KERR BELIEVES NBA SEASON IS OVER
There’s still hope in some circles that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t wiped out the remainder of the NBA season. But as far as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is concerned, this season is over.
“It feels like the offseason,” Kerr said Tuesday on a video conference call coordinated by the University of San Francisco. “And in fact we had a Zoom call, (general manager) Bob Myers and I got on a Zoom with our players, our whole roster last week. And it was just a chance to check in, but it was also a chance for Bob to update the players on his contact with the league and the latest news, but it also kind of felt like our annual team exit meeting.
“Our coaching staff and I have been undergoing staff evaluations, offseason plans, so we are absolutely in offseason mode right now.”
Kerr conceded that it’s a little easier for the Warriors to focus on the 2020-21 season since this one has been a dud. Stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson werew injured for most or all of the team’s return season to San Francisco. The Warriors’ 15-50 is the worst in the NBA, and Golden State was the only team officially eliminated from playoff contention when the coronavirus threat brought everything to a grinding halt.
“It’s different for us because we were down to 17 games (left in the regular season), but we were out of the playoffs,” Kerr said. “It feels like the end of the season for our team. It just does.”
But the team has the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft later this spring to look forward to if games do not resume this spring.
“We don’t know anything officially,” Kerr said. “There’s still a chance the league could ask us to come back and play some games, but given what we went through this season with all the injuries and the tough record, it’s been more of the case of we’re staying in touch with guys, but everybody is just sort of assuming that this is kind of it. We’re not going to be involved much anymore.”
Not surprisingly, Kerr and the Warriors staff have been busy during the break gearing up for what almost certainly figures to be another run at an NBA title in 2020-21.
“It’s been really productive for me and for our staff,” Kerr said. “I think we’ve had much
deeper conversations amongst the staff to try to come up with better ways to coach our players and better ways to approach next season and really take advantage of the time
that we do have.”
The league announced Monday it would allow teams to reopen their facilities as early as May 8 in states where that would be permitted, though that date could be pushed back, and a number of restrictions will apply.
There have been no indications
whether the season will resume at some point after it was suspended March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Commissioner Adam Silver has said multiple times there is no timetable to make a decision.