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Steve Kerr Responds to Criticism of Letting Players Coach vs Suns

By Andrew Ites

DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 03: Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors coaches against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on February 3, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - FEBRUARY 03: Head Coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors coaches against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center on February 3, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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In an effort to help his team regain their focus before the All-Star break, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr essentially let his players coach themselves in Monday night’s win over the Suns. Kerr’s decision has been received negatively by some in the media, and he responded to their criticism on 95.7 The Game.

The Warriors had looked disinterested at times in the past couple of weeks leading up to the All-Star break, and that caused them to lose three out of four games in their toughest stretch of the season.

Golden State was heavily favored in Monday night’s game against the Suns (who were without Devin Booker), so Steve Kerr decided to switch things up and let the players coach themselves for a game.

This was seen by some in the NBA media as a sign of disrespect towards the Suns, who ended up getting beat by 46 points at the hands of the Warriors.

Kerr did not appreciate the backlash regarding his decision, and he joined 95.7 The Game in San Francisco to speak his mind.

"“I’ve been quickly reminded today of what an insane world we live in, and how everything now is just a story and constantly judged and picked apart,” said Kerr. “We have a veteran team. You turn over the timeout huddles to the players so that they can discuss strategy on their own. I don’t think its earth-shattering news.”"

Everything regarding the Warriors has been and will be picked apart this season as they try to defend their NBA title. Some fans and media members are sick of seeing Golden State succeed, and seize every opportunity to try to bring them down.

Steve Kerr says he doesn’t regret the decision one bit, and he may even do it again after it worked so well against Phoenix.

"“I don’t think it’s something we would do often, but I think it’s a good exercise,” Kerr explained. “It’s a nine-month season. … This is every single day for seven, eight, nine months depending on how your team does. And so everything gets pretty monotonous. I think you’ve got to do your best in the NBA to keep things light and loose and occasionally throw the team a curveball. So I can see doing it again one time, a couple times. We’ll see.”"

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Suns coach Jay Triano and star player Devin Booker both said they didn’t have a problem with Kerr’s tactic, and Triano even joked that the Warriors’ out of bounds plays looked better on Monday night.

I honestly never thought of the “disrespect” factor when it was revealed that the players were coaching the game, and it was a great way to get the players energized for what could’ve been a trap game in my opinion.

Everything the Warriors do during this era will be the top story on sports talk shows across the country. That just comes with the territory of building a dynasty.

Next: How do the Golden State Warriors Fix Their Defensive Issues?

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