Warriors coach Steve Kerr staying calm amid turmoil

The Warriors did not hear a fiery speech. They did not hear a sob story, either.

When Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed the team about the recent incident between Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, Kerr put forth a simple message.

“‘One incident in November can’t taint the next six months and what we’re trying to accomplish,’” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said when asked to recall Kerr’s words to the team. “He spoke about that clearly.

“He’s very authentic in terms of not sugarcoating anything. He’s understanding the reality of the situation, but he also keeps us focused on how do we move forward.”

The Warriors were off Monday and Tuesday, the end of a seven-day span in which Kerr dealt with something more serious than a winless three-game trip, more injuries and fluid rotations. They’ll be back on the court tonight, when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder.

During the tumultuous week that saw the two-time defending champions lose four of five games, Kerr needed to control the fallout from the Green-Durant incident.

This was Durant’s interpretation of Kerr’s words: “Just play with joy. It’s always been about our emotion. He’s always been big about that and making sure everybody feels good. He tries to put everybody in a position to be successful. So he’s trying to get that joy back.”

Durant has hardly been joyful. On the final play in regulation against the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 12, Durant barked at Green for not passing him the ball. Green responded by attacking Durant with vulgarities and references to his pending free agency next summer. The Warriors suspended Green for the following game against Atlanta. He played Thursday at Houston, another loss, after which Durant snapped at a reporter who inquired about the state of his relationship with Green.

Green missed the next two games - the team cites recurring pain in his right foot - and he isn’t likely to play tonight when the Warriors open their four-game homestand. The timing is ironic, given the trouble Durant has had with former teammate Russell Westbrook, stemming from Durant’s decision to leave OKC and join the Warriors.

In Kerr, the Warriors trust. They believe he can calm the waters churning between Durant and his Warriors teammate.

“Steve is always great,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. “He’s one of our leaders. We always lean on him during turbulent times.”

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Kerr has never faced such turbulence in his time as coach. With Green out as well as Curry (left groin) and Alfonzo McKinnie (left ankle), Kerr has fielded seven different starting lineups in seven games.

“This is the toughest stretch we’ve been in. This is the real NBA,” said Kerr, who has won three NBA titles in the past four years. “We haven’t been in the real NBA the last four years. We’ve been in this dream and so now we’re faced with real adversity. We have to get out of it ourselves.”

As a player, Kerr had a legendary fight with a teammate, trading punches with Michael Jordan during a Chicago Bulls practice. (“I kicked MJ’s ass,” Kerr joked last week.) Kerr refused to say whether he brought that up during his meetings with Green and Durant, and he quickly shut down a reporter who asked whether he thought it was important that Green and Durant apologize, as he and Jordan did.

“That was a good try,” Kerr told the reporter. “Give me more credit than that.”

Kerr was more forthcoming about his time playing for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Then, Kerr admired how Popovich prevented issues from becoming worse.

“Pop was better in crisis, more relaxed and just more ready to coach,” Kerr said. “When things were going well, that’s when he would be more on edge. He didn’t want us to get lazy. We would win five in a row and he’d yell at us. We’d lose a few in a row and then he’d take us out to dinner. That’s a pretty good philosophy for coaching.”

Popovich said he feels the same way about Kerr.

“He’s somebody I would count on in just about any situation,” Popovich said about Kerr, who will be one of his assistants with the U.S. men’s national team for the 2019 FIBA World Cup and 2020 Olympics in Japan. “It’s the same as in any endeavor. It’s about people and it’s about relationships. I’m sure no matter how you all think, write or talk about it, it’s not as big of a deal as you all made it.”

The Warriors held a team dinner last Wednesday, though that is customary for most off-days during a trip. The next morning, before the team’s shootaround in Houston, Kerr addressed the team about the Green-Durant situation.

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Although Myers considered himself and Kerr as the “primary decision makers” in suspending Green, sources say a handful of players informed them they felt Green crossed the line during his argument with Durant. But Kerr wanted to outline all the issues as a team.

“That’s the point of my job and Bob’s job,” Kerr said. “I have to draw up some plays. Bob has to pick the best guy in the draft. But in these positions, the whole point is to keep this thing rolling. When you have the type of character on your roster like we do, it makes the job a lot easier.”

Kerr and his players have kept those details private. But Kerr emphasized something he said he talks to his players about every season.

“‘You’re going to be in the limelight and have your lives examined every single day,’” Kerr said. “‘When stuff hits, you have to be ready for a lot of coverage.’”

Myers, Kerr and Green declined to discuss how the Warriors’ coach handled the matter behind the scenes. Durant has steadfastly refused to answer questions about Green since initially expressing uncertainty about whether the relationship can be healed.

Speaking about Kerr, Warriors veteran Shaun Livingston said: “He’s not changing for anybody or any drama. The personality of the team can help take care of the job. It just allows us to grow. It allows us to heal. It allows us to get back to being who we are.”

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Will the Warriors get back to who they are? They remain the favorite to win their third straight NBA title. Uncertainty looms about whether Durant will leave the team next summer as a free agent and whether the incident with Green will be a factor in his decision.