The Golden State Warriors‘ season is over after failing to make the playoffs following a play-in loss to the Phoenix Suns, and for the first time in a while, it is unclear where the Warriors will be headed.

Warriors forward Draymond Green spoke on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, about what he thinks is next for his head coach, Steve Kerr.

Green started by saying, “I hope he’s our coach next season,” but then later added his honest opinion. “You want my opinion? I think not. Just because it feels like that. It felt like that was it.”

Following the 111-96 loss to the Suns, Kerr brought in Stephen Curry and Green for a moment on the sidelines, and microphones picked up that Kerr said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I love you guys to death. Thank you.”

Kerr will take the next couple of weeks to contemplate his future, but the signs are pointing to him retiring.

“I still love coaching, but I get it,” Kerr said in his press conference. “These jobs all have an expiration date. There is a run that happens, and when the run ends, sometimes it’s time for new blood and new ideas.”

Green added that he has “never been so uncertain since earlier in my career in what happens next.” “But I’m truly at a loss now because you don’t know what direction will be next. … I also hope I’m on this team next season. We also don’t know that. Man, if it was, what a run.”

The Warriors have many decisions to make this offseason, including whether or not to keep Green. Green has a $27.6 million player option if the two sides cannot agree to an extension.

A blowout win over Orlando came with a loud side story Monday night: Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Draymond Green got into a heated sideline argument that ended with Green leaving the bench and never returning to the game.

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The flare-up happened early in the third quarter at Chase Center with Golden State down 71–66. After Green committed a turnover, and continued to chat with an official. Kerr called a timeout and tried to pull his team into the huddle, later saying he felt the group had lost its focus. Instead, the timeout turned tense. Teammates and staff, which included Moses Moody and assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse, stepped in as Kerr and Green exchanged words. Later, Green walked off toward the locker room.

Both sides framed it as a moment that needed a pressure release, not a bigger fracture. Green said, “tempers spilled over, and he chose to remove himself because he didn’t think the situation would improve in the moment.”

Kerr confirmed Green wouldn’t have re-entered even after he returned to the bench in warmups before the fourth quarter.

The Warriors responded on the court. Stephen Curry ignited a third-quarter swing with a perfect shooting stretch, and Golden State turned the five-point deficit into a comfortable lead before cruising to a 120–97 victory. Curry finished with 26 points, and Jimmy Butler added 21 as the Warriors climbed back to .5 at 15–15.

The incident also added to a recent pattern: Green had been ejected in the previous game and, for a second straight night, wasn’t part of the closing minutes. After the final buzzer, the message from the locker room was essentially We’ve been here before.

Both Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believe they’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to officiating.

Finch complained to reporters at practice about the Warriors’ physicality with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert.

“On defensive rebounding, [the Warriors] do a lot of fouling, holding, shoving, pushing and tackling Rudy,” Finch said. “That’s clear. We sent a bunch of those clips in to the league.”

In response, Kerr told reporters that “he didn’t see a foul” on any of the plays Finch referenced. Additionally, Kerr detailed problems around the physicality the Timberwolves use when guarding star Stephen Curry.

“It was just like Houston all over again. They were bear-hugging Steph [Curry], and they could have called six fouls,” Kerr said. “But the league has established the physicality in the playoffs.”

Kerr and Finch might be complaining about physicality, but the game is being called on both sides. Teams to play as physically as possible if referees are allowing leeway.

Kerr acknowledged the difficulty that referees have when calling a game.

“It’s a really hard thing to control,” Kerr said. “Because everybody’s playing so hard and they know what the other team is running.”

Game two of the Warriors and Timberwolves series is on Thursday night. The Warriors won game one 99-88.

The Warriors will be without Curry for game two.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to be held back after getting into an argument with referees during a game against the Mavericks on Wednesday. Draymond Green was among the team members holding Kerr back, providing an ironic twinge to the incident.

Kerr’s frustrations with officiating during the game boiled over early in the third quarter, when he called a timeout following a 5-0 Dallas run. Going all the way to center court, Kerr then engaged in a tirade. Green, known as a highly confrontational player, joined several assistants in trying to get the head coach back into the huddle. Their efforts failed, as Kerr was given a technical foul.

Golden State got back into contention in the fourth quarter but eventually lost 111-107, sending the team back to .500 with a 27-27 record. Steph Curry scored 25 points with eight assists and newly acquired forward Jimmy Butler scored 21 with nine rebounds. 

It was not enough to take down the Mavs, who have been unexpectedly effective since parting ways with Luka Doncic and immediately losing Anthony Davis to an injury. Leaning heavily on Kyrie Irving is working for now, as the new leader scored 42 points in a demanding 40-minute showing. Dallas is 29-26, desperately clinging to a playoff berth in eighth place in the Western Conference. 

As Golden State looks to rediscover its identity, most recently adding Butler to better support Curry, it’s clear that the process is affecting many team members accustomed to dynastic success. Kerr has spent the majority of his coaching career guiding overwhelmingly talented Golden State teams to championship contention. It’s a distinct possibility that the effort to build something new, regardless of its success, is taking a toll and showing itself in the form of increasing tensions. At least Green was there to provide a calming presence to proceedings.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was furious Wednesday night after a loose ball foul cost his team in a 91-90 defeat to the Houston Rockets. The Warriors could have advanced to the NBA Cup Semifinal with a victory.

“I’m pissed off,” Kerr said told reporters after the game. “I wanted to go to Las Vegas. We wanted to win this Cup, and we aren’t going because of a loose ball foul, 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and that was ridiculous.”

The play occurred at the very end of the fourth quarter, as two separate scrambles for possession eventually culminated in heavy contact between Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Rockets guard Jalen Green. Referees called a foul on Kuminga, who was reaching to try and force a jump ball. Green hit both free throws to put his team in front with 3.5 seconds remaining.

Losing a regular season matchup in such fashion likely would have been frustrating enough for Kerr, but implications tied to the NBA Cup apparently compounded those feelings. The league’s second annual in-season tournament features lucrative incentives, including more than $500,000 each to players on the team that wins the tournament final. Instead, Golden State players have to settle for roughly $50,000 each for losing their quarterfinal game.

Warriors star Steph Curry, the centerpiece of a rebuilding team, was more critical of himself than the officiating crew after the game. He pointed out he had several opportunities to put the game out of reach and failed to do so. 

“It’s a team trying to figure out who you are,” Curry said, per Sports Illustrated. “What works, what sets we need to be in. Teams selling out on our standard pick-and-roll, which I usually can make plays … If I make that last shot, you might not ask me about the last two possessions. That’s kind of the way the game goes.”

Through 22 games, Golden State is fourth in the Western Conference with a 14-10 record, but the team is merely the leader of a very tight pack that extends all the way to the 12-13 Kings in 12th place. The Rockets, a younger team on the rise, are second in the conference with a 17-8 record, and will face the similarly youthful Thunder in the NBA Cup Semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 14.

After a pair of close victories over South Sudan and Germany, United States men’s basketball coach Steve Kerr put his team through a rigorous practice Thursday. Team USA plays Serbia in the 2024 Paris Olympics opener on Sunday, and Kerr wants to ensure that the team is better prepared.

“That’s what today is about. It’s the reminder. It’s time. We’re here,” Kerr said. “So it’s got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can’t let teams outplay us effort-and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.”

In exhibition play heading into the Olympics, Team USA has been inconsistent despite winning five straight games on three different continents. After meandering victories over Australia and Canada and a commanding win against Serbia, the United States nearly fell to South Sudan and Germany.

In what would have been an incalculably huge upset, South Sudan led the United States by double digits for most of the game before LeBron James led the team to a grinding 101-100 victory. The team trailed against Germany as well before James intervened again and drove the U.S. to a 92-88 win.

In a film session before practice Thursday, coaches pointed out repeated instances of low-effort play by key contributors during exhibition games. Team USA has an overwhelming wealth of talent compared to its competitors, but this has meant very little thus far in several hard-fought friendly matches.

“I hated our pace against Germany. We were just walking the ball up the floor. The tape was tough to watch,” Kerr said earlier this week. “So we know we’ve got to play a lot better at both ends, and I’m confident that we will. But we have to make some adjustments, both strategic and emotional.”

To combat the team’s slow pace, which starkly contrasts with the European style, Kerr is using a creative substitution strategy, swapping five players on the floor at once. It closely resembles shift changes in hockey and is meant to keep players fresh.

The United States men’s basketball team dominated Serbia in a 105-79 exhibition victory Wednesday. Heavily favored to win gold this summer, Team USA easily handled Nikola Jokic and company with a well-rounded attack and stifling defense.

Steph Curry led the way on offense, scoring 24 points, but Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo shut down the paint and earned praise from Team USA head coach Steve Kerr after the game.

“Bam and AD together are really something, just the switching, but they can also protect the rim and be in a drop if we go to that coverage,” Kerr said, according to ESPN. “The strength of the team is the depth, and so if we can play in four- or five-minute bursts of just playing intense defense, hitting bodies, rebounding being physical, then it makes sense to play that way.”

To put the United States’ victory in context, Serbia is a highly reasonable medal contender featuring a three-time NBA MVP and several valuable contributors on the roster. Team USA is simply on a different level, boasting All-Star-caliber talent throughout the roster.

After two meandering exhibition victories against Canada and Australia, it seems like the U.S. is sharpening into form as players accustomed to facing off gradually gel into a cohesive unit. Kerr has experimented with the starting five, but decisions off the bench may end up making the difference due to the depth of talent at his disposal.

With the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant not even contributing the lion’s share toward victories in exhibition games, it becomes difficult to imagine any team in the Olympics stopping the U.S. in their entirety. This is the point, however, as Team USA has suffered several embarrassing defeats at the international level in recent years. The country’s stars seem to be uniting to prove that supremacy in the sport remains firmly stateside.

Following an abysmal performance in the Play-In Tournament Tuesday, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson must now begin considering his next steps in the twilight of his career. The former star, who combined forces with fellow elite shooter Steph Curry in 2011 and went on to win four NBA championships, shot 0-for-10 from the field in the team’s 118-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Retirement may not be on the table yet for the 34-year-old, but many are speculating that Thompson may not return to Golden State next year. His contract with the team ends at the end of this season, and though he improved in the regular season after a poor start, he proved to be a liability in the team’s playoff pursuit.

Despite the rumors of an impending departure, Thompson’s longtime teammates Curry and Draymond Green said they could not imagine the Warriors without him. Coach Steve Kerr, who coaxed Thompson through his slump in the regular season, flatly said that the team needed him.

“It means a lot,” Thompson said in response to Kerr and his teammates. I mean, we’ve been through the highest of highs and lows. Whether it’s losing a championship, winning a championship, or missing the playoffs, we’ve been through everything together, so that does mean a lot. It makes me grateful to have the times I’ve had with them. Like, that was pretty historic stuff.”

In his prime, Thompson was one-half of what is often considered the greatest backcourts in NBA history, teaming up with Curry to form the Splash Brothers. The team strayed away from several core tenets of basketball, focusing more and more on perimeter shooting, and succeeded because of elite shooting talent.

Now, Thompson is a shadow of the player he once was, occasionally providing glimpses of ability but frequently suffering lapses. He was not the only aging Warriors player who struggled this season, which could soon compel the team to undergo dramatic restructuring. Regardless of where Thompson goes next, his goals for the final seasons of his career are clear.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is taking a leave of absence to deal with a personal matter, the team announced Wednesday. Wiggins did not travel with the team for a game against the Washington Wizards earlier this week and did not play against the Knicks on Thursday.

Wiggins missed the last 25 games of the regular season last year for personal reasons as well. Golden State never provided a reason for his absence, but The Athletic reported that his father was battling unspecified medical issues. Wiggins has again requested that the team keep the details of his personal matters private.

“We do expect him to be back but we just don’t exactly know when,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said during a local radio interview Wednesday. “We’re in a position where Wiggs is a private person and he’s asked to keep it private and we’re gonna honor that. So it doesn’t help for me to sit here and try to explain any of that. The bottom line is we respect Wiggs, we need him and we fully expect him back, but we just don’t know when that will be.”

The Warriors have struggled throughout the 2023-24 season, managing to earn a 30-27 record in the Western Conference, and Wiggins’ regression has been a factor in their backsliding. The 28-year-old forward is scoring just 12.7 points per game this year, far below his typical production. He is stepping away from a team currently in 10th place, just good enough to make the Play-In Tournament.

Despite his personal problems on the floor, Wiggins has been with Golden State since the 2019-20 season and has become an indispensable part of the team’s system. After stepping away from the team last year, he returned in the playoffs and played solidly until the team was eliminated in the conference semifinals.

In just his fifth start of the season, Warriors shooting guard Moses Moody filled in for Wiggins Tuesday and scored 12 points. The seldom-used bench player appeared to provide a spark in the team’s 123-112 victory over Washington and could continue to fill in for Wiggins going forward.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday that he was still content despite the team’s 23-25 record. The team has been speculated to be looking for trade partners ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

Kerr told reporters before the Warriors’ 127-104 win over the 76ers that the team could still be “something special.” Led by aging stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the team has struggled at times in the 2023-24 season.

“The guys who are here, they are an incredibly accomplished group,” Kerr said. “We’ve got some exciting young players, and we’ve got a good group. Every guy on our team has really overcome a lot, individually, this year. Taken out of the starting lineup, to injuries, young players have emerged through hard work and patience, and I enjoy coaching this team. It is a long haul, but I feel like this team could be something special.”

Kerr and the Warriors have four championships in the past decade, but the team’s recent struggles have provoked calls for a roster shakeup. Longtime defensive star Draymond Green was briefly suspended for repeated behavioral issues last year. Thompson, one of the league’s most prolific long-range shooters, has recently commented on losing steam late in his career. With just 17.1 points per game this year, the 34-year-old is on pace to have his worst offensive season since 2013.

“To go from [being] one of the best players — it’s hard for anybody, I’ll be honest with you,” Thompson said Monday.

Chris Paul, who was once expected to be a key addition for Golden State last offseason, has missed significant time with various injuries and has only scored 8.9 points per game. In general, the team consistently has one of the oldest starting fives in basketball.

Beyond Curry, who continues to produce at an elite level, the only Golden State players producing at a trade-worthy level at the moment are forwards Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga. Kuminga is just 21 years old, making it unlikely that Golden State would part with him. Wiggins, a 28-year-old starter, could be a valuable trade piece, but no deal has been arranged yet, per team reports.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević died Wednesday after suffering a heart attack at a team dinner in Utah. He was 46. The Warriors have postponed two games this week to mourn the loss of their coach.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him. In addition to being a terrific basketball coach, Dejan was one of the most positive and beautiful human beings I have ever known, someone who brought joy and light to every single day with his passion and energy. We grieve with and for his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa. Their loss is unfathomable.”

Milojević started coaching for the Warriors in 2021 after playing and coaching Europe for his entire career. He began his professional career in 1994 in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, playing for KK Beovuk 72. He played for the team until 1998 and went on to compete throughout Europe until 2009.

From 2012 to 2020, Milojević coached KK Mega Basket in Belgrade. He was best known during this period for coaching Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic before he was drafted in 2014. During his tenure, Milojević coached 11 players who went on to get drafted by NBA teams.

Between 2021 and 2024, Milojević assisted Kerr and became an NBA champion when the Warriors defeated the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. Milojević worked closely with Warriors center Kevon Looney throughout his time in Golden State and received credit for helping him develop. The big man was reportedly “particularly crushed” when his coach was hospitalized Tuesday night after collapsing at the team dinner.

The Warriors will not play their scheduled games against the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks this week while they mourn and recover from this setback. The league has approved these postponements due to the public and the sudden nature of the incident.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr had some choice words about the NBA following the Warriors’ 114-120 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Kerr was especially frustrated about the officiating, particularly the fouling. The Warriors were called for 23 fouls compared to Denver’s 17.

Star Nugget Nikola Jokić also shot 18 free throws during the win. 

“I have no problem with the officials themselves. All across the league we have really good officials,” Kerr clarified. “I have a problem with the way we are legislating defense out of the game. That’s what we’re doing in the NBA. The way we’re teaching officials, we’re just enabling players to BS their way to the foul line.” 

“If I were a fan, I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the second half of that game. It was disgusting. It was just baiting refs into calls. But the refs have to make those calls because that’s how they’re taught,” Kerr added.

The loss to the Nuggets drops the Warriors to 15-15, which makes them the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They are currently without star Draymond Green, who was suspended indefinitely following a second instance of violence against an opponent.

Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended for five games by the NBA after getting into an altercation with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert on Tuesday. Green put Gobert in a headlock during the heated multi-player exchange, provoking the NBA to act.

NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars reportedly said that Green’s status as a “repeat offender” resulted in a lengthier suspension. Gobert has been extremely vocal, repeatedly calling Green a “clown” to reporters.

The Timberwolves star claimed after the game that he was expecting Green to misbehave after he learned that Steph Curry would not play.

“It’s kind of funny because before the game, I was telling myself that Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try and get ejected,” Gobert said. “Because every time Steph doesn’t play, he doesn’t want to play — it’s his guy Steph. He’ll do anything he can to get ejected.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr defended Green after the game, as well as Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who was also ejected after the scuffle. Thompson will not be suspended. Gobert responded to Kerr’s defense with a familiar sentiment.

“He’s backing his guy, but I think he knows,” Gobert told The Athletic. “Deep inside, he (doesn’t) want to say it but his guy is a clown.”

Green is well known for his behavior on the court, which often frustrates the Warriors’ opponents and occasionally leads to physical incidents. This suspension is the fifth of his career but the first to extend beyond a single game. It will cost him more than $700,000 in compensation. Only one suspension has ever come for an action that took place during play.

For his part in the incident, Gobert will have to pay a $25,000 fine. Thompson and the Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels will have to pay the same. Gobert is expected to appeal.

“Every situation is different, but to me, that was more than just a reaction. That was a personal attack,” Gobert said. “Me being fined when I was being a peacemaker, and I chose to keep my hands up while I was being assaulted, it’s shameful. Shameful. And I’m going to appeal that fine.”

The NBA announced that Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green would be suspended one game for stepping on Kings forward Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 of the teams’ first-round Western Conference matchup. With Green out and the Warriors down 2-0 in the series, the team will now turn to Kevon Looney to support stars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as they look to come back in Game 3.

“Everybody’s locked in, our level of focus has raised, our back’s against the wall so we have to go out there and play with a level of focus we haven’t played with all year,” Looney said after practice Wednesday. “I think we’re ready and I think we’re excited.”

In the first two games of their first-round playoff game, the Warriors have been struck by a wave of historic momentum, as the Kings have enjoyed a pair of rabid home crowds at the Golden 1 Center. Sacramento fans, who have not seen the team make a playoff run in 17 years, have propelled the Kings to two straight wins against the defending NBA champions.

On the floor, Curry and Thompson have been effective while key contributor Andrew Wiggins has done his part as well. But injury and performance concerns surrounding guard Jordan Poole proved to be a setback in Game 2, and Green’s suspensions will only make matters worse for Golden State.

Players like Looney, a six-foot-nine bench player capable of playing center and power forward, will need to provide size in the paint to counter Sabonis while giving the team’s army of shooters space at the perimeter. He will lead a group of players that coach Steve Kerr plans to cycle through in an effort to compete with a weakened roster.

“It’s more than likely going to be a game where we play a lot of people and we just have to put our best foot forward,” Kerr said after practice. “I believe in our guys. I have no doubt we can go out there and get this done.”

While Golden State has struggled to band together on the road, the Kings have performed incredibly well to earn their lead in the series. De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis have been extremely effective around the perimeter and down low, respectively, with Fox turning in a particularly strong 38-point performance in Game 1. Meanwhile, shooting guard Malik Monk has been a revelation for the team, scoring 50 points combined early in the series.

Since losing Steph Curry on Dec. 14 to a shoulder injury, the Golden State Warriors have lost three of four games, the last two coming in blowouts against the Knicks and Nets. The season to this point has been disappointing for the reigning NBA champions, but without Curry, it’s becoming abundantly clear that the team needs its star to have any chance of competing.

He won’t be available for weeks.

In Curry’s last game against the Pacers, the star point guard had 38 points in the third quarter before he injured his shoulder in an attempt to make a steal on defense. The Warriors continued to rally after he exited but failed to stop Indiana in the fourth quarter, losing 125-119.

The following day, head coach Steve Kerr announced that Curry would have to receive an MRI to determine the extent of his injury. The results were crushing, finding that he was nowhere close to playing and would require several weeks to recover.

At first, the team’s results without Curry were mixed. Though the 76ers were missing key contributors Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey on Dec. 16, they managed to lean on stars James Harden and Joel Embiid and pull away from Golden State in the third quarter to win 118-106. The Warriors recovered well two days later, however, as Jordan Poole’s 43-point performance helped them defeat a mediocre Raptors team 126-110.

The true extent of Curry’s absence has only begun to show in the team’s two most recent games. Against the Knicks on Dec. 20, Golden State was completely hapless from beginning to end in a 134-94. Five New York players scored 15 points or more while Klay Thompson only managed to score 11 on 12 shots. It was a rout in which the Knicks exploited their opponent’s defensive weaknesses while locking down compromised playmakers on the other end. The following night, the Nets took a turn.

This time, the Warriors were also without Thompson, who was held out of the game by Kerr after the Knicks loss. Even without Kyrie Irving, the Nets crushed them 143-113, scoring 91 points in the first half of an eye-watering rout. Golden State’s leading scorer was James Wiseman, a bench player who rarely appears for more than 20 minutes per game.

With a record drifting above and below .500 all season, the Warriors were treading water long before they lost Curry. A dayslong absence for their star guard would have been a decisive loss — a weekslong absence could very well end the team’s season. With Thompson and Poole at the helm, Golden State has no room for error for the foreseeable future.

Warriors star Steph Curry is scheduled to receive an MRI after sustaining a shoulder injury in a game against the Pacers Wednesday. His status going forward will depend on the results of the MRI, and missing time could be detrimental as Golden State attempts to recover from a slow start to the 2022-23 season.

Curry suffered the injury in the third quarter against Indiana when he tried to steal the ball from forward Jalen Smith on a Pacers fast break. The Golden State star had 38 points in the game when he exited. Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced the following day that Curry would require further medical tests before he could comment on his player’s status going forward.

“He’s gonna get an MRI tomorrow,” Kerr said. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow. I didn’t ask about [his level of pain], I just trust [the medical staff’s] judgment and they said he’s not going back in. I checked in with him briefly, but I haven’t had a chance to go into detail with him. His spirits were good. Steph’s always a guy with a great outlook on life so he was in good spirits. We’ll hope for the best.”

It’s still unclear if Curry will have to miss time because of the injury, but his potential absence would have a profound impact on the Warriors following a 14-15 start to the season. The defending champions have struggled to maintain form early on, and prolonged recovery periods for Curry have hurt the team in the past. Playing without him for most of the 2019-20 season, Golden State went 15-50 and missed the playoffs.

If Curry were to miss games, the Warriors’ offense would likely run through remaining contributors Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, established stars in their own right. The team’s success does seem to depend on its leader more often than not, however, making Curry’s status in the coming days extremely important to the organization.

Prior to the Golden State Warriors Western Conference Finals Game 4 matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, Steve Kerr addressed the media, but not regarding basketball. Earlier in the day, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a gunman killed 19 children and 2 adults, about 400 miles away from American Airlines Arena, the site of Game 4.

Kerr lamented the lack of action taken by legislators regarding the H.R. 8 bill, one that would tighten restrictions and implement background checks for guns purchased and transferred by private parties. The bill had passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but has yet to be brought to the U.S. Senate floor. Kerr has long been an advocate for gun control since childhood. His father was assassinated while serving as the president of the American University of Beirut when he was just 18. This incident caused Kerr to be an outspoken proponent of gun reform laws.

The 8x NBA Champion spoke directly to the Senate Minority Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers in his statement, pleading: “So I ask you: Mitch McConnell, I ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings. I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our churchgoers? Because that’s what it looks like. It’s what we do every week.”

The shooting in Uvalde, Texas was the third mass shooting in as many as two weeks. This comes after a gunman killed 10 black shoppers at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and after a gunman killed one and injured five others at a church in Laguna Woods, California. It also marks the deadliest shooting at a grade school since 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook elementary school nearly a decade ago.

Other figures around the league such as Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and Warriors guard Stephen Curry shared their sentiments and offered their condolences to the families affected. “As coaches, as fathers, we have kids, people in this room have kids, elementary school; you can just think about what could take place with any of your family or friends at a school,” Kidd said.

Kerr also remarked on his growing frustration at the inaction of lawmakers and the continued statements from politicians. Yelling and slamming his fists on the table he expressed, “I’m tired. I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I am so tired of the excuses, I am sorry, I am tired of the moments of silence. Enough!”

An on-court collision between Warriors uber star Steph Curry and Celtics guard Marcus Smart left Golden State without Curry for the game—which ended with a 110-88 decision in Boston’s favor—and head coach Steve Kerr fuming about his sharp-shooter’s injured foot.

The injury occurred as Smart dove for a loose ball and knocked into the two-time MVP’s leg.

“I thought Marcus dove into Steph,” Kerr said, “and that’s what I was upset about. A lot of respect for Marcus.

“He’s a hell of a player, a gamer, a competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game and we’re good. But I thought it was a dangerous play.”

“Me and Steve have a relationship from USA basketball, so he knows I’m never trying to hurt anybody,” Smart said. “I hate to see any injury. I hope Steph’s alright. I didn’t even see him, I just dove on the ball and tried to make a play. I’m really down right now about it. Unfortunately, sometimes, injuries happen. I’m sure I’m going to get called dirty. That’s their opinion.”

To add injury to, well, injury, Warriors F Moses Moody saw only nine minutes of play before sustaining a shoulder injury.

Andre Iguodala will return to the Golden State Warriors after two seasons with the Miami Heat.

Iguodala spent six seasons with the Warriors from 2013-2019 before being traded to the Heat. The forward was a crucial part of the Warriors dynasty, winning three championships in five finals appearances. Iguodala was named the NBA Finals MVP for their 2015 NBA Championship. Furthermore, he was a dependable wingman that could defend, score, and adapt whether in a starter role or as a bench player.

In 2018, he was traded to the Heat signing a two-year $30 million contract extension. In his two seasons with the Heat, he helped them in their 2020 NBA Finals run but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Last week, he declined the Heat’s $15 million team option in favor of returning to Golden State.

“Who would have thought I’d have the opportunity to go back to the place where I was able to have, whatever you want to call it, legacy years, in terms of the accomplishments, winning multiple championships, the relationships that I was able to build with some of my closest friends and teammates?” Iguodala told the New York Times on Friday.

“The relationship with the fans, the relationship with the Bay, the opportunity to end it here, was just something special, the forward said.”

Iguodala’s veteran presence, leadership and basketball IQ are the qualities that make him a respected player on the team and in the league. His basketball IQ was heavily praised by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who said that the veteran was one of the smartest players he’s ever coached.

The basketball veteran revealed that he pondered retirement after last season but realized that he still has some time left.

“Where I’m comfortable at is I can decide when I’m ready to go,” Iguodala told the Times. “I think I want to leave with just a little bit left. I don’t want to go out on one leg. I know I’ve got a few more years. It’s just my decision whether it’s one or two or three or whatever it may be. I shouldn’t even say three. One or two.”

The irony of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr complaining about his team’s lack of proper box outs and all around struggle to crash the glass effectively in Thursday night’s 126-114 loss to the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves, is quite hilarious. Was it not Kerr and the Hampton’s five, the lineup of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Igoudala, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green that pummeled the NBA into oblivion for two consecutive championships and almost a third, had it not been for injuries? They fundamentally altered the NBA, making the use of traditional centers almost obsolete. Curry himself has almost single-handedly destroyed the center’s position in the modern NBA, with his ability to destroy any big man in a five one switch on the pick and roll.

Kerr didn’t just come for his own team on Thursday night, he came for the entire league. “It signals to me a modern team,” Kerr said. “This is the modern NBA; guys don’t box out. It’s just the way it is. Every night on League Pass, I see the same thing. Players let guys come in from the weak side, and they think, ‘I’ll just get the rebound.’ It’s a disease that’s rampant in the NBA. The problem is, if you’re a real small team like us, then it’s going to hurt you more than it will hurt other teams.”

The Warriors are playing smaller than normal at this point in the season due to injuries and lack of proper team building. James Wiseman, the second overall pick and starting center, is sidelined for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus. Backup forward Eric Paschall, a key player on the glass for the reserves, has been on the injured reserve for quite some time as well. The backup is Kevon Looney, who stands at 6-foot-9, undersized for a center. Looney excels on defense and in his ability to switch on smaller players, not in rebounding. The Warriors appear to resemble most teams after a long period of dominance, older, worn out, and improperly constructed due to win-now moves that stripped them of future assets and potential.