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00:00And let's talk to the head coach about it.
00:02Steve Kerr, out to the River Islands guest line we go.
00:05Steve is presented by Great Clips and Sports Successes about team effort,
00:09and the same is true for your hair.
00:11Great Clips, it's going to be great.
00:13And that wasn't just any win.
00:15It just happened to be the 600th time that you went to bed as a winning coach.
00:22How'd that feel, Steve?
00:26Yeah, it felt pretty good.
00:27But, I mean, it's definitely a time to reflect, you know,
00:32when you reach a milestone like this.
00:34You can't help but think back to, you know, all the good fortune,
00:39all the wonderful people, you know, that I've been able to work with,
00:43and, you know, from way back 12 years ago to right now, today.
00:48So it's been an amazing ride.
00:50I'm just lucky to have been a part of it all.
00:53We know there was some sort of special acknowledgement
00:56when you got into the locker room.
00:58Can you take the fans inside a little bit to what happened
01:01when you guys got into the back?
01:04Well, Steph had the ball, and he interrupted.
01:08I was going to just bring the guys in, you know, for our usual, you know,
01:13just put your hands in the middle, let's get out of here.
01:16And he said, no, no, no, hold on, Coach.
01:18I've got something to say.
01:19And so he said a few words and presented me with the game ball,
01:24and it was, yeah, it was a special, special moment.
01:28Probably even a little bit more special because of the five-game losing skid
01:32and how much of a palate cleanser you needed.
01:35How impressed were you by just the game effort your other guys are starting
01:40to continually give?
01:42Well, I've been impressed with their effort for, you know, the last whatever,
01:48eight, ten games.
01:49I mean, it's just the result was different yesterday.
01:52Obviously, getting the win was great.
01:54We needed it.
01:56But, man, those previous games, the game in New York was just incredible effort.
02:01I'm so proud of all the guys, the way they're hanging in there, you know,
02:05so shorthanded and so fun to watch these young guys come out
02:09and bring so much energy, you know, Malphie Leones
02:14and Nate Williams coming out there and getting offensive boards
02:19and, you know, flying around.
02:21And it's part of the thrill of coaching is when you see a young guy
02:27who's trying to make his mark and you see that kind of effort
02:30and commitment, it's beautiful to see.
02:32Coach, you mentioned that it was a moment of reflection for you,
02:35and here's a thought that kind of went through my mind,
02:38and that is, go back to the beginning.
02:41So you take the job as head coach of the Golden State Warriors.
02:46Like, on what level could you have imagined something like this?
02:51Or what was going through your head when you take the job
02:54in terms of what this may look like?
02:58Well, I knew I was getting a young, talented team,
03:01and I was so excited about, you know, just the opportunity,
03:05and I thought, man, this could be a championship team potentially,
03:08and wouldn't that be amazing to win one?
03:11I had a five-year contract, and my goal was, all right,
03:14let's see if I can make it through all five without getting fired
03:16and, you know, maybe even win a championship.
03:20And even that felt like, you know, such a lofty goal.
03:24And so I never could have imagined this, you know, lasting for 12 years
03:30and, you know, coaching this group and, in particular, you know,
03:37the mainstays, Draymond and Steph, for 12 straight years.
03:41And before that, obviously, Andre and Clay.
03:44And it just sort of snuck up on me, really.
03:48I mean, our success and the stability within the organization,
03:54the leadership of Bob Myers and now Mike Dunleavy
03:58and the connection that I've had with both of them,
04:01and then, of course, the incredible ownership from Joe
04:06and, you know, the leadership we've had on that side.
04:09I mean, it really does take a strong organization for any coach
04:16to survive more than a handful of years.
04:19And that's why I'm so blessed to work with all these people.
04:22And you're only 13 wins behind Mike Dunleavy Sr., by the way,
04:26on the all-time list.
04:27So a chance to take down Mike's father with a good finish to this season.
04:32You were mentioning how it kind of sneaks up on you.
04:34Did the whole coaching career sneak up on you too,
04:37or was this something that you kind of always wanted to do
04:39after you were done playing?
04:41I always imagined I would coach,
04:43but I didn't want to do it when my kids were little
04:45because I knew the life was not the one I wanted.
04:49I wanted to be home.
04:50I wanted to be with my kids.
04:51And that's why I went into TV,
04:54eventually got into management with the sons
04:56and felt like that might be a good balance, you know,
05:00between family and work.
05:02And frankly, I wasn't very good at it.
05:04It just wasn't, you know, my job.
05:07I felt like I was supposed to coach.
05:09And so once my kids were older and out of the house,
05:15I really spent a couple years, you know, preparing to coach
05:19and really trying to be ready for it
05:22and make the most of whatever opportunity came my way.
05:26And I met with a lot of really good people,
05:31great coaches, people who gave me advice
05:33and felt like I was pretty well prepared.
05:36But the biggest thing was we had incredible talent, you know,
05:40so to inherit the talent that I did right away,
05:45that softened the, you know, the landing for me to,
05:49you know, while I was figuring out what I was doing.
05:51I think it's such a fun court coach that you're the fourth fastest
05:55to get to 600 of the three names that got there faster,
05:58Pat Riley, Greg Popovich, Phil Jackson.
06:00You played for two of them.
06:02What, when you think back, what did you learn from Phil?
06:08What did you learn from Greg that you took into your coaching career?
06:13Well, they were very different people, very different individuals,
06:17but they shared the humanity and the ability to connect with people.
06:26And so even though they did it in very different ways,
06:29they were so powerful and that authenticity,
06:32what they brought every day to the arena was what made them special.
06:36And obviously they had great talent and they would be the first to tell you,
06:40you know, you don't win in the NBA without great talent.
06:44But as a coach, your job is to really build a good culture and a good style
06:49and a system and have standards and give the players an opportunity to get better
06:55and to improve themselves and their careers
06:58and hope that you can, you know,
07:00give people the best chance possible for success.
07:05And so it makes the job fun,
07:07but Phil and Pop were both brilliant at that, but in very different ways.
07:12And you're so quick to give other people credit when things go great
07:16and when things go poorly, you take all the blame.
07:18If you have a chance to self-reflect,
07:20what's the one thing that you do perhaps the best that makes you such a good coach?
07:27Well, I don't, I don't know.
07:29I know that I connect with our guys pretty well
07:32and I can really, really relate to guys six through 15,
07:40you know, because that was my life in 15 years in the league.
07:43I just, I knew I hadn't started many games,
07:46but I found out the other day I started 30 games in 15 years.
07:50And so I really connect with the guys who were on the fringe of the rotation
07:55or, you know, coming off the bench.
07:57And then I think I learned a lot about star players
08:02and what they face watching Michael and Scotty
08:06and Tim Duncan, David Robinson, all those guys.
08:09And so, you know, seeing how Phil handled Michael and Scotty,
08:13how Pop related to Timmy and David,
08:18I understood the power of those relationships.
08:20And I think that's really crucial.
08:24And I learned that just during my experience, you know, with various teams
08:29and as I went through and saw things I liked and things I didn't like.
08:34And ultimately, I knew I had to be my own guy,
08:37but I took a ton from all the coaches who I played for.
08:4028th coach to get his 600th win.
08:42Steve Kerr with us as he is every single week here on Willard and Dibs 95.7,
08:47the game.
08:47So, Coach, it may seem like an awkward transition,
08:49but let's go from connecting with players to barking and yelling at players.
08:55Here's my question for you.
08:58After, for instance, what you've already addressed that happened in New York
09:03with all of the Will Richard and the pod stuff,
09:05I think fans are starting to get the idea, if they hadn't already,
09:10you do have, you've mentioned it, you have this fiery side.
09:13That was an awkward situation because it got caught on the cameras
09:17and the microphones, but how typical is that?
09:21How often do things get tense with a player?
09:26I would say infrequently, but enough to get their attention, you know.
09:33That was an unfortunate one.
09:35I blame the wrong guy on that one, you know.
09:38I was upset about Will's two turnovers in a row because he had gotten a foul
09:45for a push-off just before.
09:48But, you know, just the angle that I had from the bench,
09:53I thought he could have saved that ball, and then I saw it on tape.
09:56I thought he could have just corralled it, I should say.
10:00Then I saw it on tape later, and I saw he was trying to save it from going out of
10:04bounds,
10:04and it was really Brandon's fault on the pass itself.
10:07But, you know, I lose my temper sometimes.
10:11As you guys know, turnovers are my number one pet peeve.
10:14We had nine turnovers in that second quarter.
10:17I probably took it out on Will when I should have taken it out on the whole team,
10:23and that particular play was Brandon's fault, and I acknowledged it at halftime.
10:28And then I actually showed it to the guys yesterday before the Washington game.
10:34I said, hey, I want to show one clip from last night, and I showed it.
10:38Everybody kind of started chuckling, and I just said,
10:40what kind of idiot coach would blame this guy for the turnover?
10:45And so I think that's part of it.
10:47I mean, you know, as a coach, I think going back to Lute Olsen in college,
10:53I just played for guys with great character and conviction,
10:58and they all had tempers that could, you know, that could put some fear in you.
11:06But I knew they all loved me.
11:07I knew Pop and Phil and Lenny Wilkins and Coach Olsen.
11:11I knew they all loved me, and I think that's a really important balance.
11:15You've got to keep them on edge, but they have to know you love them.
11:19And I think our players understand that there's going to be times when I snap
11:22and break a clipboard, and sometimes when I'm going to be wrong,
11:26like I was the other night with Will.
11:29But they know I care, and they know I'm looking out for them.
11:32Is it different and tougher now for a coach to have those moments
11:36because of all the cameras and the social media and the microphones
11:39as opposed to, you know, when Phil and Pop were coaching?
11:43It's probably more difficult because of the cameras also,
11:46just based on today's world, modern society.
11:53It's, you know, I think in the old days it was sort of accepted
11:58that coaches were going to yell and scream a lot.
12:01And I was fortunate I never had a coach who got personal.
12:05You know, I mean, I believe you have to have the authority as a coach
12:09to really let the guys know when they're not, you know, living up to standards.
12:16But it can never get personal.
12:18It always has to be within the framework of, you know,
12:22we're just trying to be the best team we can be.
12:25Steve, I got a couple of Chris Stops questions.
12:27First of all, what are you seeing with his all-around game,
12:31both sides of the floor right now?
12:35Well, we're seeing what he's shown throughout his career,
12:37that he's an incredibly gifted player who can step out
12:43and make threes so easily,
12:45but who can also affect the game defensively.
12:48Get to the line, 15 free throws last night.
12:52He looks like he's in rhythm.
12:54He looks like he's really getting comfortable with his conditioning.
13:00And, you know, after the long break, time off,
13:03he's really rounding into form.
13:05And you can see why we've been intrigued with him.
13:08And most teams have been very intrigued with him for years in the NBA
13:12because it's really hard to find that combination.
13:16And so we're excited about Chris Stops
13:20and obviously hoping that he can stay healthy
13:24and keep on this trajectory and get, you know,
13:27get Steph back, get them out on the floor together.
13:29It's a lot of fun to think about.
13:31Yeah.
13:31So you haven't gotten to see them together yet.
13:33And I'm going to ask this knowing that you're not the GM,
13:37but in this moment, what are your thoughts about the future of Chris Stops
13:42and this organization?
13:45I think the whole point in trading for him, you know,
13:50a couple of weeks back was, you know,
13:53we get the end of this season to make a run, to see what he can do,
13:58see what we can do with him and pair him with Steph.
14:04And, you know, then he's, you know,
14:06he's an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year,
14:10but he's our guy and we get to show him what we have to offer him
14:16and we get to know each other.
14:19And I think ideally for everybody, you know,
14:22he would re-sign and come back healthy
14:25and be an important player for us for many years.
14:28How much do you have to be conscious of that?
14:31Not that it's a recruiting pitch
14:33and therefore you have to go easy on him,
14:35but as a coach and as an organization,
14:37is it incumbent on all of you to make things here
14:40as comfortable for him as possible?
14:43Well, we do that with everybody.
14:45Honestly, we don't ever stop and think like,
14:48well, we got to treat this guy differently than that guy
14:51just based on, you know, we want to, you know,
14:55get him to sign or whatever.
14:58We just want all of our players to come in every day
15:01and feel the genuine love that we're going to offer them
15:04and the coaching and the culture and the vibe
15:09and the opportunity.
15:10And I just want him to feel what's real.
15:14And I think he's getting that opportunity.
15:18But of course, until you've really played with Steph,
15:22you don't really get, you know,
15:24the perfect feel for what the Warriors are all about
15:29because we're built around Steph
15:31and Steph's personality, his joy, his competitiveness.
15:35It's really what it's all about
15:37and what has defined us in this era.
15:41And so we look forward to getting Christoph
15:45some experience with Steph and feeling that vibe,
15:48feeling our crowd, you know, at Chase,
15:51cheering for the team.
15:52And, you know, hopefully that's going to happen
15:55before too long.
15:56Yeah, Coach, I want to do something here
15:59that we don't normally do
16:00and that's actually play a phone call
16:03from one of our listeners
16:04and a Warrior fan from earlier in the day.
16:07But it's Steph Curry related.
16:10And I wanted to ask you this first.
16:11The fact that he's on the trip with you,
16:13you guys have all said what you've said,
16:16which is that he's trending in the right direction.
16:18What can we take from that,
16:20that he's on the trip with you guys
16:22in terms of what he's moving toward right now?
16:26Well, exactly what you just said.
16:28He is trending in the right direction.
16:29He's ramped up his workouts.
16:32The reason he's on the trip is because he now needs,
16:37you know, extra bodies, people to play with.
16:42And we'll be doing that over the course of this road trip
16:45over the next week.
16:46And with the hopes that he'll be able to scrimmage
16:49by the end of the trip.
16:50But it's literally day to day.
16:53Rick Celebrini's here on the trip.
16:55He's working with him every day.
16:57They went over to the arena when we got to Boston today
17:02for a workout.
17:04And so we'll just keep hoping that things continue to progress.
17:08So, Steve, check this out.
17:10Because I was just driving around listening earlier today
17:12and I heard this and I was like,
17:13I wonder what Steve would say about this point.
17:17This is Anthony and Brentwood who called 95-7 the game earlier.
17:21And I would never advocate losing on purpose.
17:23That's not what I'm saying.
17:24But I just, I really have to be the voice of reason
17:27with the fans, including you, my brother.
17:29No, I hear you.
17:30This thing is over.
17:32And, like, Steph can want to come back if he wants.
17:35That's great.
17:35Steph can want to come back and he can play.
17:37But we're not beating OKC.
17:40We're not beating San Antonio.
17:42We're not beating the Lakers.
17:44And we're not beating Denver or Minnesota.
17:48So, like, getting a plan for what?
17:50To get kicked out in the first round?
17:52Okay, Steve, what say you?
17:56Oh, so we should just quit?
17:59I mean, that was kind of my thought.
18:03I wanted to hear what you would say to this person who's saying,
18:07play in for what?
18:09What is the point of what we're doing?
18:13It's competition.
18:15We're playing to compete and to go and see what we can do
18:22and give ourselves a chance.
18:23Like, I don't understand the concept of, you know what?
18:27I don't think we can beat any of these teams.
18:29So let's just not try to win.
18:31Like, what is that?
18:34That makes no sense to me.
18:36I mean, I don't know.
18:38Are we advocating to tank and get in the lotteries?
18:41I mean, just give me a thought.
18:44Give me the counter to, hey, let's go compete
18:47and do what we've trained to do our entire lives
18:50and compete and give ourselves a chance.
18:53Like, what's the point?
18:55Other than that, do you tell me, what are we doing this for?
18:58Well, then you get in the lottery
18:59and you get more of those precious ping pong balls
19:02and God forbid Steph Curry's knees hurt
19:04so you don't play him either.
19:06And, you know, you let Leones and the fellows go out there
19:09and not play well and you'll get them next year, Steve.
19:12Yeah.
19:13All right.
19:14And Steph will be 39.
19:16Yep.
19:16Yeah, it's true.
19:17It's true.
19:17I mean, look, every opportunity you have to make the playoffs,
19:22you want it because you always have a chance.
19:26And I understand, you know, without Jimmy,
19:28we're going to be, you know, heavy underdogs
19:30against just about anybody.
19:32But what's the point?
19:34What's the whole point?
19:37Is we play.
19:38We play.
19:39We compete.
19:40We get after it.
19:41This is what we do.
19:42This is what we love.
19:43I mean, my God, the thrill of the playoffs
19:46and going and trying to beat the best teams.
19:49There's nothing like it.
19:50Well, we're going to just quit and just sit around in our house
19:54and give ourselves a 1% chance of getting the first pick.
19:59I mean, I'm sorry.
20:02I'm sorry.
20:03This is not for me.
20:05Yeah, I mean, you don't have to be sorry.
20:07And the majority of the audience is not with the caller.
20:10But, you know, you get in the tournament.
20:12I wonder how much value do you think there is for, you know,
20:15pods and for Guy and for Pat and for less experienced players
20:19to actually go through a series.
20:20Is there good value in that?
20:22Of course.
20:23Of course.
20:24You know, our young guys felt it last year, you know,
20:27against Houston and Minnesota.
20:29And you always want the more playoff exposure guys get,
20:34the more development, the better they'll be the next time.
20:38And you always, always want that.
20:42Steve, I wanted to throw this at you with the WBC title on the line tonight
20:48in baseball.
20:48I don't know if you've been watching it at all, by the way.
20:50Have you been checking it out at all?
20:52A little bit.
20:53Yeah, I mean, I'm following it every day.
20:54I haven't been able to watch a whole lot just with our games and our prep,
20:58but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it.
21:00And I'll probably try to catch the last half of the game tonight.
21:06Super fascinating that a few players, including Aaron Judge,
21:09have sort of indicated that the WBC might be,
21:13and I don't want to put words in their mouth,
21:15but maybe more meaningful or just more energetic than the World Series.
21:20And as someone who's coached in the NBA Finals
21:23and coached America to an Olympic gold medal,
21:26I would love your perspective on what sort of meant more for you
21:31and how you would compare the experiences.
21:34I would just say they're both incredibly meaningful.
21:37They're so different.
21:38You know, I always feel like going through an NBA season,
21:41you know, a nine-month journey if you go to the finals
21:44and, you know, you're putting everything you have into it.
21:50The Olympics or the WBC, it's like a month long, you know, a few weeks.
22:00And it's equally as meaningful given the stakes
22:04and you're representing your country,
22:06but a very different experience both as a player and a coach.
22:10But you saw our guys celebrate after we beat France for the gold medal in Paris.
22:16I mean, it's incredibly powerful and exhilarating to compete for your country.
22:22And I'm so excited that all these guys, all the best players now,
22:26are playing for every country.
22:29And you see what it means to every country and the fans.
22:32And I think this is one of the best events
22:34and the best things that's happened to baseball in a long time.
22:38And it's making for one of the best months
22:40because it's March and your Arizona Wildcats looking pretty strong
22:44heading into the tourney.
22:45What do you think of their chances?
22:47And do you guys have some internal trash talk and some side action?
22:51Because you've got Seth for Duke.
22:52You've got Draymond at Michigan State.
22:53You've got Will from Florida defending champs.
22:56And Al, yep.
22:58Yeah, you might have seen LJ had to wear my Arizona jersey last week
23:02to practice because Arizona beat Houston in the Big 12 tournament.
23:06So that's always fun.
23:09We talk a lot of trash to each other on the college front.
23:12And there's definitely good rivalries going on.
23:16Everybody does a bracket.
23:17And, oh, yeah, everyone will be watching the tournament.
23:20And I'm excited for my school.
23:23They've got a really good team.
23:24Tommy Lloyd's a great, great coach.
23:25He's become a really good friend.
23:28And, yeah, I'm pulling for them all the way for sure.
23:31I think we'll talk about them more next week because, Steve,
23:34I got them getting out of this weekend.
23:36I do.
23:37I hope so.
23:38Yeah, right?
23:38I hope so.
23:39Yeah, that should happen.
23:40All right.
23:41Hey, Steve, great stuff.
23:42Good luck tomorrow against the Celtics.
23:43And thank you.
23:45All right, guys.
23:45Thanks so much.
23:46Take care.
23:46Yep, you too.
23:47There it is.
23:48Steve Kerr.
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