Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Ethan Sherwood Strauss of The Athletic (@SherwoodStrauss) talk about his new book and the NBA in hiatus.
They discuss Ethan’s book The Victory Machine: The Making & Unmaking of the Warriors Dynasty, how to handle the NBA in hiatus, player happiness and much more.
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Bob Myers said that the Golden State Warriors completely shut down their facilities due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.
“For a couple days, we were thinking about how we best use our facility. How we best guide our players on their training, their actions, the players who are hurt and rehabbing. But yesterday was the last day we were operational on a low level. That’s now moot. … We’re shut down," said Myers in a conference call with reporters.
Myers said that the shutdown is forcing Klay Thompson to rehab from his ACL injury on his own.
“Privately, by himself. Maybe with one of our trainers individually at his house. Even my own hip surgery recovery, anything you can do without interacting with somebody. … If you don’t have your own gym (in your house), there’s not really anywhere to go," added Myers.
Myers also discussed scouting for the upcoming NBA Draft with the likelihood that there won't be a combine or traditional pre-draft workouts.
The draft is currently still scheduled for June 25th.
“It’ll be unusual. The list of players (the Warriors might take) will be smaller. I suppose that makes it easier, at least for our first-round pick. ... We’ve done a good job of seeing most of these guys. But I think we’re operating incomplete. Every team will be this way. I think it’ll be imperfect. But all of this is highly imperfect. So I don’t think you’ll hear anyone complaining that we didn’t have enough information. We had time."
Steve Kerr admitted that he thought Steph Curry had contracted the coronavirus last week after the point guard made his return from injury.
Curry, who sat out two games, was instead diagnosed with the seasonal flu.
"We all were very concerned that maybe he had the coronavirus. And that's why our team doctors were very, very much on the case," Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area.
"I felt guilty because he had played in the Toronto game. And then the next day we went to open for that march. Some meetings, and I ... So when he was sick the next day I thought, "Oh, man." You know, I needed to send Steph home. He hadn't been sick the day before, but it was a big day, with him coming back and expending all that energy and emotion in the game. And I felt ... When he came down, I felt somewhat responsible because I invited him to take part in the Oakland festivities, but he assured me that it had nothing to do with that," added Kerr.
Kerr added that his team are waiting to hear of the next steps from the NBA.
"It's pretty obvious nothing's going to happen anytime soon, this effort to shift the momentum on this thing. Nationwide, worldwide - feels like we'll need to shut things down for several weeks at a minimum. So we will not be holding any practices, but we'll wait to hear what the NBA has to say, and we'll make sure we're taking care of our players and making sure we're following all the guidelines that the experts are layout for us."
The Golden State Warriors will host the Brooklyn Nets in an empty Chase Center on Thursday.
"Due to escalating concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, and in consultation with the City and County of San Francisco, tomorrow night's game vs. the Nets at Chase Center will be played without fans," the team tweeted. "Fans with tickets to this game will receive a refund in the amount paid."
After Thursday's game, the Warriors are away from the Chase Center until March 25.
The team's decision followed an order from the San Francisco Health Office prohibiting events where 1,000 or more people assemble. The Warriors previously ignored a directive to not play Tuesday's game in front of fans.
Steph Curry is expected to return for the Golden State Warriors' game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Curry has sat out the last two games with the flu.
Steve Kerr also gave an update on Draymond Green, who has missed the last 6 games with knee soreness.
"Draymond is doing well. Because he missed over a week I think, he lost some conditioning and strength in the knee, and so we are taking a cautious approach there too. He's doing a lot better and he's gotten in a couple of good workouts the last few days. He's getting closer for sure," said Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors have signed Mychal Mulder to a multi-year contract.
Mulder averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.5 minutes over six games during his initial 10-day contract with the Warriors.
Mulder went undrafted in 2017 out of Kentucky.
The Golden State Warriors rank third in the NBA in franchise valuation, according to Forbes. The New York Knicks at $4.6 billion and Los Angeles Lakers at $4.4 billion are worth more than the Warriors at $4.3 billion.
“Forbes is more of a general indicator. Its revenue estimates are understated for Golden State,” Joe Lacob said. “We have much more revenue than the Knicks and Lakers.”
Forbes estimated that the Warriors generated $440 million in revenue for the 2018-19 season versus $472 million for the Knicks and $434 million for the Lakers.
The Warriors were valued at $188 million when Lacob bought the franchise for $450 million.
Kevin Looney will miss at least the next 3 weeks due to a left hip injury.
Looney has missed the last four games, but Steve Kerr said that the team has not considered shutting him down for the season.
"He's going to be out for a few weeks, and so it is a concern. We want to give him every opportunity to finish the season and go into the summer with some momentum. Most disappointed for Loon, because he's found some momentum and finally kind of been able to put some games together. So it's a setback for him, but [Warriors director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini] feels like this is the best course of action for him," said Kerr of Looney.
Steve Kerr expressed his excitement and relief following Steph Curry's return to the Golden State Warriors lineup after breaking his hand on October 30th.
Curry, who played 27 minutes, scored 23 points on 6-of-16 shooting as the Warriors lost 121-113 to the Raptors.
"It was not the ideal set of circumstances for him -- we were taking him in and out of the lineup to keep his minutes down and to keep his stints shorter. He's not used to that. But he obviously gave us a huge lift, and he changes the whole game when he's out there. Our fans could see it, they could feel it. We're a different team, obviously, when he's on the court. So, great to have him back, and it'll be fun the next week or so to continue to build up his minutes and get him back into the groove," said Kerr of Curry, who was on a minutes restriction.
Kerr added that Curry's return will give the Warriors a new focus as they use the rest of this season to build a foundation heading into next year.
"This is sort of the beginning of next season in a lot of ways; and I think we're all starting to get some clarity as far as what our team's gonna look like. And having Steph back is, obviously, a huge, huge part of that now. The next step will be getting Klay [Thompson] back, but that won't be till next season. But I think these last 20 games are really going to be a springboard into next year," said Kerr before the game.
The Warriors were without Draymond Green, who missed his fourth straight game with knee soreness.
An MRI on Green's knee revealed no structural damage.
Dragan Bender has agreed to sign a second 10-day contract with the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors were unsure if they would sign Bender to a second 10-day contract after his first one expired this week.
Bender has averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 23.3 minutes over six games with the Warriors this season.
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