Steve Kerr is the coach for the Golden State Warriors and three time NBA champion as a coach. He sat down with Jon Stewart on his podcast The Problem With Jon Stewart which I strongly suggest that you listen to. Kerr is a wonderful coach and a good human being, even if he did play for the Bulls when they beat my beloved Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA finals.
I wanted to put a few quotes here from the interview because I think they reflect a lot of what we Arsenal supporters have been talking about the last few years when it comes to Arsenal and I think he offers a different perspective on what it means to be a coach. I know that the NBA is different because the teams are smaller, the court is smaller, and the game is faster. But in the end it’s a sport and sports share similarities even when they are very different. The elite athletes and coaches often do things the same way across different sports.
One quick example that I’ve always loved is Gregg Popovich. He went on record once saying that he doesn’t change his approach to the game based on the opponent. That he has enough things he wants his team to work on for themselves that he doesn’t have time to work on stopping his opponent. This struck me as a very Wenger approach to coaching. We know that Wenger very rarely had a “plan b” – much to my own personal ire and to his very public downfall (his 1000th game) – and that he was much more interested in getting his team to execute his plans. I’m not saying this is the best approach. I’m merely saying that the two coaches – both very successful – had a similar approach to coaching.
Anyway, here are the Steve Kerr quotes. Some of you will like some, some of you will not like some but I think they are all interesting.
“Your talent is everything in coaching.”
Asked about turning down the Knicks job he repeated “We are all dependent on our talent as coaches. And the Warriors were already good. They were a 50-win team and they had all this young talent. So, if I’d taken the Knicks job I would have been spun through that cycle and been gone in two years, guaranteed.”
Asked how much sway a coach has in basketball (because there are so few players), “You have to walk a fine line, being a coach in the NBA these days. And you have to, this is what Phil (Jackson, former Bulls coach) was really good at and Gregg Popovich was great at too: people have to know you’re in charge, the players have to feel that, they have to respect that, but they have to feel that you’re collaborating with them. Moreso now than ever. But even back then, Phil and MJ (that’s Michael Jordan) were collaborators. You know, Phil would lead the team with Michael and he would empower people, would put his foot down when he had to, he was an amazing communicator, so there was this feeling that “all right we’re doing this together” and that’s how I tried to coach the Warriors. It’s a collaboration with Steph (Curry) and Draymond (Green). Andre Iguodala – I seek his advice almost daily.
But you can’t appear weak either. You can’t appear like you don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s an interesting balance. But I give them a ton of freedom. Because first of all, Basketball is a game of improvisation. Collaborative improvisation if that makes sense, and it’s a game of joy!* And that’s where I think we have really gotten it right with the Warriors, there’s this sense of joy with our fans, with Steph, with our team. And if you reach this sort of ‘flow-state’ where things are going well and pace (note: he means pace in the actual way that pace is meant, not to mean “running really fast” like you Brits) is happening and everybody is going crazy, it’s beautiful.”
Asked if he considers himself management or one of the guys he says “It’s somewhere in between one of the guys and management. We try to create a culture where everybody feels like they matter, not just on the court. We try to celebrate people’s individual achievements but also things going on in their personal life. You really try to get to know your players on a deeper level and again that’s something that Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich were the best at, in my mind. Because if you really know someone and you trust them it’s a lot easier to work together through the inevitably difficult periods.”
Asked about being a white guy in a predominantly black sport he had an impressive answer which matches my own philosophy “I just interact with every player on a really personal level and connect with that player. And that’s what I try to do with our guys and that breaks down a lot of walls for sure but then you also have to have the awareness – as a white guy in a black man’s game – that you don’t know how these guys feel in certain circumstances. And so, being aware of that, you know if you try to pretend like you know everything, they’ll see right through that. But if you admit to your frailties, to your different perspective that you have growing up as a white person and you actually talk about all of those things? Then the walls start to come down. And that’s the beauty of sports, really. You get people from all over the world collaborating and coming together and playing.
But I will say that when the George Floyd murder happened and the social justice march really began that was a real reckoning for me as someone who thought I knew more than I did about black life. I’ve played since jr. High with mostly black teammates and so my thought was always “oh I think I understand black life”. And then George Floyd hits and I realize I need to start reading. I need to start learning. And I spent all last year reading a ton of great books, you know The New Jim Crow, Caste**, books like that. Because white people, this is must-read stuff. Because there’s nuanced stuff in there that you’d never think. For example, the idea that a black parent has to treat his child in a much more aggressive manner in order to protect that child from what’s out there. My heart just sort of dropped thinking about that as a father of three. You know a police car would drive by our house and I didn’t think anything of it. And then all of the sudden when you really start looking into things and start learning and reading and hearing stories. It’s like man, I was really ignorant.”
They have a great conversation about race and what he’s doing as a coach to address this. Kerr speaks about how the Warriors do community outreach and how they have speakers come in and talk to the team so that they can learn different perspectives.
On social media, he tells the story about how the players get death threats when they miss a 3 pointer but also added this gem, “I do know that when I come in at half time, every player is on their phone.” Jon Stewart is incredulous “AT HALF TIME?? So, when do they do the orange slices?”
“As soon as I walk in, they generally, put the phones down. I’ve talked to my fellow coaches, this is league wide. And by the way, in 2021 if you tried to be the coach like “NO PHONES IN THE LOCKER ROOM” on game night, you’re not going to stick around. You’re done. You don’t even bother going down that path. So, you try to use humor. You know, walk in and “hey anybody say anything good about my coaching on twitter?” Or “is your girlfriend happy with your performance” and they just kinda laugh and they put the phones away.”
Jon asks “have you tried tweeting out half-time instructions?” And Steve laughed and said that’s good.
That’s where I’m going to stop. There’s a lot of great content in the interview and I highly recommend you listen to it.
Take it easy!
*This is exactly what I loved about Arsene Wenger’s version of Arsenal.
**Does anyone know what book he’s referring to?
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jul/30/caste-the-lies-that-divide-us-by-isabel-wilkerson-review
I’ve been meaning to read it. Great interview, I know almost nothing about basketball but I watched The Last Dance and Kerr came across as a smart, kind, well-balanced guy.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness –
by Michelle Alexander
We are so blessed to have Steve here in the Bay Area. A constant source of positivity, compassion, and laughs. His weekly radio appearance with local sports radio host, former NBA player, and Kerr UofA teammate Tom Tolbert. They are absolutely hilarious together. And his high school buddy, famous sports reporter Mike Silver, there is a podcast there to listen to as well. They can finish each others sentences. Brilliant stuff.
It was fitting that Kerr was the coach when Curry broke the record for career 3 pointers last night. Gave him the game ball and a hug. Was almost as emotional as Steph. A good human being. Last season he had a murderous run of bad results, and there was talk of his job being in the line, but he never lost his humour and his poise. It seemed to draw the team closer, and they’ve had a sensational start to this season.
Coaching big personalities like Draymond Green isn’t easy, but the players plainly love him. Whatever personal qualities he had to summon to work alongside Jordan, Pippen and Rodman as one of the few white guys in that amazing locker room, he brought to his coaching.
Crucially, he brought success as a champion, even if it was Jordan’s team. I wonder whether Mikel lacking that creates some insecurity? I can’t say. Im not a sports psychologist, but Mikel, by showing that he needs to dominate and have the biggest balls, certainly behaves that way, it’d seem to me.
Thanks for the share. That was a very illuminating look into the mind of a good coach.
Game day, let’s get behind the team. Two hour ceasefire at the very least. key fixture in the 4th place trophy race. This is about Arsenal, not Auba or Arteta.
Im sure they have good relations, but there’s a bit of history between the coaches. Arteta was Moyes’ captain at Everton, and was a bit sore when he left for Arsenal. Didn’t want to sell… Mikel wanted the move. The rest is history. Arteta went on to captain us, and I liked him a lot as our #8, player and skipper. I wonder who wants to win this one more badly.
COYALG (come on you Auba-less gunners!! 😄 )
I went to a small D-3 liberal arts school, Pomona College. Popovich was the coach there my freshman and sophomore years. Even back then, it was pretty obvious his coaching ability was well above that level. His protege, and the current Bucks coach, Mike Budenholzer, was a year behind me at Pomona.
Unchanged lineup today. Seems the best choice. I know not everyone views Xhaka as the future of the midfield, but we need to get him minutes with Partey leaving for African Cup.
Separately, the COVID thing is once again getting dicey. Another match postponed today, and the Arsenal women are playing Hoffenheim in Germany with only one goalie due to illness and COVID related travel restrictions. Seems like this situation is unfortunately likely to get worse before getting better.
Kerr seems like one of the good guys who just gets it and his team’s performances reflect that. He’s learned from some of the all time greats but doesn’t take himself too seriously. Honest, transparent, values in the right place, not afraid to show vulnerability. High EQ. No wonder he has succeeded all his life.
Caught the last 20 minutes against Wham, just in time to see Lacazette’s penalty. Seems like a really solid team win against a direct rival, a game we had to have for so many reasons, and get it we did without too much fuss. Clean sheet. 2-0 despite a missed penalty. Really nicely taken goals as well.
Loved that Smith Rowe goal.
Me too. What do you make of Martinelli’s striker bona fides though? Always been a good finisher ( to my eye) but that little run off the back of the RCB and the shoulder of the RB was just as eye catching as the side foot finish under Fabianski. Works really hard too. I know he’s small but so was Aguero, Owen, others. I don’t think he can hold the ball up but if he has the movement and the technique he may not need to do the old fashioned back to goal bit too much. I’d be curious about Josh’s thoughts too.
It’s funny because I agree that he looks small but every site seems to think he’s 6′. Maybe he’ll fill out.
In general I like his work rate and he seems to have a pretty good nose for goal. He can carry the ball but one thing I’m concerned about is that he puts his head down.
Really good performance all over the pitch. Excellent.
Our little soujourn in the top 4 may only be temporary with Man U and Spurs with games in hand, but it’s still good to see us up there.
Emphasizes how costly and frustrating that defeat to United was, Arteta referenced it again tonight.
Loved this post, Tim. Kerr is one of those amazing, rare human beings that can somehow be humble and forceful at the same time. Was really surprised by the phones at half time! I now feel a lot better about my children’s addiction to their phones, lol.
I wish we had this kind of guy at Arsenal. We obviously don’t. We were very spoiled with Wenger. You don’t get many Philosopher Kings as sports managers/coaches. There was only one Marcus Aurelius. But there were other good Emperors, even if you disliked their personal style. I’m willing to set aside my personal dislike for Arteta, and judge him on wins, losses and the aesthetic qualities of the football. I get why others can’t/don’t. Wengers, Kerrs, Popoviches, Phil Jacksons are tough to come by. I personally despise Belichick, Mourinho, and Saban, but I appreciate what they achieved in their careers. (Plus I get so much joy when they fail!) I doubt Arteta will ever reach the heights any of these coaches have, but if he stabilizes the club and gets us back into relevance, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, hold my nose and cheer.
There are more experienced players than Smith Rowe and Saka who’d have botched that counter. Saka gave a perfect weight of pass at precisely the right time, Emile’s run left the defenders at sixes and sevens. Do they close down him, Laca or Saka? A moment’s hesitation and it was too late. Well taken goal.
This is one of Arsenal’s most satisfying performances this season. The game was a niggly derby, almost like a cup tie. It wasn’t pretty, but I really liked it that we hung tough. I see West Ham fans complaining about the penalty. But if you kick the attacker hard on the shins, miss the ball and cause him to go down, it’s a pen.
Shout out to Martinelli, whose workrate is absurd. Touch of Thierry on that goal. Gabriel was majestic at the back.
Given the events of the past few days, Arteta could not have asked for a better outcome. West Ham are a better team than we made them look. They’ve beaten Liverpool and City in the league
I think this is what Artetaball is supposed to look like. Squeezing the other side, winning the ball high up the pitch, and being relentless. Options up both wings and through the middle. Add in a stifling defense – was there some guy named Antonio out there today? 0 touches in the box!!!
We are a long way from the finished article, but I was more encouraged today than for a while. There is a lot of upside in a very young team, no matter who manages going forward. COYG!
Neither side’s big time striker was a factor today 😉 🙂
Saka’s pass made that happen. Rice was trying to close the angle and nearly did. It was one of those moments when you’re watching and can see the pass that needs to be played and the player pulls it off exactly. It was not easy. A little hesitation and then plays it sort of reverse before Rice can get his hips around and ESR is in. Top class vision, awareness, composure there from Saka all on display.
I should also mention it needed ESR to offer him that angle while staying onside. Also not nearly as easy as he made it look.
Yes, Doc. The pass and the run were so intricately done.The 2 academy boys love playing together. We are so fortunate to have them, and there is so much upside.
Thanks for the post Tim
Fabulous game today. We have really played well in the last couple of games.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. I have not read it. It was on my list, but I read some criticism about it that resonated. Don’t remember what now, I think that it was written, or reads like it was written for a white audience. Make of that what you will.
I think I read that to mean a bit simplistic, superficial, probably more positive than many of us (non-white folks) see it all. But I haven’t read it, so it’s all conjecture.
It’s an in-depth, excruciating examination of what the mechanism of slavery and slavers used to subjugate black people – and reading it, it mirrors many things that we see in society today even still.
As a white person, it really opened my eyes. It is written from a perspective of deep research, narrative and analysis. This is a book that will change your life and viewpoint.
I can only express my opinion – there is no way this author wrote this book on racism to pander to a certain audience. I still have visions of some of the cruelty in it when the book comes to mind. Written for a white audience, it was not.
But that’s just my opinion. Read it. Tell me what you think
Will do, thank you.
Thanks for that and the warning.
Great post, great Arsenal match. Both lifted me.
But what might bring me down – and I hope I’m so wrong about this – is my sinking feeling that this season’s competition is in real jeopardy because of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
We can debate it’s actual threat to public health but responsible governments will not and should not take a chance on this. And that will cause the dismantling of professional sports once again.