Draymond Green has come to the defense of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr amid rising criticism. The Warriors dropped to 11-12 with a 99-98 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, and some sections of the fanbase have had enough of Kerr.
A Warriors fan let Green know his thoughts on Kerr by replying to his post on Threads about a quick hire-and-fire.
“Bummer. I thought you were talking about Kerr. The fans deserve better. We’re tired of seeing incompetence from this coach: games thrown due in part to nonsensical rotations and favoritism towards a player who likes to throw the ball into the crowd. Curry’s final years are being wasted by Kerr. This season is no different than the last one.”
In case you’re unaware, Kerr has been accused of showing favoritism to Brandin Podziemski, who has had an up-and-down season. Most recently, the fanbase was up in arms when Pat Spencer was benched for Podziemski in the fourth quarter of the 124-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
Green, though, wasn’t interested in hearing any criticism of Kerr and made it clear that the fans should be grateful he is the head coach of the Warriors.
“Shut up! Fans ain’t win anything before Steve brought his winning ways to the bay. Save it! You watched incompetence for many years if you a real fan. Shut the hell up and go whisper that s*** to another idiot that wants to listen.”
Kerr once asked Warriors fans to be grateful they had Green for all these years, when he was coming under fire. The favor was returned here.
As for Green’s point, the Warriors indeed struggled in the two decades or so before Kerr arrived. They had won just two playoff series in 22 seasons when he was hired in 2014.
Now, Kerr did take over a team that was on the rise. Mark Jackson had led the Warriors to a 51-31 record in 2013-14, but he was fired after they were eliminated in the first round.
Ownership believed Kerr could take the Warriors to new heights, and that was what he did. They made it to the NBA Finals in each of his first five seasons as head coach, and won titles in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
A few rough seasons followed after the Warriors’ defeat in the 2019 NBA Finals to the Toronto Raptors, but Kerr was able to turn things around. They won their fourth championship under him in 2022 by beating the Boston Celtics in the Finals.
Kerr’s winning four championships in his first eight seasons as a head coach is quite impressive, but the Warriors haven’t had a lot of success since. They have only won two playoff series in the last three seasons, and some fans want a change now.
Green firmly believes the Warriors have the right man for the job, though. The ownership is also unlikely to fire Kerr. The only way they get a new head coach is if the 60-year-old decides to walk away.
You can’t be too hard on Kerr for the Warriors’ recent defeats, either. Stephen Curry has missed the last three games, while Jimmy Butler exited early against the Thunder with a knee injury and didn’t play against the 76ers. Green then also had to leave that game against Philadelphia with a foot injury. You’re not going to win too many games when the core of your team is out.
The Warriors are in action next against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on Saturday at 7:30 PM ET. Butler and Green could potentially play against the Cavaliers, and Kerr would be hoping they do.
