2/14 Game 52 Clippers (35-17) @ Warriors (26-25) 7pm ESPN

[svart]

I'm just curios if any journalist had the balls to ask kerr in the presser about his fetish with klay.

[Sandy333]

Didn't see the game so I'm only going off numbers.

Klay may have had a brain aneurysm for all I know but the loss cannot all be laid at his feet. The closing lineup apparently was Steph, Draymond, Wiggins, Kuminga and Podziemski. They went -8 in the last 7 minutes or so. What that tells me is either Kerr didn't match the lineup to the opponent's moves or that this lineup needs to be given more thought. My feeling is Moody or TJD ideally should be in there not Podz. If that's not currently best that's what the team should be working towards.

Draymond had the worst +/- on the team. Was he just substandard defensively in this game?

Looking at the last few minutes of the game Steph had two turnovers and 6 misses and 4 makes. Ok you want Steph to take the most shots in the last few minutes but maybe he's taking too much making the offense too predictable and the others aren't enough of a threat? I'm also wondering if fatigue played a role. Anyway I'm guessing the team's defense was the bigger issue. Zubac was tied with Harden with the best +/- on the Clippers. Zubac's presence coincided with Clippers' runs, and his absence had the best minutes for the Dubs.

Steph is steaky, so relying on him is risky. But that lineup has poor shooting. If they are not getting stops they are going to get outscore. That unit couldnot defend Harden is the main issue. Harden was deadly, doubling him created open shots for others. Unlike warriors, Clippers made thier open shots. Better would have been to let Harden go off one on one.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

Dude no one is looking good playing next to Klay and Saric. You can say that about any player.

JK will do fine and he benefits the team by providing an inside threat. You take that away and you’re left with what you had in the beginning of the year where the defense only has to pay attention to the perimeter. Curry Podz will have a much tougher time scoring without JK there. You might as well pack up the season if he doesn’t play.

Tbh I’m not sure tjd might not be a better matchup for some teams than jk. Tjd brings the vertical threat and rim pressure without having to run offense for him. He’ll also bring better rebounding and rim protection. Wiggins and dray will allow him to chase blocks and they can rebound.

The problem is that Kerr doesn’t understand matchups. He’s a set rotations, closing 5 and only those 5 kind of coach.

It's clear that Kerr is incredibly good at the interpersonal relationship stuff with coaching, with how he handled Kuminga going to the media and there seems to be no bad blood, and he was obviously invaluable during the loss of Deki. But while Steve coaches from the heart, I wonder if Mike Brown was the one coaching from the brain, and that's what we're missing.

Wiggins seems to have magically snapped out of his problems. I get it that Klays age and injury damage are not reversible like whatever was wrong with Wiggins.

[vvoland]

Tonight was their 8th games in 12 nights, all of them essentially road games as the two home games involved travel on both ends. After holding the clips to 66 points in the first 31 minutes, the warriors gave up 64 points in the last 17. Unrelated, I'm sure.

But yes, let's focus on just klay who wasn't actually on the court for most of those last 17 mins.

[DoubleLintendre]

Ws were already in a hole from those Powell 3s. After the first one from the corner they covered the next 2-3 the exact same way. Late defender tries to recover and jumps past the player and then bucket happens. Too much helping and focus on Harden.

Klay is super cooked. He should have been benched earlier and been forced to stay there after showing he didn't have it today. These losses are often by 1-2 baskets. Klay misses in volume, it's the easiest thing to fix.

[DIO]

Warriors are 16-9 when Klay plays <30 mpg. They are 10-17 when he plays >30 mpg.

They're also 33-8 with Dray and Steph but no Klay since he came back from injury
They're 39-35 when Klay plays with both

[Romulus]

Didn't see the game so I'm only going off numbers.

Klay may have had a brain aneurysm for all I know but the loss cannot all be laid at his feet. The closing lineup apparently was Steph, Draymond, Wiggins, Kuminga and Podziemski. They went -8 in the last 7 minutes or so. What that tells me is either Kerr didn't match the lineup to the opponent's moves or that this lineup needs to be given more thought. My feeling is Moody or TJD ideally should be in there not Podz. If that's not currently best that's what the team should be working towards.

Draymond had the worst +/- on the team. Was he just substandard defensively in this game?

Looking at the last few minutes of the game Steph had two turnovers and 6 misses and 4 makes. Ok you want Steph to take the most shots in the last few minutes but maybe he's taking too much making the offense too predictable and the others aren't enough of a threat? I'm also wondering if fatigue played a role. Anyway I'm guessing the team's defense was the bigger issue. Zubac was tied with Harden with the best +/- on the Clippers. Zubac's presence coincided with Clippers' runs, and his absence had the best minutes for the Dubs.

Yes, defense was the main problem. As good as Draymond is defensively, he can be overmatched against large centers. He wears down. I'll say it again, this is why at times Draymond needs TJD next to him. But Kerr refuses to go that route. Also, as good as Podz and Steph were tonight, both of them drifted off their man which resulted in wide open 3s in the 4th. Down the stretch, to close games, think about defense and getting stops. Put the ball in Steph's hands and you're likely to get a good shot almost every time if he doesn't turn it over. Never put Klay Thompson in to close. My closing lineup with few exceptions? TJD, Draymond, Wiggins, Curry, and GP2. Sometimes, depending on the matchup, trade out Podz for GP2. That's your best defensive unit and Curry and Draymond can find open guys for offense.

[Romulus]

I understand it but don't agree with it.

I imagine kerr had been more protective of klay than any other player.

Steph is the first born who can do no wrong.
Dray is the petulant youngest sibling that gets all the attention because he acts out.
Klay doesn't get the attentiom he thinks he deserves, so kerr massages the ego.

Kerr has actively put his legacy on the line abd to a smaller extent,the Warriors by kowtowing to klay. Kerr, steph, and the people around klay are just as much to blame as klay himself. They've basically enabled him and can't walk it back without hurting klay. So, instead they take it upon themselves to shelter him from it.

They want him to get paid.
They want him to do so well.
They want him to reclaim that glory.

I understand it but at some point, they need to give him the hard truth. Klay isnt a bad player he's just not that guy anymore. He needs a better role for who he is today.

The hard truth should have come a long time ago. It's costing the team and Klay. There's no reason all the Warrior fans, players (including Klay) should be feeling this kind of pain. A legend is being actively disparaged in all circles -- twitter, tv, game threads everywhere because he is playing minutes WAY beyond his current ability. It's embarrassing, unnecessary, and part of me will never forgive Steve for this crap.

A coach putting a team's legend in a bad spot is unbelievably painful. I hate expecting everytime Klay dribbles the ball for something bad to happen. I hate seeing him unable to fight for loose balls, keep up with defenders, etc.

I hate hearing about Klay dealing with adversity every f'ing podcast, news article, whatever. It's EXHAUSTING.

Steve needs to go watch some old tape of Klay. Not even remotely the same player. I feel bad typing this stuff, you're making me Steve!

In honor of who Klay has been for us, everyone watch THE REAL LEGEND

Watch on YouTube

Yes, I agree this is primarily Kerr's fault for putting Klay in situations that set him up to fail. I think Kerr keeps hoping Klay can get hot and win a game and make us all forget all the other bad moments this year. More than anyone else, Kerr should understand Klay's fragile ego. We all realize Klay isn't the player he once was. And Klay himself has recently acknowledged this. The problem, though, is that when Klay struggles making shots, it affects every other part of his game. You can tell he's in a mental fog out there, totally in his own world and unaware of what's going on. How else can you explain the intentional foul late in the game? Also, yes, he's not the same defender he once was, but it seems when he's in this fog, he doesn't even try on defense; instead, he just drifts around not guarding anyone. After that intentional foul, he had a chance for a key rebound. He was in perfect position. He didn't appear to even move for the ball.

It's painful to watch because it's apparent that much of Klay's issues are mental, NOT physical. We all keep hoping he'll settle into a different role. He seems hell bent and reliving past glories and being Game 6 Klay all over again.

I think he needs to come off the bench for awhile. Everyone says you can't do that with Klay, but it might just be the best thing for everyone involved.

[watch1958]

I understand it but don't agree with it.

I imagine kerr had been more protective of klay than any other player.

Steph is the first born who can do no wrong.
Dray is the petulant youngest sibling that gets all the attention because he acts out.
Klay doesn't get the attentiom he thinks he deserves, so kerr massages the ego.

Kerr has actively put his legacy on the line abd to a smaller extent,the Warriors by kowtowing to klay. Kerr, steph, and the people around klay are just as much to blame as klay himself. They've basically enabled him and can't walk it back without hurting klay. So, instead they take it upon themselves to shelter him from it.

They want him to get paid.
They want him to do so well.
They want him to reclaim that glory.

I understand it but at some point, they need to give him the hard truth. Klay isnt a bad player he's just not that guy anymore. He needs a better role for who he is today.

The hard truth should have come a long time ago. It's costing the team and Klay. There's no reason all the Warrior fans, players (including Klay) should be feeling this kind of pain. A legend is being actively disparaged in all circles -- twitter, tv, game threads everywhere because he is playing minutes WAY beyond his current ability. It's embarrassing, unnecessary, and part of me will never forgive Steve for this crap.

A coach putting a team's legend in a bad spot is unbelievably painful. I hate expecting everytime Klay dribbles the ball for something bad to happen. I hate seeing him unable to fight for loose balls, keep up with defenders, etc.

I hate hearing about Klay dealing with adversity every f'ing podcast, news article, whatever. It's EXHAUSTING.

Steve needs to go watch some old tape of Klay. Not even remotely the same player. I feel bad typing this stuff, you're making me Steve!

In honor of who Klay has been for us, everyone watch THE REAL LEGEND

Watch on YouTube

Yes, I agree this is primarily Kerr's fault for putting Klay in situations that set him up to fail. I think Kerr keeps hoping Klay can get hot and win a game and make us all forget all the other bad moments this year. More than anyone else, Kerr should understand Klay's fragile ego. We all realize Klay isn't the player he once was. And Klay himself has recently acknowledged this. The problem, though, is that when Klay struggles making shots, it affects every other part of his game. You can tell he's in a mental fog out there, totally in his own world and unaware of what's going on. How else can you explain the intentional foul late in the game? Also, yes, he's not the same defender he once was, but it seems when he's in this fog, he doesn't even try on defense; instead, he just drifts around not guarding anyone. After that intentional foul, he had a chance for a key rebound. He was in perfect position. He didn't appear to even move for the ball.

It's painful to watch because it's apparent that much of Klay's issues are mental, NOT physical. We all keep hoping he'll settle into a different role. He seems hell bent and reliving past glories and being Game 6 Klay all over again.

I think he needs to come off the bench for awhile. Everyone says you can't do that with Klay, but it might just be the best thing for everyone involved.

If not the bench then a really short leash. Like rookie-that-doesn’t-know-his-role short.

[watch1958]

Look at kerrs reaction.

And klay calmly walks it off while ignoring steph. At that moment he probably still had no clue what the situation was.

Yet, the STILL design the last shot to go to klay.

Unbelievable

Earlier this season, Kerr talked about everyone putting everything aside in order to win. How all the agendas work out if you do that.

Seems he should look in the mirror. Maybe all of the Klay agendas will work out if they just do everything to win,

I'm at my wit's end here man. All season long I've read you and CDM give 10x better advice than what Steve Kerr is doing. I honestly don't get it. How is Steve the only non-Klay guy who doesn't? How is this professional NBA coaching?

I understand it but don't agree with it.

I imagine kerr had been more protective of klay than any other player.

Steph is the first born who can do no wrong.
Dray is the petulant youngest sibling that gets all the attention because he acts out.
Klay doesn't get the attentiom he thinks he deserves, so kerr massages the ego.

Kerr has actively put his legacy on the line abd to a smaller extent,the Warriors by kowtowing to klay. Kerr, steph, and the people around klay are just as much to blame as klay himself. They've basically enabled him and can't walk it back without hurting klay. So, instead they take it upon themselves to shelter him from it.

They want him to get paid.
They want him to do so well.
They want him to reclaim that glory.

I understand it but at some point, they need to give him the hard truth. Klay isnt a bad player he's just not that guy anymore. He needs a better role for who he is today.

[Jester_]

Warriors are 16-9 when Klay plays <30 mpg. They are 10-17 when he plays >30 mpg.

They're also 33-8 with Dray and Steph but no Klay since he came back from injury
They're 39-35 when Klay plays with both

Steve Kerr is not an idiot. He is a highly succesful coach - in fact, most of our success is thanks to his genius. Just wait until Klay's second prime starts, then you'll all see.

[billinder33]

Looking at the last few minutes of the game Steph had two turnovers and 6 misses and 4 makes. Ok you want Steph to take the most shots in the last few minutes but maybe he's taking too much making the offense too predictable and the others aren't enough of a threat? I'm also wondering if fatigue played a role.

This is a very keen observation from just looking at the game log. After the lead eroded, Steph went into hero-ball mode and sometimes it worked but mostly it didn't. Cranking 3s early in the clock, overhandling, the drives that end up with him on the floor and no foul... All the stuff we're used to. It's worked a lot and failed a lot over the years, this time it failed.

[watch1958]

Warriors are 16-9 when Klay plays <30 mpg. They are 10-17 when he plays >30 mpg.

They're also 33-8 with Dray and Steph but no Klay since he came back from injury
They're 39-35 when Klay plays with both

Steve Kerr is not an idiot. He is a highly succesful coach - in fact, most of our success is thanks to his genius. Just wait until Klay's second prime starts, then you'll all see.

Rocky: “That trick never works!”
Bullwinkle: “This time for sure!”

[Onus]

They're also 33-8 with Dray and Steph but no Klay since he came back from injury
They're 39-35 when Klay plays with both

People still want him as a bench player on this team. I don’t get it. He can either retire or sign with another team. Those would be my options to him.

[EvanZ]

Steve Kerr is not an idiot. He is a highly succesful coach - in fact, most of our success is thanks to his genius. Just wait until Klay's second prime starts, then you'll all see.

Rocky: “That trick never works!”
Bullwinkle: “This time for sure!”

Charlie Brown and Lucy have a similar dynamic involving sport.

[Sandy333]

Tbh I’m not sure tjd might not be a better matchup for some teams than jk. Tjd brings the vertical threat and rim pressure without having to run offense for him. He’ll also bring better rebounding and rim protection. Wiggins and dray will allow him to chase blocks and they can rebound.

The problem is that Kerr doesn’t understand matchups. He’s a set rotations, closing 5 and only those 5 kind of coach.

TJD is way limited. But if he is surrounded by vets and gets more experience, he may be useful in minutes during playoffs which is why it’s critical to bench Klay to free up minutes. Don’t let the Utah game confuse you on Klay or TJD’s abilities. Klay is unusable and TJD needs more time.

Oh yea tjd is limited. But so is jk.

I was mostly just responding to the rim pressure and tjd can provide that as well

our defence was having no impact on Harden, might have tried TJD. Although TjD struggles against height , he would have done better than Looney. Steve doesnot understand that team running continously for 15 seconds while Looney stands in one place take a toll on the team. Meanwhile Clippers esp Harden are just switching and passing the coverage. Come 4th quarter team is out of gas and Steve the clueless is wondering.

[Impuniti]

I'm just curios if any journalist had the balls to ask kerr in the presser about his fetish with klay.

You know the answer to that. On one hand it's obnoxious but if my monthly pay for myself & family relied on what softball questions I ask the FO and management, I'd tow the line as well.

[Impuniti]

Warriors are 16-9 when Klay plays <30 mpg. They are 10-17 when he plays >30 mpg.

They're also 33-8 with Dray and Steph but no Klay since he came back from injury
They're 39-35 when Klay plays with both

Steve Kerr is not an idiot. He is a highly succesful coach - in fact, most of our success is thanks to his genius. Just wait until Klay's second prime starts, then you'll all see.

[oaktownwarriors87]

TJD is way limited. But if he is surrounded by vets and gets more experience, he may be useful in minutes during playoffs which is why it’s critical to bench Klay to free up minutes. Don’t let the Utah game confuse you on Klay or TJD’s abilities. Klay is unusable and TJD needs more time.

Oh yea tjd is limited. But so is jk.

I was mostly just responding to the rim pressure and tjd can provide that as well

TJD can’t drive down hill like JK, or be a threat on fast break. The defense really keys on JK. What he needs to do is pass out more often and reset which will create openings. But they have been trying to use him as a last second bailout scorer.

TJD relies on people to make plays for him, but JK if gets more experience this year will create more for others which TJD can’t do because his offense relies on others.

JK is a black hole and TJD plays within the offense. TJDs presence and passing create space for other player. That's the difference.

[cdubbz]

How many winnable games have we lost this season?!