The Golden State Warriors are limping their way into the Play-In tournament and head coach Steve Kerr knows it's nothing to celebrate. He recently appeared on 95.7 The Game and one of the radio hosts congratulated him on clinching a spot in the Play-In. Kerr simply shook his head as his face soured and he said, "don't do that."
Clearly, the host made the comment a little tongue-in-cheek, but Kerr is a guy who has nine NBA titles, five as a player and four as a coach, not to mention a Gold Medal as coach of the 2024 United States Men's basketball team at the Paris Olympics. He could not care less about making it into the Play-In.
Steve Kerr rolls eyes over Play-In congratulations
The sad reality is that for most of the season the Warriors have seemed destined for the Play-in. Even earlier in the season when they were healthier, the team was too inconsistent to believe a deep playoff run was possible.
That is only even more true now after the rash of injuries the team has had. From Jimmy Butler tearing his ACL to Stephen Curry's lingering knee issue and injury issues for other players, it's just felt like the Warriors are cursed.
Kerr has really been put in a tough spot. He's had to try every lineup and rotation to get the most out of a team just struggling to keep its head above water. He's a great coach but when the talent isn't on the floor, it just becomes difficult to win games consistently.
All season long there has been talk and speculation about Kerr's future with the Warriors. He's in the final year of his contract and has said he will make a determination about his future once the season is over.
On the one hand, after such a tough season it would be understandable if Kerr needed a break. The constant stress of trying to put together a winning lineup, something he was dealing with even early in the season before all the injuries, is a lot. It's also very questionable if the Warriors even had enough talent to make a deep run assuming everyone stayed healthy.
At the same time, he has to hope he ends his career with the Warriors on a better note than this season. There's no doubt his tenure with the franchise deserves a better ending.
Kerr isn't going to keep on going just to sneak into the Play-In year after year, so don't expect him to give much when he gets congratulated on something that shouldn't be celebrated.