Warriors beat:
Looney inactive for third consecutive game.
SAN ANTONIO — Warriors forward Kevon Looney received a peculiar reward for the most memorable performance of his young NBA career: three straight DNPs.
Before Thursday night’s game at San Antonio, head coach Steve Kerr announced that Looney again would be inactive. It raised an intriguing question: Would the fact that theWarriors didn’t pick up Looney’s fourthyear option this week hurt his chances of playing?
“No, it has absolutely nothing to do with anything,” Kerr said. General manager Bob Myers “never asks me to play a guy or not to play a guy. He just allows me to play whomever I want. I think Looney can play. I know he can play. He’s proven it. We have a lot of guys who can play. Having a lot of depth is a good thing, but it also means some guys are left out every night.”
Kerr has tried to find playing time for Looney, who shed 30 pounds from his 6- foot- 9 frame this past summer after two NBA seasons defined by injuries and limited production. Thrust into action after Draymond Green was ejected late in the second quarter of last Friday’s win overWashington, Looney was a driving force behind the Warriors’ 18- point, second- half comeback. Looney scored seven of his nine points in less than two crunch- time minutes.
Three days later, news surfaced that Golden State wasn’t exercising Looney’s fourth- year option. Though he has made significant strides in recent months, Looney’s $ 2.2 million contract next season would be a much greater financial hit for the organization because of its luxury- tax bill.
TheWarriors, who already have a crowded frontcourt, could be better served rounding out the roster with a minimumsalaried free agent next summer. Now, Looney must play the rest of the season unsure about his future.
“It’s hard,” Kerr said of sitting Looney again Thursday. “I do it based on matchups a little bit. I don’t want somebody sitting for too long. I want everybody engaged and getting into the game. Hopefully, this won’t be too long of a stint for Loon” on the inactive list.
Scheduling quirk: After flying into San Antonio onWednesday afternoon, theWarriors held practice at AT& T Center. Normally under those circumstances, Kerr wouldn’t have a shootaround the next day. However, with the season still young, he had a light shootaround Thursday morning because “I still feel like we need a little work.”