The Golden State warriors drubbed the Chicago Bulls on November 24, but head coach Steve Kerr is one unhappy man. After the game, Kerr spoke about a recent decision that could sideline one of their superstars.
In the Warriors' 143-94 victory over the Bulls, they missed the services of Kevin Durant. The former MVP is nursing a left ankle injury (sprain), which he aggravated in their loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 22. Following their outing against the Bulls, Kerr discussed the decision to play Durant versus the Thunder. According to him, they thought Durant was okay ahead of the contest.
Unfortunately, he "got sore afterwards." Now, it remains uncertain if the second-leading scorer of the Warriors is capable of seeing action when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on November 25. Kerr then continued speaking and threw shade towards the NBA.
"I'm sure the league is happy with us because we played him on their 'marquee' game with [Russell Westbrook] and all that stuff, but he came out sore the next day, so we shouldn't have played him," Kerr stated per ESPN. In the 2016-17 season, the Warriors were among the NBA squads that drew flak for resting their star players in some regular season games. This strategy caught the attention of the NBA. A couple of months back, the league passed a new rule limiting the rest players can have.
Replacing KD
Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors have the luxury of a deep roster. That is why if Kevin Durant needs to sit out, they remain a formidable unit. In their lopsided performance when they met the Chicago Bulls, it was Omri Casspi who replaced Durant in the starting lineup.
Meanwhile, the Splash Brothers of the Warriors stepped up on the offensive end to make up for the 24 points they missed with Durant on the sideline.
Stephen Curry exploded for a game-high 33 points, 26 of which he scored in the second quarter. Klay Thompson, on the other hand, dropped 29 points on the lowly Bulls.
Draymond Green out too
Kevin Durant was not the only All-Star on the shelf for the Golden State Warriors in the home win. Coach Steve Kerr rested Draymond Green as well.
ESPN reported that Green's absence is part of his resting plan for the season. Kerr revealed that because of Green's style of play, they want to grant him breaks this season. The 27-year-old is known for his physicality and hustle, attributes that earned him the Defensive Player of the Year Award last season.
