done in his year and a half here,
12:42you know, um, these guys who he's brought in, uh, Brandon and Quentin and Jimmy, I mean,
12:49to me, these guys are, are rounding out our team, uh, in a really important way.
12:54Chris Paul last year, you know, very, very similar, just adding, uh, adding the IQ and
13:00the field that, that allows Steph to really thrive, um, has been hugely important. And I
13:05think Mike has played a big role in all that. Hey, Steve, before we completely move on from
13:10any Andrew Wiggins related kind of conversation, I I'd love to know how you guys created the
13:18environment that allowed him to thrive. Cause it wasn't necessarily hitting exactly right in
13:25Minnesota and, and, and whatever the, the, the mix was here with, with you guys, it seemed to
13:32bring out the best in him. What's your read on that? I just think Steph Curry brings the best
13:37out and everyone around him, coaches, players. Uh, I think, um, I think the organization that
13:45we've built, um, you know, that, uh, uh, Myers built that, that Joe Lake of his built, um,
13:52we have amazing people. Um, you know, Rick Celebrini is a great example of someone who helps
13:58set the culture. And we've got a, we had a lot of really good people who create a healthy
14:04environment for players to, to really thrive in, but it, it, it all comes back to Steph.
14:10Um, this guy is such a special player, such a special human being. He embraces everybody.
14:16Uh, so to me, Steph, Steph brings out the best in his teammates. And I think he brought out
14:21the best in Wiggs and gave him, you know, the space and the confidence to, to be himself,
14:27but also to fit in with what we did. And, and then Wiggs was exactly what we needed,
14:32you know, at that time, transitioning away from Kevin Duran, Andre Gadala,
14:37Sean Livingston, we desperately needed Wiggs' length and athleticism, defense,
14:42you know, ability to attack. And, and I will never forget, uh, Wiggs, what an incredible
14:48teammate he was human being. Um, and of course the, uh, the 22 championship, which, you know,
14:54we don't win without him. Um, so what a, what a great, great, great guy to coach a wonderful
15:00person to be around every day. And, um, we're going to miss Wiggs.
15:04In light of all that, how difficult was it in that moment to have to deliver the news, which,
15:09you know, in our business, Steve, Mark, and I have been doing the trade machine and it seems
15:13like every trade involves Andrew Wiggins when you're playing around with that trade machine.
15:17And yet when it actually happens, it had to be a visceral, emotional moment for everyone.
15:22Yeah, it was tough, but I think Andrew, to his credit, uh, handled it really well.
15:28It was a real possibility, um, given all the rumors, given his conversations with his agent.
15:36I think, you know, he was well aware that this was a real possibility. Um, doesn't take away the,
15:43the shock of it, but, um, yeah, I mean, it's, uh, like I said, it's, uh, these are moments
15:48that are really difficult in the NBA and, and, um, but they're part of it and you, you know,
15:53you know it when you come in, you learn it, you figure it out as you go as a young player,
15:58you'd see guys come and go and you realize, oh man, that's going to be me someday for,
16:03you know, for 99% of these guys. And, uh, so you have to, you have to accept it and,
16:10and hopefully even embrace it because it, it, it helps a lot if you can, um,
16:16kind of approach it that way and still, still give the best of yourself every day.
16:20Hey coach, where's this Quentin Post story going, man? Like he's on a two-way contract one week,
16:25the next week he's screaming at people and knocking down multiple threes. Like what,
16:30where, where are we going with this guy? Pretty impressive, isn't it? Um, you know,
16:35the guy was a 51st pick and, uh, it's funny because after the fact it's, it's always easy
16:43to say, well, man, he should have been picked a lot higher, you know, but, um, I think what was
16:48overlooked was, um, just his toughness and his, um, I call it play speed. I think I read that,
16:56that, uh, expression when I was reading about Puka Nakua last year when the Rams drafted him.
17:02And, and, uh, it was, you know, I love football. I love, love this stuff. And the Rams were talking
17:07about, yeah, he only ran a four, six, but he looked fast, way faster on tape. And when you
17:11watch Quentin, you know, your first instinct, well, big seven foot white guy is not going to
17:16be that quick, but he plays fast. Like he, he, he's so demonstrative with what he does because
17:22he sees the game. He processes things really quickly. So he makes the pass quickly. He makes
17:27the rotation quickly. He, uh, he rolls quickly. Um, he catches and shoots it and there's no
17:33hesitation in his game. So it, it makes him quicker than what he probably is, but that's,
17:38that's kind of the game right there. And, and, um, you know, that's why he's making this adjustment
17:44so well. You know, you just sounded like you were describing Brock Purdy, like, like you just used
17:49a lot of the same stuff that people say when they talk about Brock. Totally agree. That's a really
17:55good, good comp in that regard is, you know, there's like, there's, there's different kinds
17:59of athleticism, you know, there's the run and jump stuff, but there's the, uh, the processing
18:04stuff, Patrick Mahomes, you know, has it, um, you know, Tom Brady obviously had like incredible
18:10processing skills. And, uh, so the quarterbacking stuff, I'm sure that's a big part of that,
18:16but I think it's a big part of, um, any athlete, um, in a team sport where you have to make
18:21decisions quickly, you know, how fast can you process the game? Quentin can process it really
18:27quickly and he happens to be a skilled passer and shooter. So, um, this thing looks like it's,
18:33it's got staying power. So Steve, he's, he's certainly worked his way into your lineup now,
18:38and I'm not going to ask you about a lineup five, six, seven games from now, but I am curious about
18:44this. Like, what do you foresee when Jonathan Kaminga comes back from this perspective? Like
18:51how were you feeling before he got hurt about how he was handling the role off the bench in
18:57those particular minutes? Uh, JK was, uh, I thought he was playing the best basketball
19:04of his career, uh, those last couple of weeks before he got hurt. And that was, they were,
19:09they all came minute came off the bench, but you know, he didn't, he didn't mind. I mean,
19:15he was playing a lot. He was playing 30 plus minutes. So whether it's off the bench or as a
19:19starter, the thing I'm most interested in with Jonathan is, is picking up where he left off,
19:24uh, because what he was doing was, uh, you know, making quick decisions, making simple plays and,
19:31and just playing the game. And, and it looked to me like things had slowed down for him quite a bit.
19:37And, um, and that's when guys can really start to blossom when they, when they see the game more
19:43clearly. And, uh, that's what I'm excited about, you know, getting JK back whenever it is in a
19:48couple of weeks, hopefully, uh, I can't wait to get them back out there. A little bit of a
19:53different look going to Dallas, uh, in the game tomorrow, no Kaminga for you. They've got clay.
19:59They don't have Luca. You've got Jimmy Butler. It seems like a year ago, all of this would have
20:03been nonsensical, but you look at this Dallas team and, and where they are and how your team
20:09is playing. Are you getting a sense of urgency knowing that, you know, you've openly said you
20:13need to climb up to the six if possible? Well, we'd like to, that's the goal. It's going to be
20:18difficult, but obviously, um, you know, shoot for six, get as high up as you can. Just having been
20:24in the play in a couple of times, I can tell you a seven or eight is way better giving getting two
20:29cracks, uh, than, than nine or 10 and just getting one. Um, you know, you got to win two, two
20:36straight. That's, that's a tougher proposition. So we're, we're trying to climb the ladder. We
20:42know that, um, the only way to do that is by, um, you know, being rock solid. We got to get
20:48lucky with our health, but, um, the good news is Jimmy's a great fit. Uh, we've got a lot of
20:53guys who are playing well and we've got a chance here to build some momentum. So yeah, two, two big
20:57games coming before the break. Coach, you're in Dallas and I know you're well aware that that's
21:02fan base is going through it right now after that trade and feeling some frustration. There's even
21:08been some, some very unfortunate behavior, death threats toward Nico Harrison, et cetera. I wonder
21:13what your sense is of that. And if you can compare it to anything else that you've experienced in NBA
21:21life, maybe even all of the Kraus and Reinsdorf stuff back in the day, like what's your thought
21:26on this? Well, yeah, I mean, it's, it's tough. When I was GM and Phoenix, um, I got death threats
21:35after the, uh, shack trade. I, we traded Sean Marion, uh, for shack and I got some death threats,
21:42uh, via email that, um, and you know, you sort of know deep down, like nobody's really
21:50going to try to kill you over a basketball trade, you know, but it's really disconcerting
21:56at the same time, you know, to have somebody threaten your life. Um, so I, I, I really feel
22:02for, for Nico and, and, um, you know, it's terrible behavior. It's sort of, uh, modern,
22:10modern society, modern life, the way we live with social media with, you know, it sort of gives
22:14everybody, you know, this, uh, it's free reign to, to, to write whatever they want when they
22:21clearly wouldn't say something like that to another person's face, but it's all, um, you know,
22:26it's all part of modern life and it's really sad. And I, I feel terrible for Nico and hopefully,
22:32you know, this doesn't last too long. Um, to take it to a lighter subject, what does the 1997
22:38three point shootout champion say to buddy healed before this weekend?
22:44You don't, you don't say anything ever to buddy healed. You just, uh, you hand him the ball and
22:50you let it rip. So I got, I got, I got no advice for buddy. You don't ever talk to buddy healed
22:56coach. I never talked to him about shooting. I talked to him about everything else, but you
23:03don't, you don't say anything about shooting this guy. Uh, he puts up more shots, uh, than,
23:09than anybody, including staff, by the way, you know, we have this, uh, we have this tracking
23:14stuff in our facility where, you know, we, we can look at every single practice attempt
23:21from our guys and know how many they made, uh, how many of they attempted in the last month.
23:26Um, this guy shoots more shots than anybody. I think probably in the history of the planet.
23:33It's incredible. He loves to shoot so much. He's in the gym all the time, just firing away. Um,
23:40it's beautiful to watch him shoot. And, uh, he's one of those guys who just, you just kind of want
23:45to leave alone and let him, let him, uh, let him rip. And I think, uh, I think he's going to do
23:50great for that reason. He's not going to think a whole lot. He's just gonna, just going to get out
23:55there and shoot 25 of them and see what happens. Okay. Well, coach, if you don't want to say
24:00anything about buddy, do you want to say anything real quick about this new all-star format? What
24:04you think about it? Uh, yeah, I have not thought one bit about it and nor will I think one bit
24:10about it when I go to San Diego next weekend. Where are you playing coach? I, you know, I,
24:18I live in San Diego in the off season. It's kind of our home base. And, uh, so we, uh, I play right
24:24there in Rancho Santa Fe nearby, uh, where we live and, uh, really a great course. And I got
24:30good friends who are there. And, uh, so I'll get out a couple of times and get away. It'll be nice.
24:35Okay. Coach two wins in a row. Two more would be real nice. Uh, good luck, rest of the week,
24:40enjoy that golf course. And, uh, and we'll talk to you next week. All right. Sound good. Okay.
24:47There he goes. That is a coach Kerr.