It is unknown when, or if, the 2019-20 NBA season will resume, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes the league will do what is best for all involved.
“I have great faith in Adam Silver and the league’s leadership,” Kerr said on The Zach Gelb Show. “Because of the nature of what’s happening, there’s really probably a dozen different scenarios that they could come up with and that they’re having to plan for because nobody knows how long this is going to last.”
The NBA suspended its season March 11 after Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. While Gobert has made a full recovery, the pandemic has ravaged the globe.
The sports world responded accordingly.
“It was no coincidence that as soon as [Silver] shut down the NBA, everybody else kind of followed suit,” Kerr said. “But I think it took Adam’s leadership to really open up everybody’s eyes and understand how serious this really was.”
Kerr hopes that contending teams get a chance to compete for an NBA title in 2020.
“Our team wasn’t going anywhere,” he said. “We’ve already eliminated from the playoffs, so I’m not concerned about it. Honestly, I feel really bad for the teams that are contenders that have built their teams with this year in mind – teams like the Clippers, Lakers, Boston, Toronto and others. . . . Those are the teams I think about because they’ve had a lot to look forward to. I definitely hope that all of those teams are able to perform in some kind of playoff format. Obviously we have to keep our priorities [straight]: the health and safety of our fans and players, No. 1. But assuming we can do that, I would love to see all those teams that have earned a chance to compete in the playoffs be able to do so.”
The Warriors, who advanced to five straight NBA Finals from 2015-19 – and won three of them – are a league-worst 15-50 this season. Golden State lost just 49 games combined in its previous two seasons.
“It’s obviously been very different, but I’ve enjoyed it – and I mean that,” Kerr said of this season. “It’s fun coaching young players. It’s not fun losing, and there’s been a lot of frustrating nights. But big picture, what we’re trying to build for the future, we’re trying to bring a lot of young players along and help them grow. So it’s been a lot of fun to watch some of the individual stories. Guys like Damion Lee and Ky Bowman and Jordan Poole, these guys are getting their first real chance to play.”
Lee, Bowman, and Poole are averaging 12.7, 7.4 and 8.8 points, respectively. Bowman is 22; Poole is 20.
“Marquese Chriss, he’s a great story,” Kerr said of his 22-year-old center. “We’re his third team, but really, he’s come into his own. When you see guys like that who are able to get an opportunity and improve and really make the most of it, it’s very gratifying. Very different obviously from coaching championship teams, but as a coach, you’re going to see all kinds of different seasons and different teams if you do this for long enough. I know every season is going to be different.”