In today's social media landscape, all it takes is one comment being taken even slightly out of context and it can turn into an avalanche of criticism and argument. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently experienced this when he made some candid comments regarding the trade drama involving Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
“I’m talking more about the Anthony Davis situation,” Kerr said on The Warriors Insider Podcast. “Where a guy is perfectly healthy and has a couple years left on his deal and says, ‘I want to leave.’ That’s a real problem that the league has to address and that the players have to be careful with."
Kerr was blasted by many around the league who took exception to his criticism, claiming that his stance was hypocritical given the team's move to sign Kevin Durant just months after completing a regular season where the team won 73 games.
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Kerr joined former Warriors forward Tom Tolbert on KNBR 680 Tuesday and tried to clear up his initial comments.
“If it’s done behind the scenes, there’s no harm done,” Kerr said. “I have no problem with a player requesting a trade quietly. I have no problem with player empowerment. I think it’s great as a former player. I think the more rights the players have the better.
"My point was just the manner in which that happened kind of alienated a fan base, and it put a lot of players in a weird spot on both teams. And it was so uncomfortable, it was so awkward just to watch that unfold over the second half of the season. That’s what I was referring to."
Davis isn't the first NBA player to try and get out from under a contract and team he's not interested in playing for. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar forced his way out of Milwaukee in 1974, and Charles Barkley made a similar request when he wanted out of Philadephia in 1992.
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“I have no problem with the trade request," Kerr said. "If it’s done quietly and behind the scenes then ... it’s much more comfortable for everybody. Especially all the players involved. I think that’s what I was really referring to. Just the dysfunction that it led to for both of those teams involved in the trade. That was the real issue for me.”
As he gets set to begin working with Team USA for the team's minicamp beginning Aug. 5, Kerr spoke on the flurry of players that have withdrawn from consideration for the National Team roster. Kerr will serve as an assistant coach for the team as they prepare for the FIBA World Cup starting Aug. 31 in China.
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"Guys left and right are dropping out over the last couple weeks, and you know, you can kind of understand it. Because it goes all the way to mid-September, leading right into training camp. It's a pretty good commitment, it's a six-week commitment."
The Warriors' training camp schedule has not been released as of yet, but Kerr will have a lot of work to do to try and lead this team back to the playoffs for an eighth straight season.