Steve Kerr would not like being the dangerous man, and empathises with followers who get upset when NBA groups relaxation star gamers.
Golden State’s coach has an answer – much less video games.
Following the Warriors’ extra time loss in Boston on Thursday night time, Kerr sat out famous person Steph Curry together with fellow starters Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins on Friday night time towards the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But even with out their high gamers, the defending champions made 23 3-pointers and shocked the Cavs 120-114 to cap a five-game journey at 3-2.
Kerr’s resolution meant followers had been disadvantaged of perhaps seeing Curry placed on a taking pictures clinic like he did at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in final 12 months’s All-Star Game. It was Golden State’s solely go to to Cleveland.
“I feel terrible for fans who buy tickets expecting to see someone play and they don’t get to see that person play,” Kerr mentioned throughout his pregame news convention. “It’s a brutal part of the business. It’s why I’m going to continue to advocate for 72-game seasons.”
Kerr’s rationale is {that a} shorter season would higher defend gamers’ well being, steadiness the schedule and enhance the general high quality of play. Most importantly, it could preserve gamers recent for the playoffs when the video games imply extra.
“You take 10 games off the schedule, it always feels like with 10 games left in the year everybody’s sort of had it anyways,” he mentioned. “That creates enough rest where we don’t have to have some of these crazy situations. I think you’d see way fewer games missed from players.”
Jordan Poole was the one starter to face the Cavs and completed with 32 factors because the Warriors handed Cleveland their most embarrassing loss.
Kerr mentioned the choice to relaxation his 4 gamers towards the Cavs had nothing to do with the loss to the Celtics.
“You can’t operate that way,” he mentioned.
“I know it’s a big topic around the league. We have so much more data. So much more awareness of players’ vulnerability. It’s proven that if guys are banged up, back-to-backs, players are much more likely to get injured and miss more games and that’s why you’re seeing it league wide.
“Everybody is being cautious when a man is banged up. You’re simply taking part in the lengthy recreation.”
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes there’s a bigger benefit to giving players more rest. It extends careers, therefore giving fans the chance to seem them play longer.
“You have a look at these guys they usually’re taking part in 15 years to some guys 20 years,” he said. “So it is a commerce off of 5 video games a season and also you get 5 extra years of those guys taking part in.
“So I think in the long run, the fans get their money’s worth because guys do get to extend their career and play more years.”
