Stephen Curry sends clear directive to Steve Kerr in wake of another Warriors loss

Nearly a quarter of the way through the NBA season and Steve Kerr's controversial ploy is starting to show signs of cracking as the Golden State Warriors suffered their fourth-straight loss on Saturday.

Kerr's 12-man rotation had been a notable league-wide storyline to start the season, but he went even a step further against the Phoenix Suns in using 13 players within the first 14 minutes of the Warriors' latest 113-105 loss at Footprint Center.

Stephen Curry has suggested that Steve Kerr should cut the Warriors rotation

With Gui Santos on assignment in the G League and De'Anthony Melton having suffered a season-ending knee injury, all 12 remaining players on the main roster saw early action against the Suns. Then in a big surprise given the return of superstar Stephen Curry, two-way contracted guard Pat Spencer also saw first-quarter minutes.

Spencer had impressed in over 14 minutes in Curry's absence against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, finishing as a team-high +9 in the four-point loss. The 28-year-old also benefitted from Brandin Podziemski's inclusion into the starting lineup, leaving the backup point guard spot open for Spencer to get some more run.

Those minutes weren't great though, and neither were really any of Golden State's bench units. While the Warriors won the 30+ minutes that four starters -- Curry, Podziemski, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green -- each played, the second unit was comprehensively beaten for not the first time in recent games.

Many thought that the initial 12-man rotation was unsustainable, so utilizing 13 players won't generate too much support among fans or those within the league. Even Stephen Curry was honest on his thoughts after the game, labelling the situation tough and suggesting that the rotation needs to be shortened moving forward.

“Do we need to shorten it? We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm," Curry told Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "Is that shortening it one or two guys? Maybe.”

That's probably as clear as the 2x MVP can be without making it sound like he's undermining Kerr's decision-making. Curry may be more forthright behind the scenes, with far too much uncertainty currently revolving around the Golden State roster.

Six players -- Trayce Jackson-Davis, Lindy Waters III, Gary Payton II, Spencer, Kyle Anderson and Moses Moody -- all played less than 15 minutes. It's enormously difficult for players to feel comfortable and find the rhythm Curry suggests, meaning two or maybe three may face the rotation axe completely when the Warriors look to respond against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Tuesday.