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00:00Coach Kerr time, so let's do it. Presented by Great Clips. In sports, success is about team
00:05effort and the same is true for your hair. Great Clips. It's going to be great. Hey coach,
00:09how are you tonight? I'm doing well. How are you guys? We're great. Who knew basketball was this
00:14easy, huh? Yeah, things have changed for sure. I mean, how would you put things have changed
00:24into further words? Because I'm sure this goes beyond the X's and O's.
00:30Well, I mean, I think it starts with the X's and O's. Not in terms of, you know, schemes,
00:39but just in terms of, you know, great players making the game easier on everybody else. And
00:45that's what Jimmy is doing right now. He's simplifying the game for everybody and he's
00:52getting us easier shots and our defense has been really good. And as a result, you know,
00:59we've got more confidence, more momentum. It just, it feels right. It feels like things are clicking.
01:06What has surprised you the most about seeing Jimmy and coaching him and getting to know him?
01:10Because you mentioned earlier how you'd never met him. What's the one thing that's kind of
01:13struck you about Jimmy Butler? Well, I think you have to really see him every day to appreciate
01:20his game because he's not your traditional superstar who's, you know, lighting it up from
01:28three or wowing you with highlights. It's really just the efficiency of his game. He's incredibly
01:37sound fundamentally. He's a great passer. He understands how to get to the foul line. He's
01:44really, really strong. And so he gets, he gets people to have to guard him. And then it just
01:51creates a lot of opportunities for you know, not for himself, but also for his teammates.
01:58I love his passing. I just feel like every time he puts a ball on the floor and pivots and makes
02:02a pass, it's not spectacular, but it just makes the game flow. And that's exactly what this team
02:09needs. We've always been at our best with, with high IQ guys around Steph and Draymond. And
02:16that's what I'm seeing with Jimmy. Coach Kerr with us, Willard and Dibbs. Steve, I wonder about
02:21this because you guys loved Andrew Wiggins so much. That experience obviously beared a lot of
02:27fruit, but his personality seems a little bit more beta, obviously, especially when compared to Jimmy.
02:35So I wonder sort of how you look at that now about sort of like losing that kind of
02:42personality and injecting an alpha into the room and how that may have helped.
02:48I don't really like to compare Wiggs and Jimmy. I think, I think the, you know, the, the whole
02:55thing is really circumstantial. You know, Wiggs was fantastic. Obviously it was one of the keys
03:01to the 22 championship, played such a big role on our team, but our team has changed and shifted.
03:09And, you know, you could tell before the trade that we just weren't quite getting anywhere. We
03:15were kind of treading water right around 500 all year. And so I think the timing was right more
03:22than anything for, for Jimmy to come in here. He's a very different player from Wiggs and both guys
03:27are amazing competitors, teammates, you know, all around players, you know, the size, the
03:36athleticism, the versatility, but it's a, it's a different feel with Jimmy. He's a different kind
03:43of player. And I think where we are right now, compared to a few years ago, we just, we needed,
03:49we needed this kind of player. And that's why we made the deal.
03:52I'm particularly struck by what he's meant or seemingly meant to Moses Moody and Brandon
03:57Podjemski. Can you put into words how much their game has been elevated because of Jimmy Butler's
04:03presence? Well, I think part of it was that it was a four for one trade. And so it really
04:09clarified roles and rotation kind of who our top seven or eight guys are. I think that was frankly,
04:16very cloudy for most of the year where we had a lot of depth, incredible depth, but not much
04:23separation. And I think we have more separation now. We know kind of who our top seven or eight
04:29guys are. And then we've got really good role players behind that group and Moses and, and,
04:36and BP are part of our top seven or eight, clearly both starting now. And both are much better
04:45playing with Jimmy because Jimmy makes them so much better, makes everybody get better.
04:49He makes the game easier. So it's been fun to watch both BP and Moses really, really blossom
04:54here the last couple of weeks. Steve, maybe this is just a random stat, but I guess you guys are
04:59nine and oh, when Moses Moody starts, is there something to that? Well, we're not, we're we're
05:06nine and oh, when he starts, we're also something like a 15 and one when buddy gets about, you know,
05:1218 or 19 points or more, there are certain markers that you, that you look at. And, and
05:21I feel right now, like the way BP and Moses are playing, you know, if, if, if those two and buddy
05:31can, can give us that secondary scoring that we need after Steph and, and Jimmy,
05:38we're going to be tough to beat. And so it's really nice just seeing them blossom and seeing
05:43all three of them in good, comfortable roles. You know, buddy has settled into the six man
05:48role really well. And I think Moses is a great fit next to our other four starters,
05:54because all four of those guys are playmakers and he's able to kind of camp on the perimeter and,
06:00and, you know, take his open looks, play hard, like he always does compete defensively.
06:05Uh, so it's, it's, uh, I've enjoyed watching Moses play the last couple of weeks. He's
06:10really coming around. Uh, coach, there are things in the Western conference that have
06:14twisted your way a little bit, and you're already starting to fire up the standings.
06:18You've stated that the goal is the six seed. Is it still, or, or has the goal maybe now
06:25gone even higher? No, I think the goal is six. Um, I mean, obviously we'll, we'll,
06:32we'll go as high as we can. We just want to win games and see what happens. But,
06:38uh, I think the goal is six, uh, just, just so we get out of the play and, you know,
06:43we don't want to mess around with that. Um, we've, we've been in it twice. We have not advanced
06:48either time. Um, you know, you just don't want to leave anything up to chance. So, um, whether
06:53we're, you know, six or even higher, it doesn't matter to me as long as we, um, try to get out
06:59of that play and that would be ideal. Uh, only 16 and a half back at OKC and you do have the tie
07:04breaker over them, coach. Just, uh, there we go. While we're, while we're talking like this,
07:10you know, you've won five of six, just want to keep you, uh, in mind with, with the math. Uh,
07:15I know you're big on three man combinations and I, you've got me thinking about that as well.
07:20When you look at Jimmy Butler and you look through six games, who are the two players
07:24outside of Steph and Draymond, obviously, but who does he thrive with on your team in those combos?
07:29Well, I'm going to mention Draymond because the, uh, the Steph, I mean, I'm sorry, the, the Jimmy
07:36BP Draymond, uh, trio has been amazing, like off the charts defensively. And so we're trying to
07:46put those guys together as often as possible. Obviously they start, but, uh, biggest thing for
07:51me is the three of them together. When Steph goes to the bench, uh, they have been really,
07:56really effective and, um, it's a good combination. Three smart, tough, high IQ guys together.
08:04And, uh, that's been really fun to watch that, that group play.
08:08Steve, what is the update on how Jonathan Kaminga has looked in practice? And, and,
08:13and is there any more of a, uh, a window into what you might be doing with him on this upcoming
08:18road trip? Well, he scrimmaged today, um, for the second time. Um, but the first one was just
08:26half court today was his first full court scrimmage and he looked good. He's moving well.
08:31Um, his conditioning, uh, is, is coming and he's done a lot of hard work to try to
08:37stay in shape, but there's nothing like playing full court. So, uh, he needs more of those
08:42scrimmages. Um, unfortunately we don't really have any, uh, scrimmage time with our, our regulars
08:49coming up with all the games we have. So JK will go on the trip with us and, uh, we will have,
08:56uh, you know, scrimmages involving coaches and, um, you know, some of the younger guys who don't
09:01play as much and we'll get JK as much time as he needs. And whenever he's ready, he's ready,
09:07but he looked, he looked good today, came out of it pretty well. I talked to him afterwards. He was,
09:12he was feeling good. Uh, so, uh, you know, everything's coming along as, as we had hoped
09:18so far. When he does come back, would you anticipate slotting him mainly at the four?
09:23And if so, what does that do to Moses Moody and what he's been able to do at that spot?
09:29Yeah, it's just too hard to, to try to predict, you know, where we'll be,
09:33you know, once, uh, once JK comes back and, uh, you know, I, I, I love the starting group right
09:41now. We're in a good groove. Um, hopefully we're healthy when JK comes back, we don't have any
09:46other, uh, injuries or anything, but, um, you know, until, until that time comes, I don't spend
09:52a whole lot of time worrying about, uh, you know, how we're going to play it, who's coming off the
09:57bench, all that stuff. We just got to keep going one game at a time. Steve, I made the comment,
10:02and this is just as a fan and an observer, but I made the comment earlier that the non-staff minutes
10:08haven't felt this confident, uh, maybe even since Kevin Durant left, is that an overstatement or
10:16how are you feeling about those minutes right now with Jimmy out there? Well, I wouldn't
10:21undersell Chris Paul last year. I mean, when we had Chris, that was the most confident I ever felt.
10:33A playoff team, you know, when we had Kevin Durant and we were loaded and we were winning
10:40championships, you know, we've, we've found ways to survive those minutes and we did it with
10:45defense. Um, we, uh, you know, we'd have Clay and Draymond out there, David West, you know, guys
10:52like that. And, and we would grind games out, but this is, this is probably, uh, the best I've felt
11:01on just terms in terms of our, our ability to put a really good two way lineup on the floor,
11:06you know, when Steph is off, uh, because Jimmy has that kind of an impact at both ends where
11:12you feel like you can, you can get soft, but you can also get to the line and slow the game down
11:17if you need to. And he's through six games, Jimmy has made a dramatic impact in that regard.
11:25And offensively coach, he's only turned it over six times in those six games. What is it about
11:30the way he approaches offense that makes it so you guys don't just give the ball up very often
11:36when he's out there? Well, he's an old school player in that he understands the value of the
11:42ball. He understands footwork. Uh, he, you know, we, we always use this expression, play off two
11:48feet, which means, you know, you're making jump stops and pivots kind of old school
11:54two feet. And, um, he never gets in a rush. He plays at his own pace. So, um, because he takes
12:00care of the ball so well, because he gets to the line, the game is just much more under control.
12:06We don't give up the easy stuff at the other end and transition. We set up our defense every time
12:11he goes to the free throw line and the other team has to play on the half court. He gets us easy
12:17baskets, um, you know, in the paint that we weren't getting before. So it's, uh, it, it, it,
12:24it's the total package with, with Jimmy that impacts the game, not in a spectacular way,
12:30but in incredibly efficient way. Steve Kerr, head coach dubs with us, Willard and dibs 95,
12:37seven, the game as he is every single week. Hey, Steve, what'd you think of the Andre
12:41Guadagnole ceremony yesterday? Oh, I thought it was awesome. I thought, uh, organizationally,
12:47I was very proud of, of our, our, uh, business operations, the way they put together, uh,
12:55in the afternoon, I thought it was perfect to do on a 1230 game because all of the fans
13:00seemingly stuck around, you know, nobody was dying to get home and get to sleep. So, uh,
13:06it was a beautiful ceremony, a lot of great tributes on, on video. And then of course,
13:10seeing Andre and his family, uh, there, and, and, uh, I thought his words were perfect.
13:16I thought Andre hit all the right notes. He thanked so many people behind the scenes,
13:22which was just awesome because they deserve it. And, uh, I loved what he said about the
13:28organization, about how many good people we have with the warriors. And I 100% agree with that.
13:35This is as good a group of people as you can find in sports. And every, every person that our players
13:43run into every single day, so committed to winning so committed to a high quality service.
13:52Dignity. It's really a wonderful group of people. And I was thrilled that Andre pointed that out
13:59in his speech, but it was a great day for, for the, for the organization.
14:03For sure. Steve, it was, I mean, Bob Myers was hilarious, kind of talking about your decision
14:08to bring Iguodala off the bench. And when you presented that to them, they kind of thought
14:13you were crazy and they were questioning hiring you. Like, can you take us back to those conversations
14:19and that decision and what kind of led you there? Well, watching tape of the team over the summer,
14:27it just jumped out at me that, um, you know, we needed to solidify the second unit. And then
14:33Andre was such a connector as a player, just such a dynamic, uh, much like Jimmy, you know,
14:40in terms of being fundamentally sound, but athletic and, and able to, uh, to make an
14:46impact on teammates, make teammates better. And, um, so it jumped off the screen to me that,
14:52you know, Harrison Barnes should start, um, he'll be better off with starters.
14:56And then we solidify the bench with Andre and, um, it seemed like the right time to do it, but,
15:03um, I don't know. I was a little nervous about it just because Andre had never come off the bench.
15:09And, uh, as I mentioned in my, my words, you know, I was, I felt better about things
15:15because of our connection to coach Olson at U of A and our shared experience learning the game
15:22under him. You know, we, we shared a vision for how the game is supposed to be played. And, um,
15:28and I think I, I tried to appeal to Andre, uh, in that regard. And I think, I think that helped.
15:35Um, and, and I think, you know, he, he told me later it was the right time in his career to do
15:42that too. And I think that's a big part of things, you know, circumstantially with, with teams where,
15:47you know, timing is everything. And he was, uh, he was really ready to, to win at a high level.
15:53And he wanted to do, you know, anything possible to win. And he understood that that was the
15:58sacrifice to, to make. Does that experience make it easier for you to have to have a conversation
16:05if it's Jonathan coming or if it's somebody else that you have to approach and if they want to
16:10start and you think it's in the best interest for them to come off the bench, does the muscle
16:14memory of having done it with somebody like Andre make it easier for you to have these conversations?
16:21Yeah, I can always use Andre as an example. Um, you know, here's a guy who'd been an all-star
16:26and had never come off the bench entire career and he willingly did it and we won the championship
16:31and he was finals MVP. I mean, it's a storybook ending, um, and, and validation that when you
16:38really do commit to the team and you sacrifice that it's not just good for the team, but it can
16:44be great individually too. And, and so I have used that as an example, I've used Andre as an example
16:51to our younger players. And, uh, as I mentioned yesterday and, you know, having him around over
16:56the years, even, even at the tail end of his career, um, to mentor our younger guys was huge.
17:03So yeah, his impact on this organization, uh, was, um, profound and that's, that's why we retired
17:10as Jersey, obviously. Uh, and also speaking of that season and the, uh, the 2015 championship,
17:16uh, those guys are, are being honored in tomorrow night's game when you guys host Charlotte,
17:21when you look back on that specific championship, what really stands out to you?
17:27I think just how unexpected it was, you know, we, we knew we had a really good young talented team,
17:34but, um, normally in the NBA, you've got to go through a lot of pain before you win a championship.
17:41And, you know, I think we knew we had a shot, but when it happened, it almost felt surreal.
17:48Like we had skipped a couple of steps and, uh, it was an amazing feeling, uh, to see all those
17:55young guys, you know, celebrating on the floor in Cleveland and, and, uh, to realize what we
18:00had accomplished. Um, yeah, I mean, I'll never forget that season and that team. It was an
18:07amazing group of guys. Even when you go 67 and 15 in the regular year, did you still have some
18:12doubts that you could go out there and get the 16 needed in the post-season? Oh, hell yeah.
18:20You know, you're terrified at that point when you have such a great season and you realize
18:24yeah, you have a shot. You're just thinking about all the things that could go wrong.
18:27I remember that year, Oklahoma city, um, had, had struggled and Kevin Durant missed much of the year
18:34and he was coming back, uh, late in the season and it was looking like they were going to be the
18:39eight seat. And all I could think about was we were going to win 67 games. We're going to have
18:44to play against Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This is not fair. And, uh, I just remember being,
18:51you know, being really scared that, uh, man, I just hope we don't get injured. I hope we don't
18:56get the wrong matchup with whatever it is. And, uh, but that's all, that's all part of it. You
19:01know, it's, uh, you gotta win four rounds and there's a, I always tell the guys, there's a
19:06reason you pour champagne on each other at the end. It's really hard, no matter how you slice it.
19:11And, uh, I was thrilled, but also very relieved when we, uh, when we got through. Well, coach,
19:19as Andre said yesterday, none of this happens without Steph. And, and I wonder what your
19:24observations are with regard to him right now. I think to a lot of us, the, these games suddenly,
19:31they, they certainly feel like meaningful basketball. He looks like there's a new life
19:37rejuvenated, maybe a weight off of his shoulders, the joy, the fire, like, I mean, it's all always
19:44been there, but it really feels boosted. What, what do you see in him right now?
19:50Yeah, I see the same thing. And I think, uh, he has expressed that, um, many times to the media.
19:56He just wants to play meaningful basketball. And, uh, I love that. I think it's a great
20:01phrase because it's humble, uh, but it's also hopeful and, and he's basically telling everybody
20:08that, you know, give us a chance if we have a shot, um, and we're gonna make the most of it.
20:14And I think, I think the trade has given us a chance and Steph feels that our fans feel it.
20:20We needed to shake up. Um, it was a right deal at the right time. Jimmy just happened to be
20:26available and, um, and Mike Gunleavy did a great job of, of making it happen. So,
20:32yeah, we're, we're in a good place, but a lot of stuff has to happen for us. We've got to stay
20:37healthy. You know, we've got to win, win some games and put ourselves in good position. And,
20:43uh, we like where we're heading, but, um, not getting ahead of ourselves either.
20:48Yeah, for sure. Are you scoreboard watching yet? Or is it too early?
20:52Every day.
20:53Okay. All right. The, uh, the, the Clippers are down to at half in Detroit, just so you know.
20:59Oh, trust me. I've been watching.
21:01Okay. You know,
21:04all right, coach multitasking.
21:06Yeah. We'll, uh, we'll, we'll talk to you next week. Thank you. As always.
21:09Sounds great. All right. Thanks guys. Have a good one.
21:13That's Steve Kerr. He coaches the Warriors.