Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors Head Coach)

Welcome to the TK Show with The Athletic Bay Area's editor-in-chief, Tim Kawakami.

Hey everybody, Tim Kawakami here at TK Show recording from Warriors headquarters. With Warriors coach, frequent podcaster these days. You're gonna get your own show, I know you are. Steve Kerr, coach of the Warriors, man about town. How you doing today, Steve?

I'm all right. I just tell— I just do whatever Raymond asks me to do.

Well, yeah, I mean, that's all we— that's all— that's all everybody. That's all any of us. Joe Lacob, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, what do you need me to do?

That's right.

Well, Steve, you got some injury updates I was listening to a little bit. We won't go through all of them, but you You guys all were saying before the season you knew it was going to be a tough season, you know, maybe the toughest because of all the buildup of games. You can't predict injuries, but is this about what you expected, that there would be a wear and tear that might show up like this this season?

I didn't expect this, you know. Up until a week or two ago, that's what I expected, you know, players to miss a game here and there, especially our key guys, our core guys. You know, KD, Steph, Draymond. But this is just out of the ordinary, everybody getting hurt at once. But it's part of it. You just have to be ready for anything. Every season is different for every team, not just us, because, you know, the run we've been on for a few years, really just every team is going to go through stuff and you handle it as it comes.

Kind of interesting for you. I mean, we always joke about you like playing your bench guys. So now you have to play your bench guys. I wouldn't say it's more fun for you, because you obviously want to play your MVPs and your Hall of Famers. But to kind of fill out the formula in a different way, Quinn Cook plugged in here. And we get McCaw back. He's got to plug in a different way. And Looney might play the 4 now. I mean, is it kind of interesting for you, for the coaching staff?

Hell, we had Looney at the 3 in the first 2 games.

And Looney at the 3. Come on.

Crazy.

That's not right.

But I like it because in some ways it forces guys to take on a different role. And sometimes it's good to get out of your little box, whatever you kind of box yourself in as a player. A lot of guys do that. Times like these, it's like, for example, Quinn Cook has to change the mentality of, I'm a 2-way guy, I got to move the ball on, take an open shot. To suddenly, I'm going to score the most points on the team. And you can literally see a switch that's flipped and the confidence gains as a result. Looney, same way. Like, he's making jumpers now.

Yep.

We went through—

Is this what you were telling us about all during, like, the preseason? Oh, look at Looney. Wow, Looney. We go, what is Kerr talking about? Is this the Looney that you guys were seeing in practice?

Yeah, he was making shots in camp. You know, there's a, there's a point in every player's career where you kind of have to take a leap of faith. Like, you work on something in practice every day and it may not translate to the game for a while, but at some point you have to take that leap of faith, meaning you got to shoot that shot that you haven't been shooting before. And I think what we're seeing with Loon is just natural evolution. He's finally healthy. He understands the game beautifully and We need him to shoot now because if he doesn't shoot the shot, we're not going to get a better one right now.

Yeah.

And now normally we would get a better one. We're not going to get a better one right now. So it's good for his development, good for JB to get extra time, good for Quinn. And it's, it's fun for me short term. I mean, nobody would want to do this all season because it would wear on you. But when you see the young guys develop as a result of the injuries, you, you understand and you recognize that this is actually a positive As long as it's just a short period of time.

No, just go into the playoffs. Let's try it a few playoff games at least. Well, I point to last year when you sat all those guys, the great controversy in San Antonio. And Ian, what, went for 30, whatever it was?

36, I think, yeah.

And it kind of changed who he was the rest of the season. Did you see that? Do you think this is something that might be developing right now with a few of these guys?

I think so. I mean, I think Pop really was the guy who first decided to rest people during the regular season in games that mattered, you know. And the result was the young guys on his team got better because they got more comfortable under pressure. So I think that's something that I think about. You know, I want to— I play everybody. I know that—

Oh, you do? I hadn't seen that. I hadn't thought about that.

Yeah, much to the chagrin of various fans, I guess. No, empowering everybody and making them feel— not only making them feel good about playing, but it's the only way to develop. The only way to see what a guy's got is to put him in a situation where we're saying, hey, we need you. We need you to win, help win this game. We're seeing what Quinn Cook is made of right now, and Looney, and that's great.

We've talked about it. I know you don't have to make a decision till the last regular season game, but is Quinn Cook in your mind, You know, without knowing what the injury situation would be, somebody who could make your playoff roster?

It's certainly a possibility. You know, you just never know how everything's going to play out. And the beauty of this situation is not only do we not have to make a decision till April, whatever it is, 11th, but we shouldn't make one until then. It doesn't even make sense to make one until then. And so we don't have to think about it. You guys can talk about it, but we just—

Oh, we will. We will.

I know you will. But you guys, you've been through this. So many things can Well, like last season. Like last season. Injuries to, you know, it may not be that Steph is injured, right? It may be somebody else gets injured, and, and that's— there's a domino effect to that. So you just have to wait and see who's healthy at the end of the year and then figure out what you need.

I guess just knowing that Steph has been a recurring thing this season, do you feel at all like, okay, even if he's healthy, maybe we need some insurance at that position?

For sure. For sure. I mean, that's a consideration. And because Steph has hurt his ankle 4 times, we have to think about that. But like I said, we don't really have to think about it until April 11th.

How much realistically is Houston on your mind right now? Because they're obsessed with you, I've heard. That's what I've heard.

I've heard that too. And they are, you know, they're going to wrap up the 1 seed and they've been dominant and they've earned every accolade they've gotten. So they're definitely on our minds. But like I've said repeatedly, so is OKC, you know, and so is San Antonio. And everybody presents a different challenge. I think what's interesting with Houston is they're presenting a different challenge from what we've ever seen in this league. They're playing a style that I don't—

They're different than you, right?

They're way different from us. They're the slowest team in the league, by the way. They're dead last in pace, which is not what you'd expect from a Mike D'Antoni team. But they've dialed in on this formula of iso, iso ball every time with Harden and Paul. They're both, you know, great at it, obviously. You got all these shooters everywhere, and they've had great success. So yeah, we got our eye on them, and I'm sure a lot of people do.

Does it change up the way you look at your— the way you defend them? But you've won 2 series against them. But that's before they had Chris Paul.

Yeah, it's different now. I think they've been evolving to this. You know, last year they played a similar style, but it was only Harden in the screening role every time. They didn't have Chris. So now they're, they're going back and forth between those 2 guys. They've gotten better defensively. They've added some good pieces. And so they look a lot like they did last year, but on steroids. You know, it's like even more so. The most interesting thing is the pace. You know, you never think of a Mike D'Antoni team as playing slow. And yet, from what I gather, I read a story yesterday, I think it said that since the All-Star break, they're 30th in pace in the league by far. And so they're literally just picking out the matchup they want, putting that person in a screen and roll, and then going iso. And what they're doing is tough to defend.

You know D'Antoni so well. Is he loving this, or is he like going, oh man, can't we play a little bit faster?

No, no, no, no.

Pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll.

Pick and roll and 3s. You know, that's really where Mike changed the league, the way the league kind of operated, you know, with his Phoenix teams, you know, putting Nash in every pick and roll and then downsizing. You know, Stoudemire went from a 4 to a 5, Marion went from a 3 to a 4, and then they just put shooters around Nash. So this is the way Mike has been evolving and helped the league evolve. The difference is that with those Phoenix teams, it was 7 seconds or less. They wanted to throw it up and get quick shots up. This team has figured out they want to find the matchup. Phoenix was never too worried about finding a matchup. Houston just wants to find the weak link and go at them.

You talk about the toll these long seasons on players, but we're seeing tolls on coaches. Tyronn Lue obviously had to step away. And he's— you've talked to him. Is, is there a growing stress on coaching? Because what, and why would you think there might be?

I don't think so personally, but, um, you know, for, for me with my situation, this was 100% related to my back surgery. Um, I can tell you my first year coaching here when I was fully healthy, I didn't feel much stress. I was having so much fun. Um, but everybody's different. Everyone's in a different circumstance too. Um, this team is so much fun to coach, and, and I don't feel a lot of stress with this group. But it's, you know, some coaches are coaching for their careers and they don't have enough talent, and, um, and then things happen. And maybe if you have a pre-existing condition, um, maybe the stress of the travel can exacerbate things. You know, that's kind of been the story that's come out with Ty. Yeah, that, you know, he hasn't been sleeping.

He hadn't been sleeping for a while.

And sleeping is so critical for all of us in our health and recovery. And I mean, it is a high-stress job, but I always look at it, you know, relative to what? Yeah, you know, it doesn't feel that stressful.

Sports writing. I mean, coming to compare it to sports writing, I mean, that's a whole other That's right. I will ask you, I mean, I know you don't love this topic, but how are you feeling? You look fine. You look good. I mean, I know it's always an issue at some point with you, but is it— have you figured out a way to deal with this?

I guess I'm doing fine. I'm not doing 100%. I'm not where I want to be, but I'm doing fine. And I love coaching and I love the interaction with the guys and the staff. And I look forward to this every day, and I envision doing this for a long time. But I want to feel better. I still want to feel better, and I still have some strides to make. And but it's frustrating, you know, going through this long-term. And so I'm dealing and constantly searching and trying to, trying to get better.

Can you at all compare what it was last year? You obviously had the aggravation in the playoffs. That's Cause you to go out. Are you feeling the same, or is it— could you predict something like that, that it's not going to happen this season?

I don't think I can predict anything, you know, and I don't think any of us can at this point. I mean, it's just, it's the nature of life. Who knows what the hell's coming tomorrow? But no, I mean, the fact that, you know, that I've been able to coach every game I've learned how to manage my symptoms. I've learned kind of how to get through, you know, the pain. So I'm doing better with it in terms of managing it. And like I said, I love, love coaching, love what I'm doing, and that's carrying me through a lot of this.

That's really resonated with me, even when I think I was talking to you when you were out, that this— you want to love— you love coaching more because of this. I was talking to Tolbert about this, like It's just, it maybe clarified it even more for you. And I said, I feel the same way about my job right now. I just could not imagine not doing this job.

No.

Is this in your mind? I mean, I know you love this job and you, once you took this job, you knew it was the job you wanted.

Yeah.

But has it even kind of, I mean, been defined to you even more going through this? This is it. This is the job that you're meant to do.

I love, I love coaching and I love the interaction. With the team, with the staff. I even enjoy the interaction with the media.

That's pretty, pretty amazing. Pretty— that took a while, I'm sure.

Took a while to get there. But no, this is great. And so like I've told you many times, I'm planning on doing this for a long time. But you never know. You never know how everything's gonna shake out.

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Well, you talk about the interaction with the media, and, you know, you started talking about the gun control on this podcast. Well, on a different format, but with me. And it was a surprise to me, but it came out so naturally. And obviously you've taken it to a The whole different steps, different levels. It just seems like you've understood your platform too. You figured out a comfort, you know, you're gonna come to the table and you're not gonna just say, I, whatever, you know, you're gonna have some things you want to say.

Sure.

Is that something you figured out along the way? When did you kind of— Donnie, wait a minute, I can talk about things like this because it's important to me, and if it's important to me, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say them.

I think it's just sort of happened, but I think Yeah. The circumstances the last couple years in our country have led to a lot of people being more comfortable speaking out and finding their voice. And I think you have to find your comfort level within your own job, within your own life, as far as, you know, how much you want to say, what you want to say. For me, it's about balancing the game. You know, this is my job, is coaching the team, and I don't want I don't want to come across as, you know, full-time activist, part-time coach. That's not what this is about. I want to come across as a Warriors coach who is a concerned citizen. And so I have a platform that I'm going to use, and I'm going to— the gun control issue is really— has become sort of my pet issue. And I finally feel like we have some momentum. Momentum with what these kids are doing in Parkland. They've been amazing. It feels like there's a movement going on. Feels like we can get something done, and I just want to do my part.

Can you imagine what it would feel like if you get just one legislative win on this, which has never happened?

Yeah.

I mean, do you see it like, okay, we get this and then we're gonna take another step, or do you just want to get the one win? You just want to get that assault rifle age limit, you know, whatever we're talking about? Well, I think you see a tide here like that, that you could— there could be a whole bunch of things.

I just see things happening as we go because the younger generation is demanding it. And this is historically what happens in our country with any movement. It doesn't start from 50-year-old white guys like me. We may be able to voice our concerns, but any movement starts with That's where the power is, right? That's where the power is. And the reason the power is there is because, number one, they're about to vote. That's the biggest thing. And what I've learned is that 1 out of every 5 people between 18 and 30 actually voted in the last election. 1 out of 5. But if a generation gets latched on to an issue that's important to them, you're gonna, you're gonna see that ratio go up. way up, you know. And if we can get it to 2 out of 5, 3 out of 5, 4 out of 5, and that's the issue they're voting on, then you're gonna see a bipartisan effort. And that's really the key, you know. You can't just— this cannot be a partisan issue where Democrats want gun control and Republicans don't. Because if it's a partisan issue, it's clearly just being funded by lobbying groups. Because we're not being represented by our government right now. I mean, you look at the numbers. I believe over 90% of Americans want universal background checks. But we're not being represented in our government by, you know, that number. And so this younger generation has the power to vote. They have the power of passion. They're less cynical. They haven't seen inactivity at the governmental level for so many years. And they believe they can change it. And I believe that they can too. Steve, you've been involved in politics for a long And time. there's a lot of things we need. There's no reason for anybody to own a semi-automatic weapon. There's no reason. And I've talked to police force members, I've talked to SWAT team members, I've talked to military members, and they all say the same thing. No way should a civilian have a semi-automatic, an AR-15. No way. No way should anybody own a bump stock. No way should we sell these magazines, these high-capacity magazines. So we got to work towards that, and the young people are doing just that. And common-sense gun laws are right there for us, but they'll only come when our representation reflects what the people want.

What do your kids— I mean, they're millennials, or they're young millennials, maybe not even millennials?

25, 23, and 20.

Yep. Are they—

Those aren't millennials. What's the term?

Centennials? Wow, I've never heard of that. That's like superheroes or something.

The people who bridge the gap around the turn of the century.

Are they 100% with you?

Oh yeah.

They're following all this? Yeah, that's the generation that will.

Yeah, and to me, this is the point. Like, there's, you know, half the people, roughly half of households are conservative, half are liberal. But what I, what I'm struck by is that the vast majority of kids aren't looking at this as a conservative versus liberal issue. They're looking at it from a sensible standpoint.

I don't want to get shot standpoint.

Yes, which is kind of sensible, unlike, unlike the so-called grown-ups who are running our country who are turning this into a partisan— it's not a partisan issue. It's I don't want to get shot. I don't want my friend to get shot. I don't want my brother, my sister, my mom or dad— I don't want them to get shot. So what can we do to keep them from getting shot? From that standpoint, it's actually pretty simple. The argument is already in the favor of the sensible people in this country, but the representation that we're getting doesn't reflect that. And that's what's about to change as this young generation becomes of voting age. They're gonna rally each each other. They're going to get people to the voting booth, and they're going to change the way Washington operates. I really believe that.

Well, moving on to slightly less serious topics, but you— I'm always interested, we're both always interested in pop culture and books and TV shows. You brought up The Crown, right? The Crown?

The Crown.

Love that show. That's your show. You've brought up a few.

Finished it though. It's 2 seasons. I've finished it, so I'm looking for the next one.

Uh, I want to say Mozart in the Jungle.

Oh really?

I just kind of Flipped on that one. It's different. It's not, it's not your World War II. I know you love the World War II stuff, but it's about artistry. It's about, you know, conducting in a symphony coming from another culture. Think you might like it. I loved it. I'm just soaked in it.

Yeah, and what's it on?

What channel? Uh, it's Netflix, right? I believe it's Netflix. Yeah, either Netflix or Amazon Prime. I'm pretty sure it's Netflix. Uh, but that one, I, I've really been absorbed in. It's just one of those where I just can't Like, I want every night, I want to watch another episode.

Mozart in the Jungle. Yeah, yeah, I remember that.

Uh, it's just kind of a literary kind of, you know, drama with some comedy about art, about people in a symphony in New York. Oh, cool.

Somebody mentioned, uh, Berlin Babylon. Babylon Berlin.

Yeah, I don't know that one.

I think it's Netflix. It's, uh, pre-World War II Germany, so it's sort of the lead-up to Hitler's rise. and the nationalism that led to, you know, that— because obviously before Hitler, the country was desperate, you know, the economy was awful and kind of led to this frenzy of nationalism. And so apparently that show deals with the lead-up into World War II. But what's—

World War II just fascinates you, you know, just the culture of it or the forces of it?

I think when I was in school I could relate to it where I couldn't relate to anything, you know, Revolutionary War, you know.

Civil War.

Civil War. And like World War II felt like I was alive for the remnants of World War II, and I would hear my parents talking about it, my grandparents, and I— so the fact that it was more relevant to me in my life connected me to it, and then I started reading a lot more about it. Herman Wouk's novels were great. Winds of War. World War II fiction I kind of latched on to. We talked about some of the books that we both read a couple years ago. All the Lights You Cannot See.

Yeah, that was a beautiful book. Beautiful book. Sad book though.

Very sad. Nightingale was another one. And so I just, I don't know, I'm fascinated by that era.

You know, You've been reading books? You got any books you want to talk about? Or you've been reading a lot of magazine stories, I think. You've been reading a lot of news stories.

Yeah, I have not actually read any books lately. I'm just kind of dialed in on the NBA.

Oh, you're watching that?

I'm reading, you know, I read all the NBA sites and I read a couple political sites. I read The Week. The Week is a really good It's a political site. It gives you kind of both perspectives. I try to read— sometimes I'll read Fox News just to try to get the other side of things. And I don't want to get too locked in on MSNBC or CNN.

Yeah.

So I'm definitely very passionate about what's going on politically these days and obviously in the sports world. And so that's consumed most of my reading is Well, let me ask you about college basketball.

You've had some thoughts on that. Obviously Arizona going through some things. Do you worry about the state of this? I mean, I wonder about the popularity of this sport going into the future. It just doesn't seem to have the same resonance that it had. And do you see that or do you think—

I don't. I think the NCAA tournament is the star, not the players. The format itself is the star. The old alma mater is the star. And I can tell you, I'm going to root for Arizona no matter who's playing for them. And I would root for them whether they have the first pick in the draft or they don't have any NBA guys. That's my school. And so I think college sports, college basketball is fine. The quality of play is not very good. You know, I watched a couple of games the other day and, oof, man, it was tough to watch.

Even the tournament games.

The tournament games, yeah. The UMBC-Kansas State game was a snoozer. But the format itself, the tournament is so exciting, so dramatic, so emotional that I think it will always be the star. And so to me, that should be in the thinking of the powers that be at the NCAA. It shouldn't be about the talent level.

Mm-hmm.

It should be about the old alma mater. And so what can we do to make it more above board so that schools are not having to kind of go to the depths that they're having to go to in the recruiting cycles? Because you can't tell me that all these college guys are— coaches are bad guys. They're not bad guys. You know, it's just the system has forced them into these difficult situations and decisions.

Absolutely.

So the NCAA and the NBA, need to reform the system and help the kids more and help the coaches to function in an above-the-ground level, above-board level, so that there's no mistaking what's going on. And that's obviously severely lacking.

You haven't— I don't think you've talked much about this, but do you think players should get paid?

I don't think the schools should pay them.

Name and likeness, image and likeness contracts?

I think the players should be free to make money away from the court. I think if Nike wants to pay somebody to go to school because it's their school, I think what's the harm in that? I think if somebody offers the player the right to do a commercial, if EA Sports says we want to do a college game and we want to provide the likeness or use the likeness of 5 players on each team, I think those Those players should be free to take some money from that. But the schools themselves, and this is where I think the NCAA really has a chance to do something, they should just come out and say, we're not going to pay the players.

Yeah.

Because we've got to cover 25 sports. We need football and basketball to cover volleyball and track and hockey or whatever. So this is our system and this is how we're going to do it. We're going to provide room and board. And tuition and tutoring and, you know, this is what we're providing, but we're not paying the players. But we're going to let other people pay them. And that's a little bit like the Olympic model, you know.

Yeah.

Because the vast majority of these basketball players and football players aren't actually going to be able to make a lot of money off the court. But those that can, they should absolutely be allowed to. And if players don't want to subject themselves to the game, the NCAA game, in the basketball world, then we're getting to the point now where we can support them in the G League.

Yeah.

We can do a better job in the NBA of either drafting them right away and sending them to the minor leagues, or maybe you draft them and you keep their rights for a year. I mean, there's all kinds of things we can do to help. kids who don't want to go to school, but then maybe the kids who do go to school have to stay for a couple years, you know, eliminate one-and-done. And I know it's not a perfect system, but it would be above the board, and you'd eliminate a lot of the BS that exists right now that everyone is sticking their heads in the sand on.

And the FBI is investigating.

Yeah.

Which always is a little bit problematic. You're always asking me about 49ers and the situation in the NFL. What are you thinking about? You know Shanahan just a little bit, I think. You've met him?

I have not met Kyle.

Oh no, you know Dan Quinn.

Yeah, I know Dan Quinn and I've met John Lynch.

John and I— Oh, that's right, San Diego.

San Diego. We connect down there sometimes and I'm really a big fan of what they're doing and I love the process that they're going through. I think this draft is going to be fascinating to see what they do. Is there a chance— where do they pick, 9th?

9th.

Is there a chance one of those Quarterbacks falls, and if he does, do they trade down and get more depth or whatever? But, uh, I'm fascinated by the NFL Draft, and this year of all years is just incredible to see the maneuvering and where all these quarterbacks go.

Are you a Rosen guy or a Darnold guy?

Uh, I, I, I had to think for a second there, like, am I going to get fined by the league for talking about an underclassman? I think I'm okay. Uh, I'm a Rosen guy.

Okay.

And I loved Darnold's competitive spirit at SC. The guy's a flat-out winner. But from my untrained eye, I don't know that he's accurate enough.

Well, yeah, he hadn't been in college.

It seems like everything in the NFL is about accuracy. You know, can you move in the pocket? Yeah, he's great at moving in the pocket, but you got to be so accurate at that level. And it seems to me like Rosen is the more accurate passer, but what the hell do I know?

I know you're someone who's watching it. It's interesting to me, and I've gotten criticized a little bit for this because I've been so critical of them, and now I am praising the 49ers in many regards. But the Lynch-Shanahan regime kind of reminds me of you guys these days. Not the talent level, not— but they think ahead. They're not the reactionary team that they used to be. And frankly, the way the Warriors used to be too, before this current administration.

Yeah.

They're looking ahead.

They're looking Don't you think that every organization has to get to that point too? Like, like, it's easy to say, well, you know, whether it's the Niners or anybody else, like, a few years ago should have been more visionary. But, you know, when you think about where they were under Harbaugh, you know, they make the Super Bowl, they get to the NFC Championship a couple other times. Like, there almost needs to be a period where you have to wean yourself off of that vision. of that success where your fan base— I don't think anybody's ready to go full into rebuilding mode the next year after you've been in the playoffs or whatever. Sometimes you have to step away from it for a couple years and get to the point where the vision becomes clearer of, okay, it's time. And I think that's what Kyle and John are taking advantage of, is that the separation from the Harbaugh years, the fans saw it. It was like, oh my God, this is, you know, something has to happen. So it gave them the leeway to kind of rebuild.

And they took it. They've taken strong advantage of it.

Yeah.

And they've done it in a year and a half when it was supposed to be a 3-year deal. But you still have to have the imagination.

Somebody told me when I was thinking about getting into coaching, actually multiple people said everything is about when you take a job, you know. And I'm sure Kyle would tell you he's much better off taking over the team that he inherited this year than he would have been replacing Harbaugh.

Yep.

You don't want to replace the guy who just had wild success, and you want to come in at a time when the team is primed, either with picks or emotionally, like where everybody sort of accepted the fact that, all right, it's, you know, rebuild time. That's when you want to come in. And I think that's what's really kind of fun to watch with the Niners is that all this stuff makes sense.

Everything, the people and the circumstances all make sense, and it looks like they've got a good You might want to take over a team that won 51 games the year before and has Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Exactly.

That's a pretty good time to—

It's a really good, really good setup.

Whoever took that job—

He knew what he was doing.

He was no dummy. I'm going to ask you one more basketball question I forgot to ask you. When you do talk about looking ahead and advanced planning, obviously everything's about winning the title this year. What can you do? But the way this— you talk about 4 years of this system with these players. At some point in here, they go, okay, down the road, maybe we have to tinker on what we do at this— the way you play, the kind of the composition of the roster.

For sure. For sure.

Like, I mean, and are we talking in a major way?

Yes, but not as long as we have the group we have now. You think about the strengths of Steph, Klay, KD, Draymond. It fits perfectly with what we do, the ball movement. Draymond handling the ball with shooters everywhere, that's hard to guard, you know, but there's gonna come a time where the talent is different, you know. We already have morphed a little bit if you think about it, you know, we, we don't have the same number of low post touches, you know, that we used to get with Bogut, David Lee, you know, we've become a little more perimeter Perimeter-oriented, um, and that's fine because it reflects what we do. We have Javell much more in a diving situation, a lob threat. We're not gonna throw the ball into the post to him. So we, we make subtle changes all the time, but as long as our core group involves the 4 guys I just mentioned, Andre, Sean, uh, we're gonna play to their strengths, which is ball movement, uh, multiple playmakers, multiple shooters, and, uh, playing with a lot of pace. That's a no-brainer to me.

Would the, would the big piece into the future be a center who can score? Which you have not had.

How many, how many teams in the league have that? And if you get one who can score, he's more than likely going to be, you know, minimum $15 million, maybe a max, which means the whole composition of your roster is going to change because you can't have, you know—

Well, you're going to be paying some other guys too on this term.

Yeah, so we'll just see how it goes. But I do know, and I've been thinking a lot about it, you know, um, you know, Pop, as you know, is the guy I look to. He has morphed from the beginning of his Spurs tenure to now. There's been 4 or 5 different iterations of the Spurs. The Twin Towers with Duncan Robinson, uh, the Duncan sole star, like everything revolves around him, the Duncan waning years where it became more Ginobili, Parker, ball movement. That 2014 team was to me the most beautiful basketball I've ever seen. Look at them now, they look nothing like that. It's all iso for Aldridge because that's what their personnel dictates. And so I think about that a lot. As a coach, you have to adapt to your talent and you may have to change systems, but you got to recognize when that change has to come. I know.

You're winning a lot of games right now. So although you've lost way more this season than you ever have, so I don't know.

It's true.

I'd have to evaluate you on that.

We're floundering.

All right, listen, I've taken plenty of your time. As always, just wonderful talking to you. Thank you for coming on. We've had some loudness going on with some other event on the basketball court, but we got through it. And thank you very much, Steve.

Appreciate it. You got to focus. You got to lock in, Tim. That's what it's about.

I don't think I lost it.

Playthrough distraction.

I just get easily distracted. Easily distracted, and then I see some butterfly flying around.

Keep working on it. Keep working on it.

With good coaching, I'll be able to do it.

That's right.

All right.

Thanks, everybody. Steve Kerr.