Kerr praises Love’s honesty

Before Tuesday night’s game against Brooklyn, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr lauded Cleveland forward Kevin Love for his first-person piece on mental health.

“I admire his willingness to come out and talk about something that’s an issue for a lot of people,” Kerr said. “I’m sure his reasoning was to try to help others who are going through something similar.”

A week after Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan spoke about his bouts with depression, Love, who has been sidelined for five weeks with a broken hand, published a story Tuesday in the Players’ Tribune detailing a panic attack he suffered in the Cavaliers’ Nov. 5 loss to Atlanta.

Love went in depth on his mental health and why now, at age 29, he feels comfortable sharing his struggles publicly. One excerpt, in particular, resonated with Kerr.

“I thought of what he said, what meant the most to me was, ‘We’re all going through something,’ ” said Kerr, who read the article Tuesday morning. “It’s true. We’re all human beings. We all have our own story. We all have our own lives, and nobody’s is perfect.

“So, everybody’s got things and you need friends, and you need support, and you need help to get through everything. Doesn’t matter if you’re an NBA player or an average guy. We’re human beings, so I appreciate him.” West out: Warriors center David West missed Tuesday’s game with a cyst on his right arm. In his 15th season, West, 37, is testing the limits of his prime. His 60.8 shooting clip would be a career best if it holds. In 13.6 minutes per game, West is averaging 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 blocks.

Through Monday, his defensive real plus-minus — a stat measuring a player’s average impact on his team’s defense by points allowed per 100 offensive possessions — was second in the league behind Utah’s Rudy Gobert, who has played 21 fewer games. West also was tied for 26th in the NBA with 65 total blocks.