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00:00Out to the River Islands guest line and YouTube, by the way, he's on video with us, Steve Kerr, presented
00:05by Great Clips.
00:06In sports, success is about team effort and the same is true for your hair.
00:10Great Clips, it's going to be great.
00:12Good evening, Coach, how are you?
00:14I'm good, how are you guys doing?
00:16We're doing great, and I know that everything's in pencil and fingers crossed and all those things,
00:22but when you say you're doing well, I feel like maybe a little bit better than some of the other
00:27days recently.
00:28Is that fair?
00:31Yeah, today was a good day, you know, watching Steph scrimmage after our practice.
00:36We had a very light practice, but yeah, he got out on the floor and played five-on-five and
00:42looked good,
00:43and so we'll take it day by day.
00:45We've got to see how he's feeling tomorrow, but all in all, a really positive day.
00:48Yeah, and I wonder, with all of that said and the scrimmage having gone well,
00:53we totally get that, yes, everybody needs to see how the body reacts over the next 24, 48 hours,
00:58but do you have a response to the report that if that all goes well, that Sunday is a potential
01:06targeted return?
01:08I do not have a response to that, no.
01:13Okay, good.
01:15Yeah, that's the answer Raymond Ritter would want me to give to you guys.
01:20I'll take it, yeah.
01:21But you, I mean, you referred, obviously, to Thursday as doubtful.
01:25Would you just say Sunday?
01:27Like, you wouldn't rule it out either, is that right?
01:29I wouldn't rule it out.
01:31But, yeah, it's one good day, and, you know, a lot has led up to this,
01:37but the next few days are really, really important.
01:40Just about the scrimmage, Steve, and maybe it's my own fixation on it,
01:44but I'm just wondering, like, who on the team is actually out there for that?
01:48Is it a full 40-minute college game?
01:51Like, do you run around?
01:52I know that Guru would love to get out there and play if you ever need a body,
01:56so I'm just wondering, like, who partakes in a scrimmage like this?
02:00Well, we got a few young players, some of our coaches.
02:04We have a lot of young coaches on our staff who are actually really good players,
02:10college players.
02:11You know, we have a coach this year, Joe Chaley, who actually played in the NBA,
02:19and he has lit up our team in several scrimmages over the years,
02:24over the months that he's been here.
02:28So we purposely do that.
02:30You know, we hire young coaches who are really good players
02:33who can get out there and compete with our players in a scrimmage.
02:38Okay, so with all that, what was Steph's plus-minus in the scrimmage, Steve?
02:45Safe to say it was on the plus side.
02:48But, no, it was probably, you know, a 15-minute scrimmage, something like that, you know.
02:56But this was his first time playing five-on-five.
02:59He's been doing individual stuff, and I talked to him after, and he felt good.
03:04And, again, it's all about, you know, how tomorrow goes,
03:08and then you take it another step forward the next day,
03:13probably another scrimmage, you know, at that point, if all is going well.
03:17And then you just, you know, see what happens from there.
03:20Steve, I'd love to hear you put this into words.
03:22We've talked about it a number of different ways over the last few weeks,
03:25but I know you know this.
03:26There's a lot of fans that are either like, ooh, this is scary, you know,
03:30you're risking something, and then others that are in that whole give-up mode
03:35that you've already addressed.
03:36But I'd love to hear you put into words why it is so important to Steph, you know,
03:43why he has pushed so hard to get back at this time.
03:50It's what he does.
03:52This is his job.
03:53This is his passion.
03:54He loves the game, and he loves the work.
03:57He loves the process.
03:58And the whole point of all of it is to compete,
04:01and he can't wait to get out there and compete.
04:03It's as simple as that.
04:05And when you look at, like, the upcoming seven games,
04:08not that it's a fait accompli that you'll be the 10th seed,
04:10but how much do you go about this next seven-game stretch with an eye toward the standings
04:15and thinking about, you know, once you get to a spot where your seed is secure,
04:19that you might, you know, advance with the team in a certain way?
04:24Well, really, we're pretty locked in.
04:28You know, I mean, we're going to try, obviously, to win as many games as we can
04:32and hope that we can find our way up the ladder a little bit.
04:37You know, eighth would be ideal, so you get two cracks at it.
04:41But eighth is going to be tough.
04:44So we know we just have to go out and play.
04:47And really the idea for our staff and our team, you know, these last two weeks is to be healthy
04:54and to be playing at a high level.
04:57And so we're focused on the process.
04:59We're trying to make sure we go into that play-in game in a healthy way where we can feel
05:07good about our team.
05:09And we're dying to play in the playoffs.
05:11We want to be in there.
05:12We want to crack at it.
05:13So we're going to give everything we've got.
05:15Steve Kerr with us here on Willard & Dibs as he is every week.
05:18Hey, we'll circle back to all the Dubbs stuff.
05:20I don't want to bury this too far.
05:22First of all, congrats on Arizona in the Final Four.
05:27Yeah, very exciting.
05:28And how would you describe the experience of going down to San Jose and watching them with what looked like
05:35a cast of thousands?
05:36The basketball celebrity list was real, Steve.
05:43It was great.
05:44I got to see a lot of former teammates.
05:47Sat with Tom Tolbert and Craig Bergman, two buddies from here in the Bay.
05:54And teammates from our 88 team saw a bunch of other teammates and friends from the U of A from
06:02over the years.
06:03So it was really a great night.
06:06And then watching Saturday, that's our first Final Four in 25 years.
06:10So it feels great.
06:13And as an alum, as a devoted fan of the Wildcats, it's great to be back.
06:19And as you know, you can't bask too much in victory and you look ahead at a Michigan team that
06:24is just a very difficult squad.
06:27How do you how do you size that one up, Steve?
06:29I mean, can you put your Wildcat love aside and give us a little bit of just actual analysis going
06:35into it?
06:37Yeah, you know, I haven't watched a ton of college basketball, but I saw Michigan the other day and their
06:44Elite Eight game and they are loaded.
06:47They're a big, strong team, just like Arizona is.
06:50They probably shoot more threes than our team does.
06:54You know, I'm really enjoying watching Arizona just play old school basketball, beat you up in the paint, go to
07:00the foul line constantly, get your defense set up, take care of the ball.
07:05Kind of the exact opposite of the Warriors, to be perfectly honest.
07:11But no, it's a completely different style of basketball.
07:15The college game is very different from the NBA, but I've really enjoyed watching our team.
07:20I think Tommy Lloyd's a great coach.
07:22He has leaned into the physicality, the size, but it looks like Michigan's got the same same type makeup, huge
07:29front line, you know, really good coach and Dusty May.
07:34So it's should be an amazing matchup.
07:37And Michigan is a slight favorite.
07:39So the fact that the dog barked right during that conversation is probably a really good thing, Steve.
07:45You there's I got two of my dogs here today.
07:48So my well, our dog and my daughter's dog.
07:52So they're going to be serenading us in the background.
07:55That's OK.
07:55We love that.
07:56Yeah, we love that.
07:57That's totally fine.
07:58Hey, Steve, definitely want to dig in a little bit to to Chris Stapp's Porzingis, because you guys can probably
08:07feel it.
08:08I think the fan base is starting to get a little bit excited.
08:11And it's twofold.
08:13He's stacking games and it's then the way he looks on the court.
08:19What what can you tell us right now about the way?
08:23And I mean this both physically, emotionally, X's and O's terms of how he's fitting in as a Golden State
08:31Warrior.
08:32Well, he's feeling good.
08:34You know, he's he's found some answers and he's comfortable and he's you know, he's been out there game after
08:42game, really, as you said, stacking some games together.
08:46And he's such an easy fit.
08:48You know, the way he spaces the floor.
08:51I've never seen a big guy shoot it so easily before.
08:54I mean, there have been some great shooting big men, but just the way he just releases it so quickly.
09:02But he's also really becoming a good ISO player for us.
09:06You know, if we just get him the ball, give him space, he's going to create something.
09:11And he's drawing a lot of attention.
09:13He's drawing double teams, getting other guys shots.
09:16And it is really exciting to see how well he's playing.
09:19And obviously, if we can get Steph back, have them on the floor together, that's what we're looking for.
09:25That's going to be a fun pick and roll.
09:27Six, three and seven, three, mixing it up at the top of the circle.
09:30And, you know, Chris has said that Rick Celebrini, the head of the medicine department for you guys, is the
09:36GOAT.
09:37And I'm not surprised to hear that.
09:39But can you tell the fans exactly what makes Dr. Rick Celebrini so good at his job?
09:45Well, it's really who he is as a person that makes him so good.
09:49I mean, his expertise is unquestioned, but it's just the way he works with the players.
09:53They're all so comfortable being in his care.
09:57Rick's a really inclusive, collaborative guy.
10:01So everything that he does with the players, they feel like they're part of the decision making.
10:08So Rick is really sharp and knows his stuff.
10:13But more than anything, it's just the person he is who the players love so much.
10:18Steve, I'd love to dream a little bit further, too, with the idea of if you guys can indeed get
10:24Steph back on the court,
10:25what that means for the other guys and specifically for their roles.
10:30You know, Pods, Melton, Guy Santos, these guys have had to, in many cases, step up and almost be like
10:38leading-type scorers,
10:39which I don't know if you would see that as ideal for them.
10:43So what do you see as this potentially meaning for them as it changes roles?
10:51Well, Steph makes the game easier on everybody.
10:53And, you know, that's the name of the game in this league is you have to have guys who can
11:01draw double teams,
11:02guys who can create something out of nothing.
11:05It's what the playoffs are all about.
11:07That's why the best players are the guys who really determine the playoff games.
11:12And for us, you know, we've got a really good group of guys, and they're all playing hard and playing
11:18well.
11:19But when they can play off of Steph and off of Jimmy Butler, Chris Dobbs, the game just gets much
11:25easier.
11:26Right now they're all having to make plays.
11:28It's been really good for the development of Guy Santos, Pods, you know, Melton's return from two years absence,
11:39you know, all the usage.
11:40It's been good for these guys, but there's also plenty of evidence that they're going to be much better when
11:47Steph gets back.
11:48And that's what we're hoping for.
11:50You mentioned Pods, and he's averaging more than 20 a game over the last four, and you guys are 3
11:54-1 in those games.
11:55What's been the big reason in your mind why he's been able to step up and really take on so
12:01much of the scoring burden
12:02and have it also lead to winning?
12:05Honestly, I think he's been good all year.
12:07I mean, the first thing is he's literally played every game.
12:10You know, he's been there for us every single night, which is a huge asset when a guy is available
12:15for you.
12:16But I think he's shown in his three years how much he impacts winning, the rebounding, the taking charges, the
12:25feel for the game.
12:27So with Brandon, it's, you know, this last 25 games without Steph has given him more opportunity to be on
12:35the ball.
12:36But those reps are all good because as a young player, you have to learn an awful lot.
12:42There's a lot of nuance to the game, and it's not just about the skill.
12:45It's about managing the game, time and score, understanding the emotion of the team, all that stuff.
12:53And so I think this last month or two has been really good for Brandon.
12:57Steve, obviously Wemenyama is here tomorrow night.
13:01He recently spoke openly about the MVP race and kind of talked about how he wants defense to be a
13:07bigger part of the conversation.
13:09How do you see the MVP conversation right now in the league?
13:15I don't pay attention to it.
13:17You know, it's not my job as, you know, as a coach.
13:20I mean, these guys are all awesome.
13:21And, you know, it's not easy playing against any of the guys, whether it's Jokic or Shea or Wemby.
13:29And, you know, as a coach, you just get ready for the next guy and you don't sit around judging
13:37them.
13:38So I let the media members do that.
13:41Well, let me ask it this way then.
13:42Is Wemby, as far as preparing for an opponent, is he about as difficult as it gets?
13:49And I'd also love to hear what it is that Draymond specifically does that has been successful this year.
13:57Well, every player is different.
13:59And, you know, you have to account for Wemby at both ends, for sure.
14:04And I agree with him that being a two-way player, it is important.
14:12And I think it should be something that helps determine the MVP.
14:16But, you know, I think as far as Draymond is concerned, he'll be the first to tell you that, you
14:23know, Wemby's impossible to guard.
14:26But he does a good job of making him work.
14:30He just, you know, Draymond is so smart.
14:31He'll get underneath him.
14:33He'll force him the direction he wants him to go.
14:37And he'll just try to force a little tougher shot than he's used to taking.
14:42And Draymond is, I've said it many times, he's the best defender I've ever seen.
14:49And he's, what makes him so great is that he can guard anybody on the floor.
14:54He can guard the point guard.
14:55He can guard the center, everything in between.
14:57So he'll have his hands full tomorrow.
15:00But, you know, I love watching those two go at it because it's two great players.
15:06And center-wise, if Draymond's out there, that obviously will, you know, change maybe the rotations a bit.
15:11Have you, as a staff, decided about the back-to-backs with Al Horford, which one he might play and
15:17how you might navigate these next two days?
15:19Well, Al's not going to play in either.
15:22But, you know, there's definitely a chance that we will sit, you know, a player or two because we've got
15:31some lingering injuries.
15:33I'm not even sure of Guy's status for tomorrow.
15:35He got banged up in the last game.
15:38Quentin Post is also injured.
15:42You know, Melton finally played in a back-to-back last week, I think it was.
15:47But we've been careful with him.
15:48He's got a really bad thumb right now that bothered him in Denver the other night.
15:53So we've got a lot of question marks, but we haven't made the decisions yet.
15:58Those will probably come tomorrow.
16:00Steve, I'm interested in how you see this story coming to light the way that it did this week.
16:09This letter that you wrote to Blue Jays manager John Schneider after the World Series loss to the Dodgers.
16:17Obviously, that happened a while ago.
16:20How did it come to light this week so much?
16:24Well, he, I guess, found the letter in his office when he went back for opening day from spring training.
16:33Okay.
16:34And so he just, I guess he just opened it up a few days ago and told the media about
16:39it.
16:40And, yeah, it's not really a big deal.
16:45It's just, you know, I was inspired watching him.
16:48I thought he was really fantastic in the World Series.
16:53Just his interviews, the way he handled himself, both with his players and the media.
16:58And it just struck me that he was a really good leader.
17:01And, you know, I've done that occasionally, written notes to people.
17:06People have done that for me.
17:08I think it's really important for coaches to support one another.
17:12It's a great job, but it's, you know, it can be very difficult.
17:15And it's so up and down and it's so heartbreaking at times.
17:21But, yeah, I just, I liked what I saw and I just dropped him a note.
17:24Not really a big deal, but it was, you know, he was very kind and reached out to me in
17:30response
17:30and sent me a nice text.
17:32And we're going to try to connect at some point this summer at a baseball game.
17:36Did you think that maybe he just got the letter and blew you off because you didn't get any response?
17:41And then, I mean, it's kind of one of those different things where, you know, you can text somebody
17:46and if the read receipts are on, you know right away that they get it.
17:49But you send the guy a letter and here we are months later.
17:51Are you thinking, who's this guy to blow me off, Schneider?
17:55I didn't even, I completely forgot about it, to be honest with you.
17:59So, when the story came out a couple of days ago, I kind of chuckled.
18:03But, no, I was not the slightest bit offended.
18:07You know, it's just sometimes you just feel inspired.
18:11You write somebody a note.
18:13It's, you know, it's just something that other people have done for me and it meant a lot
18:19and it seemed like a good thing to do.
18:21You say it's no big deal, Steve, but I'm not going to let you get away with that.
18:27You wrote it by hand.
18:29Pen and paper.
18:30Cursive.
18:31What are you, from the 60s or something?
18:33That looked like crazy.
18:36Yeah.
18:37I'm old.
18:37That's what it means.
18:39I'm old.
18:40You never considered, you know, like a laptop or anything like that?
18:46Yeah, I, you know, I have one of those too, so.
18:51No, but it was, I will say, just from me to you, Steve, like, and I'm sure not the first
18:56one to say this, like, in reading that, the way it looked, what it said, it was very classy.
19:03It was a very, very classy set of words that you said.
19:07No, I appreciate it.
19:08I appreciate it.
19:09Yeah, I do think you missed an opportunity to add a little PS at the end, PS, LOL, go
19:14Dodgers, because, I mean, it is your team.
19:17I mean, essentially, it's your score.
19:19Yeah, we're not doing that.
19:20I get it.
19:20We're not doing that.
19:22How about a handwritten note for Tony Vitello, though?
19:25Like, I know we talked to you about him once before.
19:29He's now got four games under his belt.
19:31He got his first managing win for the Giants last night, and I wonder just, and this could
19:37be not even just about him, anyone who's starting this job.
19:40Like, what would you say to him?
19:44Oh, man.
19:45Well, I did meet him about a month ago.
19:47He came to a Warriors game, and I was really happy for him.
19:51I was watching the game last night, so I was really happy for him.
19:56But, no, you know, I think all of us, when we first start coaching at this level, there's
20:04got to be a little bit of imposter syndrome, you know?
20:07I know there was for me where you've watched a million games, but now you're actually the
20:12guy on the sidelines.
20:13It's a strange feeling, and you just have to get comfortable, get used to it.
20:19Tony's obviously a really smart guy, and he's managed a lot of baseball games, so he's going
20:25to be fine, but it's so exciting.
20:28I mean, you know, to take on a job like that, the responsibility that comes with it, it's
20:36really cool.
20:36You're living, you know?
20:37When you jump into this stuff, and everybody's talking about the games, and you know, you're
20:42in the big leagues, you're in the NBA, it's thrilling, and I still get excited for every
20:48game.
20:49You say imposter syndrome.
20:50I mean, you played, you broadcasted, you were in the front office in the association,
20:54so you had that sort of muscle memory.
20:56Was there a point in that first year where you kind of felt like you kind of officially
21:01belonged as a coach?
21:03I still remember.
21:05We had a game down in L.A., and it was about two, three weeks into the season, and we
21:12beat
21:12the Lakers by 30.
21:14We had a great game, and I think we were about 10-2 at that point.
21:18We had a couple days off, because we had a four-day break in the schedule.
21:23I told the guys before the game, I said, if you guys win tonight, we'll give you the
21:27next two days off.
21:28You would have thought I was offering them a million dollars each.
21:34And they went out.
21:35They played so well.
21:36And I remember the next day thinking to myself, you know, all right, this is working.
21:42You know, this is clicking.
21:43Like, the guys are responding to me, and we've got a really good team, and this is really
21:48damn fun.
21:49And then at that point, I thought, okay, I think I know what I'm doing.
21:52But it sure helps when your first job includes Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Draymond, Andre,
22:01all those guys.
22:03So, yeah, having a lot of talent makes up for, you know, any shortcomings you have as a coach,
22:10that's for sure.
22:10Speaking of which, and I know you guys can't, you know, you've got to go step by step.
22:15I just sat here and started thinking about what is at least a big maybe for Sunday.
22:23He still hasn't played with Seth.
22:25So, like, real quick, how's Seth doing health-wise?
22:30How's Seth doing?
22:31Yeah.
22:32Yeah, Seth is doing better.
22:34He played the other night in Denver.
22:36You know, we had to limit him to, I think, seven minutes.
22:40It was just kind of, you know, get the foot in the water again.
22:44But I'm excited about getting them both on the floor.
22:47I mean, it hasn't happened all season, and it needs to happen for their family, for sure.
22:53So, that's definitely in the works.
22:55So, that could be Sunday.
22:57Kevin Durant will be here.
23:00It could be the first game with Stefan Kristaps.
23:02It's a whole lot of maybes, but that could be a really fun day, Steve.
23:06Maybe.
23:07Could be a great day.
23:09Yeah, Easter Sunday.
23:10We hope so.
23:11We'll see.
23:11Yeah, that would be more than just a coincidence.
23:14It would be very appropriate.
23:16And I don't know if Damian Lee is available or if he's got some free time.
23:20Maybe we'll pop him on a 10-day and get him out there, too.
23:23Right, Coach?
23:24That's right.
23:25That's right.
23:26Family affair.
23:27Yep, indeed.
23:28Hey, Steve, great stuff today.
23:30Hey, thank you so much, and everybody's fingers are crossed.
23:35Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
23:36And go Wildcats.
23:38Indeed.
23:39Yes.
23:39Fingers crossed on that, too.
23:41I'm sure, yeah.
23:41There is that, yeah.
23:42All right.
23:42All right, Steve.
23:43All right.
23:44See you, guys.
23:45Okay, see you.
23:45We'll talk to you next week.
23:46Steve Kerr right here on Willard & Dibbs 95.7 The Game.
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