OAKLAND — Reporters milling around the Warriors’ practice facility three days prior to Game 1 of the NBA Finals were met with the old switcheroo on a Memorial Day Monday.
Mike Brown was out with the flu, meaning his backup, Steve Kerr, met and addressed reporters — the first time he has in a group setting since April 23 in Portland.
Quickly, a recap of what Kerr told us:
-If the NBA Finals began Monday, he would not be ready to coach. “I’m still feeling the effects.”
-However, Kerr said he’s feeling better and is not ready to make his decision yet on whether he’ll coach from the sidelines.
-Kerr wouldn’t even rule out returning later in the series, should his health allow him. He will be traveling with the team to Cleveland. Kerr has attended every meeting and film session since the San Antonio series began.
“I’m okay, I’m alright,” Kerr said. “I’m not well enough to coach a game. I know that because I coached all 82 games and I felt okay. I’m comfortable, in a lot of pain, but I did fine. Then the first two games of the Portland series, whatever happened, things got worse. You saw me in the fourth quarter of Game 2. I could not sit still in my chair. There was that much pain. I would say I’ve gotten a little better. That’s why I’m here talking to you right now. But you can probably tell, I’m not sitting here happy-go-lucky.”
And Kerr still hasn’t lost his since of humor, either.
“The team is like 108-2 when I’m out,” he joked, referring to Mike Brown and Luke Walton’s records.
Admittedly, I haven’t been around the Warriors like some of the other traveling reporters. With that being said, Kerr looked improved to me. The fact that he’s not willing to make a decision on his sideline status for the NBA Finals is a good sign. Kerr’s competitive. He wants to help this team win a championship. At the same time, he recognizes the synergy he and Brown have created sharing the coaching duties.
On my podcast last week, we tossed around the fact that Kerr wouldn’t want to become the major storyline — and that could play a factor in his decision. Obviously, priority No. 1 is all about his health. But should he start to feel well enough to coach from the sidelines, there’s a belief he would be fine (and thrive) still coaching from the backroom. Multiple strategies in previous series were derived from his keen set of eyes. Steph Curry has argued Kerr is actually seeing the game from an entirely different vantage point, and that’s an asset for the Warriors.
Some have joked about a Willis Reed-style comeback for Kerr in the middle of the series, but I’ve argued that could be one of those “Light Years” chess moves from the Warriors. If Golden State is trailing 2-2 at halftime of Game 5, Kerr emerging from the tunnel could be a strong enough emotional boost to shift the entire series. Cleveland channeled emotions from the LeBron-Draymond spat into playing better basketball. Who says the Warriors can’t do the same thing with Kerr?
Again, I don’t want to make it seem like I’m insensitive. Health is always the No. 1 priority. But you wonder what’s going on right now in Kerr’s thought process. Why exactly isn’t he eliminating himself yet from returning?
He has made it seem like he tolerated a lot of pain during the regular season, but the hard part is that the physical coaching during games causes him immense stress. Not being able to sit still in his chair will impact the way he thinks and reacts to what’s happening on the court. Even though he’s been participating in every other off-the-court facet, Kerr is worried about negatively impacting the team. He’s a selfless leader.
At the same time, Kerr has been in awe of the way Brown has handled everything. Had the Warriors suffered some bumps and bruises along the way of the Western Conference Finals, maybe Kerr would have a stronger reason to hop back in the saddle. But Brown has been mostly flawless in his approach.
“It’s just weird because, on the one hand, Mike has to coach the team as he sees fit. I’m taking part in practices, helping with the messaging, taking part, coaching meetings, but I’m not on the sidelines during games,” Kerr said. “So he has to make those decisions as if it’s his team, but he’s also taking my advice and counsel behind the scenes. It’s not easy, but he’s obviously doing a good job.”
Kerr hasn’t made his NBA Finals decision yet because it appears there’s still a chance he could return, that he wants to return, that the Warriors might need him to return.
LeBron James is on the other side of the court, not only the greatest athlete but one of the smartest basketball minds the game has ever seen. More in-game adjustments will be needed against Cleveland. More pressure will be on Mike Brown than ever before — especially against a franchise who has already fired him twice.
Despite being overwhelming favorites and playing the basketball they ever have, the entire Golden State organization is not underestimating the Cavaliers. That really could mean leaving Kerr in the bullpen until they absolutely need him.