Kerr takes blame for dispute with Green, says forward should retire a Warrior
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SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Wednesday accepted responsibility for the sideline argument that led Draymond Green to leave the bench during the third quarter of Monday’s win over the Orlando Magic, calling his own behavior “not my finest hour” and reiterating that he wants the veteran forward to end his career with the franchise.
“I regret my actions in that exchange,” Kerr told reporters during a 15-minute news conference at Chase Center, roughly 24 hours before Golden State faces the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day. “I apologized to him, he apologized to me, and we both apologized to the team.”
Green, 35, walked to the locker room after the heated huddle but returned to the bench for the fourth quarter as the Warriors evened their record at 15-15. Kerr, who has coached Green since taking over in 2014, said disagreements between two intensely competitive personalities are not unusual. “Over our 12 years together this has happened occasionally, and I’m not proud of it,” he added.
Long partnership at a crossroads
The incident revived memories of earlier clashes, including a highly publicized locker-room blowup during the Warriors’ 73-9 season in 2016. Kerr noted that time is running short for the core he shares with Green and Stephen Curry. “We are a fading dynasty,” he said. “The question is how connected we are night to night and whether we can give ourselves another swing at the plate.”
Golden State sits five games behind the sixth-place Houston Rockets in the Western Conference. Green is the only NBA player this season with at least 250 minutes who has more turnovers (75) and fouls (80) than made field goals (72).
Despite the team’s struggles, Kerr emphasized Green’s importance to the Warriors’ four championships. “I don’t think we have any without him,” he said, citing the forward’s ability to channel “raw rage” into winning plays.
‘He wants to be here his whole career’
Kerr repeated that his “number one goal” is for Green to remain a Warrior for the duration of his career, an outcome that eluded former teammate Klay Thompson, now with the Mavericks. “He’s a loyal guy,” Kerr said. “I will go to bat for him as long as I’m coaching him here — and 20 years from now.”
For now, both coach and player are focused on moving past Monday’s confrontation and salvaging a season that has so far produced equal parts frustration and hope. “There’s beauty in the struggle,” Kerr said. “We have to take pride in it, because this is part of life.”
Source: ESPN
