TNT analysts rip Suns’ reaction to Warriors’ player-run huddles
Feb 13, 2018, 3:04 PM
Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green, right, calls a play from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
In the midst of a 46-point win, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr delegated coaching duties to his players on Monday against the Phoenix Suns.
The tactic was used by Kerr to help his team regain focus, much to the chagrin of a few Suns. Guard Troy Daniels told Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic it was ‘disrespectful.’ Forward Jared Dudley expressed to ESPN that teams don’t respect the Suns, but it is up to them to make a change.
Asked if they agreed with Kerr’s decision, former all-stars and current TNT analysts Chris Webber and Reggie Miller replied with more than just a resounding “yes.”
And in doing so, they weren’t light on the Suns’ reaction.
“The fact that Phoenix [complained] shows they have a long way to go in the locker room,” Webber said in a media conference call. “They don’t have a leader in the locker room that says, ‘We deserve to get our butts beat like that. In a couple of years, we’re going to turn it around so we can coach ourselves.’ So I have no words for that, but it’s not right. I’ll say something crazy.”
Related: Triano takes no offense to Steve Kerr’s coaching tactics
The loss was Phoenix’s fourth 40-point defeat of the season and 26th by double-digits.
Miller, the former Pacers guard, was blunt about how he would have reacted to losing by a wide margin.
“Lace them up, 3 o’clock in the morning,” Miller said on the conference call. “We’re doing [running drills] and then we’re going to run Camelback Mountain. I don’t want to hear your mouths. Are you kidding me? [26 double-digit losses], and you’re worried about Andre Iguodala coaching and David West coaching?”
At 44-13, the Warriors have the best record in the NBA.
However, the team has shown signs of complacency in recent weeks, prompting the use of Kerr’s strategy, which Webber guessed might’ve come from working under San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
“Kerr knows his guys better than anyone. Very honestly, I think it was a brilliant move as far as chemistry,” Webber said. “But I don’t think it was a stretch as far as IQ. You’re halfway through the season. You know what plays you call. You know when you have a good coach like Kerr with what he has been harping on. All it does is make you take ownership in what he’s been trying to teach the whole time.”
