Steve Kerr was clearly unhappy with ESPN’s First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith’s questioning of Stephen Curry‘s leadership. Draymond Green’s recent ejection after swinging a punch at Jusuf Nurkic has created much fervor around the Warriors addressing Green’s multiple cases of physical altercation against players.
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Though Kerr did not name SAS in his statement, he indirectly remarked Smith’s comments on Stephen Curry’s leadership as ‘disgusting.’ Coach Kerr reassured his belief in Curry, stating that Chef Curry has been an incredible leader for the Dubs for the longest time Kerr has been around with the team.
After hearing back from Kerr, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t having it from the Warriors head coach. Hitting back at Kerr, SAS fumingly replied on his ESPN show, “Steve Kerr didn’t mention me by name. I’ll mention Steve Kerr by name. I’m disgusted with him [Steve Kerr].”
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While SAS agrees that Stephen Curry is one of the best players in the league, he tries to highlight how the 4x champion can also make mistakes as a human being. In his explosive rant against the Warriors head coach, SAS said,
“We all fawn over Steph Curry. Why would you try to twist it like that? You trying to tell me that Steph Curry’s not a human being, that every single thing about him is absolutely positively perfect? That we can’t sit here while revering him and and respecting him and appreciating everything about him, we can’t sit here and simply say, ‘Yo, you of all people, you might be able to have an impact on Draymond Green.’”
SAS also tried comparing the situation with LeBron James, whom he believes would have been extremely criticized by the league and fans if he were in Curry’s situation. SAS highlighted that Stephen Curry has failed to provide a positive impact on Draymond Green despite being called a ‘good leader’ for the team.
To gather a quick jist, Stephen A. Smith was seemingly disgruntled over Steve Kerr and others in the league giving Curry a pass over failing to impact his teammates positively.
While it is tough to contest Smith’s stance in this regard, it is also quite understandable why Stephen Curry, for all of his accolades, is put on a higher pedestal than the rest of his NBA peers. Perhaps it is quite justified that a coach like Kerr would want to defend his star player, who has provided for the team on multiple occasions, both high and low.
Stephen A. Smith’s rant was centered around Draymond Green’s recent ejection
Stephen A. Smith’s rant centered on the recent Draymond Green drama engulfing the league. Green was ejected from the recent Suns vs. Warriors game after swinging a punch at the Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, receiving a flagrant 2 foul.
Green was immediately ejected from the game and later received an indefinite suspension, just a month after serving his five-game suspension for chokeholding Rudy Gobert.
Steve Kerr views this suspension of Draymond Green as an opportunity for self-improvement for the Warriors’ star. Kerr thinks Green can now take a step away and change his approach to life while away from the court.
In this venture, Kerr and the Warriors assured fans that the organization would provide all the necessary help to bring a positive and impactful change in Green when he returns to the league.
