The Golden State Warriors had high hopes entering the postseason.
With the franchise adding Jimmy Butler to the roster before the Feb. 6 trade deadline and getting hot at the right time, there was a belief that the Warriors could make a deep playoff run as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
Unfortunately, Stephen Curry’s Grade 1 hamstring strain sidelined him for most of the Dubs’ second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, destroying the organization’s Western Conference Finals hopes.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who failed miserably this season, spoke about his future with Golden State after the club’s season-ending 121-110 loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday.
“At this point, I’m year to year,” Kerr said. “I love my job. It’s so much fun… I know where my team is. I know where the organization is, so I’m perfectly comfortable just going year by year to this point.”
Kerr is a top-heavy coach, meaning he prioritizes catering to the skill sets of his superstars over those of his younger, less experienced players.
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Although losing Curry lowered the Warriors’ chances of defeating Minnesota, it’s unacceptable that they couldn’t come out victorious at least once when he received his devastating injury diagnosis.
Beating the Timberwolves in Game 1, when Curry exited the contest before halftime, was encouraging.
However, when the 11-time All-Star was absent for the next four games, it was clear that contributors like Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody weren’t prepared to make a significant enough impact to compensate for the loss of Curry.
Kuminga was one of the few bright spots for the Warriors in this series, but that doesn’t excuse Kerr’s misuse of him toward the end of the year.
When coaches are overly reliant on their go-to players, they may feel like the sky is falling if those saviors experience unfortunate setbacks.
Simply put, there were far too many instances where the Warriors looked lost offensively without their best player, proving that Kerr’s all-in approach with Curry backfired during a pivotal portion of the season.
Still, Golden State will likely continue to employ Kerr as long as Curry remains in the Bay.
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