Kerr lets players do coaching
After calling his first timeout Monday night midway through the first quarter, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr handed forward Andre Iguodala a black marker and a clipboard, stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor as Iguodala addressed the team.
It didn’t take long for confused fans to realize what Kerr was doing: Three days before the start of the All-Star break, he empowered his players, forcing them to take charge of the huddles. Facing the type of team that so often has made it complacent, Golden State delivered a two-way clinic as it cruised to a 129-83 rout of the Suns at Oracle Arena.
“Coach told us the other night that this is our team, and we
should take accountability for everything that’s going on,” forward Omri Casspi said. “It was great to have accountability for each other and to hear new voices.”
Up 25-24 at the end of the first quarter, the Warriors outscored Phoenix 37-21 in the second to enter halftime with a 17-point lead. The Suns, who were without leading scorer Devin Booker (left hip pointer), didn’t threaten the rest of the way as they dropped their sixth straight game and 11th in 12 outings.
Golden State shot 58.4 percent from the field, including 11-for-26 from three-point range, as it had assists on 36 of its 52 field goals. Perhaps most startling was that a team prone to high turnover totals coughed up the ball only 11 times. Outside of newly acquired point guard Elfrid Payton (29 points on 11-for-18 shooting), Phoenix had little answer, finishing the night 34.7 percent from the field and 3-for-23 from deep.
Five nights after falling to San Antonio by 48 points, a team seemingly tanking in the hopes of a better lottery pick reached a nadir. Not only did it wilt after the Warriors’ second-quarter blitz; it did so with Golden State players effectively coaching themselves.
After the game, Kerr told Phoenix interim head coach Jay Triano that he intended no disrespect by letting his players lead huddles. A month spent watching his players have a tough time concentrating had made Kerr figure it was time to let someone else give orders.
“They’re tired of my voice,” Kerr said. “I’m tired of my voice. It’s been a long haul these last few years. I wasn’t reaching them, and we just figured it was probably a good night to pull a trick out of the hat and do something different.”
During each huddle, Kerr handed his clipboard to a player and turned away as the team discussed the game plan. During a timeout late in the second quarter, center David West bobbed his head as he delivered an impassioned speech. Forward Draymond Green, sidelined by a sprained left index finger, seemed especially emboldened by the opportunity.
A handful of times throughout the game, he seized the chance to address the group, crouching to his knees as he drew up plays and barked orders. With the game already rid of doubt late in the third quarter, Green patrolled the sideline and called out a play.
It was all Kerr’s way of guarding against inattention.
Over the past two weeks, the Warriors admittedly have struggled to focus as they awaited the All-Star break. Their recent 1-3 stretch was plagued by turnovers, porous defense and technical fouls. After pulling away in the second half Thursday for a 121-103 win over Dallas, Golden State delivered three impressive quarters in Saturday night’s 122-105 rout of the Spurs.
Even as the Warriors made strides, however, Kerr recognized the challenges Monday presented. The Suns, who arrived at Oracle Arena tied for the league’s second-worst record, would be eager to add a measure of intrigue to a lost season by pushing the defending NBA champions. As for Golden State? There were plenty of reasons for it to coast as it got one night closer to a muchneeded midseason respite.
After Saturday’s win over San Antonio, Kerr told his players that he would let them run the timeouts against Phoenix. Iguodala led shootaround Monday morning, and center JaVale McGee ran the video session.
“He knows how to manage us,” Stephen Curry said of Kerr. “Hopefully, we all click post-All Star break.”
By turning over the power to his players, Kerr made sure they were engaged from start to finish. The result was the Warriors’ most lopsided win over the Suns. The 46-point win tied for the fifth-biggest margin of victory over any team in franchise history.
“As coaches, our job is to nudge players in the right direction,” Kerr said. “We don’t control them. … They came together really well tonight. They drew up some nice plays, and it was a great night for our guys.”