Has Steve Kerr lost the locker room?

[WestGOAT]

Pep Guardiola hasn't 'lost the locker room'... pipe down there buddy.

As for Kerr, Steph is his golden key.

Baz I'm obviously talking about his terms at Barcelona and Bayern Munich...

[Lovethisgamegr]

'Lost' i'd say no.But he can't motivate them enough, at least in the RS.Is that a real issue?The playoffs will let us know
What is a real issue is that Warriors despite winning with ease the last championship, have lost their 'fun'. They're not a please to watch, and they're supposed to win everything. So i am not surprised that some real warriors fans would prefer the pro-Durant team. '17 championship wouldn't have been guaranteed but still they could have won it, and warriors style of play would have been there today.
I know that if the win it again this year it would be extremely difficult to make such a statement but IMO winning isn't everything, how you get there, matters.

[Kobeshow]

Are you basing this on some meaningless exhibition games in April???

[The-Power]

If the players can't find the switch during the playoffs, I'd rather make some roster changes than booting Kerr – although I'd prefer that Kerr commits more to Curry again á la 2016.

You mean Luke Walton right? Walton, imo, had bigger influence on unleashing GOAT version of Curry.

Yeah, no. I am much more reluctant to give Walton as much credit as you do even though I fully recognize that he did a great job. Curry took the next step under Kerr in 2015 even if the numbers are not as eye-popping as his 2016 numbers, and the 2016 was entirely based on Kerr's philosophy – not Walton's. 2016 was the perfect storm with Curry starting the season on a tear and the team having a remarkable start to the season. Whether Walton sparked it or not, Kerr clearly used Steph differently that season in combination with Steph simply going bananas with the utmost confidence. Curry's best month that season was actually Februrary 2016. Then with KD, Curry took a backseat until everybody realized that this doesn't work as well as before.

This year, Curry actually had a season almost as impressive as 2016 if we're looking beyond narrative and statement games (which are indeed more impressive in 2016). The issue is that for some reason, Curry is being used as a spark to ball movement who isn't asked to run a lot of PnRs or isoing in bigs. While I do like that approach for the RS, as it is a testament to the Warriors culture under Kerr, the coaching staff seems to be perfectly fine to give Durant the freedom to break out of the system and iso, post-up, and pull-up from midrange with no prior passing. I guess it is to please Durant, or because they realize that it'll be beneficial in the playoffs when the team hits a wall during games, but it should be Steph who has all the freedom he wants and needs to play his unleashed game.

Kudos to Steph for developing into the GOAT off-ball player (imo) on top of his ability to wreak havoc with the ball in his hands. But if someone should get the freedom to play his game, it must be Curry and not Durant.

Be it as it may. Regarding the topic at hand, Green has the most to prove this postseason. His intensity hasn't been there all year and that's what makes him special as a player along with his incredible instincts on defense. If the team isn't able to ramp up intensity and be an elite defensive team in the playoffs, Green will have played a key role in that failure. If that's the case, the Warriors almost have to look into offers for Green and weigh if one of the offers gives them enough flexibility and talent while remaining their identity to pull the trigger.

Of course other roster changes must be made regardless to add some new blood and hungry players, especially at the wing. But if there is a move to be made, it will probably be Green in case the team just flames out (and Draymond might melt down, too). They might think about Klay as well, but he isn't an issue and will only be moved out of necessity (long-term contract situation) and/or if a great offer flies into Myers' office. Of course it might also be Durant who wants to move on, in which case the team might have enough to prove to play another great season without further shake-ups.

To me, Kerr deserves tons of credits for the system and culture he created. It's only natural that it will wear the same group of people out at some point, though. But before replacing Kerr, I would look into some more significant roster changes not least because I believe a new coach wouldn't be able to just spark the same group of people who have won everything. Certainly not enough to warrant taking the risk. Not to mention that I'm not a big fan of players killing the coach, and this is all the more true in case the coach has already proven himself – in that case, it should be more often the case that players are being held accountable for not doing their job properly. Kerr should only be on the hotseat if basically all relevant players, including easy-going guys like Curry and/or Klay, prefer if the coaching situation would change.

[The-Power]

Pep Guardiola hasn't 'lost the locker room'... pipe down there buddy.

As for Kerr, Steph is his golden key.

Baz I'm obviously talking about his terms at Barcelona and Bayern Munich...

Klopp is another example. Before he left Dortmund, Klopp talked to his superiors and they were all in agreement that something had to be changed because the team didn't respond well anymore. It was either a major roster overhaul or a coaching change, and ultimately Klopp decided it was time for him to leave. It's only natural that you have to continously change some things to keep the intensity up – sometimes little things like a couple new players are enough, but sometimes you have to underake some major changes as well.

[ZemGOAT]

No he just doesnt have his best player healthy

[WestGOAT]

Pep Guardiola hasn't 'lost the locker room'... pipe down there buddy.

As for Kerr, Steph is his golden key.

Baz I'm obviously talking about his terms at Barcelona and Bayern Munich...

Klopp is another example. Before he left Dortmund, Klopp talked to his superiors and they were all in agreement that something had to be changed because the team didn't respond well anymore. It was either a major roster overhaul or a coaching change, and ultimately Klopp decided it was time for him to leave. It's only natural that you have to continously change some things to keep the intensity up – sometimes little things like a couple new players are enough, but sometimes you have to underake some major changes as well.

Yea, this topic not meant to disparage Kerr, he definitely is one of top coaches in the league, it's just we're seeing the first signs of disconnect between him and the players. It has happend to many great coaches before.

I just wonder what Bob Myers can do in the long run, Iguodala and Livingston contracts are not looking so good now, and I don't think they have many assets to make any moves in the future. Obviously move Draymond would be looked into, but I doubt there is much market for him, especially with his back issues and nagging injuries.

[jg77]

Curry doesn't get enough credit. He has made that entire team look better than what they are...Kerr, KD, Klay, Draymond, Iguodala, etc.

[The-Power]

Obviously move Draymond would be looked into, but I doubt there is much market for him, especially with his back issues and nagging injuries.

I think there would be great offers for Draymond. Not the same you would get for someone like Kawhi, but I would assume that a lot of teams are willing give up good assets and quality players to get Draymond on their team (especially non-contending playoff teams).

[clyde21]

Kerr didn't lose the locker room, but this locker room needs a shake up. You can't keep the same core at some point that core either becomes tired/complacent or teams start to know how to play against you.

Thompson or Green will need to go after this season. We can't pay both of them anyways.

[CIN-C-STAR]

KD is lazy and unmotivated to do anything besides get buckets. Even then he is lazy about it as he settles for jumpers and takes his sweet time, dribbling the air out of the ball, stagnating the offense and shutting off offensive rebound opportunities so that he can feel totally comfortable about his 18-foot iso jumper he's about to take.
He's a great player and all, but not someone who is easy to build around as he doesn't like moving without the ball or making quick passes.
They will be a lot more motivated once the playoffs start, though, and if Curry comes back healthy they will be fine. They play a less-effective type of ball now imo, but they are so talented it doesn't really matter.
That's why KD went there and why they brought him after all, so they could win without having to put as much effort into it. That's why they don't want to hear from Kerr these days -- they don't think they need to pay as much attention to detail or put in as much effort, and they are probably right. We'll see.