Transcripts from Golden State Warriors media availability after practice on Monday…
CP3 AFTER MON PRACTICE
0:00 Chris Paul after practice Monday on if he still gets the same level of excitement and/or nervousness as his first Opening Night: “Yeah, absolutely. Steph asked me that today during practice while he was warming up, and I told him the minute you don’t get that, it’s time to be done. So we talked about that for a little while, so definitely excited and ready to go.”
0:34 on if it’s good to get the game against his former team out of the way right away: “Nineteen years. I don’t know if I done played the team the first time but I don’t really think that much about it. I sort of knew as soon as the trade happened that was — I’ve been through this. Yeah, you’re gonna play them four times anyway.”
1:06 on if training camp was what he you pictured and envisioned when he first arrived: “Um, yeah. I mean, we got a chance to spend time during the summer. Obviously you don’t know. Injuries gonna happen like the thing with Draymond, but it’s been probably even better. You know, just because we got such a great group of guys. We got a great coaching staff. It’s een a lot of fun, but I also understand, man, it’s a funny training camp. I mean, it’s real fast now. It’s a few practices, game coming up. So we still got a lot of different things we gotta iron out, but we ready to get playing.”
2:04 on what Kevin Durant’s return to Chase will be back, having himself returned to different teams in his career: “I don’t know about for him. He probably could speak on that. What years was those? I don’t know. All these years we were running together but I’m sure you know the fans go crazy. You know, regardless when somebody leaves, depending on how it is or whatnot. There’ll always be, I’m sure, an emotional connection with the things that they were able to do while he was here. So yeah.”
3:08 on if he was able to find a barber out here yet: “Nah, I’m close to LA. Yeah, I’m good. Yeah, my guy Will Brooks, shout out to Will. Will used to come to OKC, he’s been to Phoenix, Houston. Will been with me a long time.”
3:25 on if a full sense of comfort only comes when Draymond is back out there with them: “I mean, that’s like rhythm as far as playing, right? Because anytime someone’s injured — but Dray’s been getting back into practice or whatnot. But I think with us, and I say this all the time, we just got a great group. Like even though Dray wasn’t playing, he was still there. His voice is still there in the locker room during film and everything, but once he gets back, all these different lineups and things, we’re gonna have to figure it out as we go.”
4:17 on what needs to happen for them to get to a point where he thinks they need to be: “It’s gonna be time. It’s gonna be a lot of time. Yeah, we gotta learn, sort of identity, who we are. We know how we want to play, but we’re gonna have to see it in real game form. We’re gonna have to see how we guard, how we defend. We’re gonna have to see how teams defend us. You know, and I think that’ll happen hopefully sooner rather than later.”
5:02 on what it will be like playing against Devin Booker: “It’ll be fun, man. It’s crazy. Man, Book, he’s so close. It’s gonna be like that for life and obviously he’s been on my team for the last three years. So it’ll be interesting playing against him for the first time tomorrow, but I’m sure after the first couple of minutes, it’ll be like it was when I was in OKC and Houston and all that before. But it definitely should be fun.”
5:37 on Kevon Looney saying they still need to hear his voice even more: “I’m figuring it out. And then anytime you go into a new team, it’s always different personalities. You’ve got to figure out, especially as a point guard, I can talk to this guy this way, that guy that way, and you sort of figure that out and Loon has been amazing. Because Draymond, everybody always say it. Loon don’t say much, but knows everything that’s going on. So I’m constantly talking to him. And also understanding, too, that without Dray being out there, right now, we’re similar in a lot of ways. So it’s gonna be fun. I mean, we did a defensive drill today. And I was just excited that he was out there because he (was) talking as much as I am. And I think that’s just gonna help our defense. And so when you have somebody who’s always already vocal, you just learn when to pick your spot.”
6:50 on if he brings any emotion from his time in Phoenix or is it just Opening Night with a new team: “I think I play a game the same way every time I play. I’m an emotional guy when I play, when I hoop, but not because of that situation. I think I play emotional just because of who I am. So, Opening Night it’s a new team. I know what I bring to the table, and that’s a edge every time that I play. So it’s been like that for a long time and I don’t see it changing.”
7:31 on the Mid-Season Tournament and how players in the league will respond to it: “Yeah. I’ve been a part of them conversations since they first happened. I mean, I think it’s a deep question. And it’s one of those things where it’s the league, the whole NBA as a whole, as a business, and I think the Mid-Season Tournament has the opportunity to be something big for the league. Obviously when it’s new, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, what is this? What is this?’ But to a lot of kids who see it for the first time, this will be all that they know. And so with us as players as the league and everything, you’re always trying to continue to grow the game, right? And I think this is a good way and for players who’ve been in the league a long time, this is like, you know what the hell you know, but I mean, we went from 24 second shot clock to 14. The game is always changing and evolving and I think this is just one way of it. So ten years from now, people will be like, ‘Well, damn, look at this!’ So I think guys, as it starts to roll out, when people start seeing those in-season game tournaments, and those given nights and seeing the new courts and all that stuff, I think guys will hopefully start to buy into it and you got the most competitive guys in the world all competing. Guys, they’re gonna want to win… Yeah, I don’t really care what nobody say on those given nights, guys are gonna want to win. Contrary to belief, nobody ever goes into a game saying y’all can have this one. I mean, unless you start talking about them once towards the end of the season when they’re trying to figure out their playoff position. But yeah, man, guys are a lot more competitive than people realize. So I think guys are always gonna want to win.”
9:49 on the depth of the Western Conference: “The league has always been about trying to make it — what’s the word I’m looking for — parity, right? Shout out to my vetoed trade in 2008. Yeah, straight up. I mean, the league has always said it wanted parity and all these different things. That wasn’t no 2008, though, that was 2011. I’m tripping. But yeah, it’s a lot of depth around the league. A lot. A lot of really good teams. And I’ve been in the West my whole career. And I’ve been in the league awhile — not as long as Raymond over here — but I don’t know if you remember that year when Houston won like 22 games in a row or something, and now only moved up like a spot or two because the West has been like that my whole career. So when they be like, ‘Man, it’s a lot of good teams,’ shoot, it’s been like that my whole career. I remember when Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, that was 12 losses every year because they (were) always so good. So we’re gonna see.”
11:31 on Dario Saric: “Yeah, Dario’s so good, man. I remember this summer when Steve and Mike Dunleavy, they called me and said we got a chance to get Dario. I called Dario so fast. I called him so fast. It kind of reminded me when I went to Houston and I think it was Daryl and them at the time, said we need somebody on the wing I called Luc Mbah a Mute. Just guys who are not only really good players, but just great guys to have in the locker room. And so Dario, he went to OKC last year and I’m glad to be back with him because it’s just a comfort level. I know he plays the game the right way, no matter what, and he just a great guy to be around.”
12:28 on Steph Curry playing until he’s 40: “Oh yeah, he gonna be able to do it easy. Easy, and it’s crazy you say that. I was just in the locker room having a conversation with JK and BP and Loon and all them guys about exactly what you just said. And I just told JK, I said he easily got 20 years in this league. We talk about a lot of stuff, but we’re just telling JK I feel like it’s been a great situation for him to come to a team like this where you get a chance to see so many vets. You get to see a guy like Loon who might not say stuff, but you see how he approaches things day in and day out. And so Steph to 40? Oh, yeah, I mean, yeah, I can sit up here and talk about that over-36 rule that they tried to say I put in just for me and my homies. Whatever, man, like with the way people train and stuff, like that now is going to be more common for guys to play longer in their careers because all the medical staffs and all that stuff now. So the key for me, I don’t know, it’s a lot. It’s a love, a passion for the game. You sort of have to fall in love with the monotony, the day-to-day and, I mean, I get to come to play basketball every day and say, ‘This is my way of life.’ Blessed. Blessed. It’s a lot of people that help and make this world go around but I’m fortunate.”
STEVE AFTER MONDAY PRACTICE
0:00 Steve Kerr after practice Monday on if he still gets the same level of excitement or nervousness or maybe both going into Year 10 as he did in Year One: “I feel both. I feel excited and nervous. And you know, one of the things I’ve heard a lot of coaches say over the years is if you’re not nervous and excited, maybe it’s time to retire, so I’m glad to know that I’m not ready to retire. I can’t wait for tomorrow. This is what it’s about. And then you finish opening night and you go, ‘Okay, we got 81 more.’ You kind of settle in but the first one is always special.”
0:39 on if Draymond is still questionable: “No, Draymond’s out. He practiced today, we did some controlled scrimmaging and he’s doing really well, but we don’t feel like it would be wise to throw him out there with so little scrimmage time on the on the floor. So he’ll be out and then we’ll reassess as the days go.”
1:03 on what his starting lineup will be: “Yeah, I’m not sure. Good try.”
1:16 on fans being excited to finally see Kevin Durant play at Chase: “Yeah. It is so bizarre that here we are five years later and Kevin hasn’t played in front of our fans. I think he’s only played here once. That was during the pandemic season. So it’s very comfortable for all of us. You know, when we see Kevin have this, I don’t know, this will be the 10th or 12th time we’ve seen him in a different uniform and this time, we’ll say our hello’s and it’s great. But for the fans, it’ll be different and I anticipate our fans giving Kevin the love that he deserves. I mean, two championships and trying to help us win a third and literally giving his body to the cause. And he was incredible here and will go down as one of the great players in franchise history and the fact that it lasted three years shouldn’t make any difference. I think our fans are so wise in terms of their knowledge of the game. They recognize everything Kevin did for this franchise, so I would expect nothing less than a huge ovation.”
2:57 on KD’s time here being really special: “Yeah, it was. Kevin’s arrival turned us into one of the most talented teams ever. And he was such a perfect fit next to our guys. Kevin is kind of a perfect fit next to anybody, but he just fit beautifully next to our group. And we became an incredibly dominant team with him here and I still maintain the level of play in the 2017 Finals, I’ve never seen anything like it. And Kevin obviously was MVP, but Cleveland was loaded with talent. So difficult to get stops in that series because both teams were so talented and potent. And I always remember Game 5, Kevin just down the stretch knocking down shot after shot, keeping Cleveland at bay and the one title we won here in the Bay out of the four. The others were on the road. So I think that was ‘17. Was that ‘17? I get my years mixed up. I’m old now… But that was, to me, that team’s 16-1 in the playoffs, I think one of the great teams of all-time and how thrilling for all of us here, coaches, players, fans, everybody ere in the Bay, just be part of that and so I’ll forever be grateful for for Kevin’s contributions and what he meant to us.”
5:01 on what Durant’s time here did for Steph Curry’s growth: “Being alongside Kevin I just think that it took a couple of months for those two guys to really just play. They were so intent — both guys are such unselfish players. They were both intent on making the other guy better. And I remember we had a game in Cleveland on Christmas and we lost. Kevin was having a big game and Steph was kind of deferring and then I think right after that game, I think they really started to connect and they realized just be yourself if you’re hot. Keep shooting. The other guy’s not gonna mind. In fact, the other guy’s gonna be happy. The end of that year was pretty remarkable. If you look at the stats, I think Steph, Klay and Kevin all averaged 18 field goal attempts per game, like almost identically. It was a really a sign of their unselfishness, but also a sign of how easy and smooth the fit was, once they just let loose and started playing.”
6:27 on the Phoenix Suns in Game 1: “Well, I have a clear vision of our team this year and it will not be on display tomorrow night because we’re not where we need to be yet, but I think the clarity that we have, as a coaching staff, organizationally, like, we can see where this team is going. So that’s a great sign. You get bumps in the road. Hopefully we don’t have too many of them, but one of them came with Draymond’s injury right before camp. So we’ll have to ease in a little bit. We’ve put in a ton of stuff early, on both ends of the floor. We got to whittle that down, our players have to get comfortable, so it’s a long way of saying we’re gonna be way better and in a month or two, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get off to a good start. Play a great game tomorrow and play well over the next couple of weeks as we’re fitting Draymond back in.”
7:38 on if Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis will get their fair share reps down Santa Cruz this season: “I think it’s absolutely an option. Santa Cruz is such a part of our organization. The synergy, I think we’ve learned a lot over the years that if a player is not in the rotation here, playing there for an extended period is really valuable. That’s where you truly see the improvement. So I think that is always going to be a viable option. And I could see both guys also being in the rotation at some point because they’re that good. So it’s a great problem to have. But for those guys, part of being a rookie is understanding that this is so weird. You can go from playing in the G League and being away from the team to being in the starting lineup and everybody thinks it’s crazy except for all the people who are in the NBA and they understand how this stuff works. So both guys have to be ready for anything.”
8:52 on what the differences are between his vision for the team and what he is not seeing now, aside from Draymond being out and the turnovers mentioned Sunday: “Well, I think Draymond’s return will clarify the rotation somewhat. We’ll get a look at some different lineups with him out there. I think a month from now, I think our players will be in a much better rhythm. I didn’t think we had a particularly good shooting rhythm so far in camp, so I know that will improve but defending without fouling, taking better care of the ball, being more efficient in transition, rebounding. We were a really good rebounding team in the preseason. Hopefully that continues but we’re going to be checking back on all of these key points here over the next few weeks and hopefully becoming more and more consistent with them and then with Draymond’s return, getting a little better look at our healthy rotation.”
9:55 on Draymond making a plea yesterday for Loon to be more vocal: “Loon’s pretty quiet. He’s a very quiet guy. So he’s never going to be Draymond, but he’s always going to be Loon and thank God for that. And Loon is just our rock and yes, he can try to communicate more and louder. But you’ve got to be who you are, too.
10:34 on if he sounds pessimistic about the possibility of Loon becoming more vocal: “Loon didn’t say one word for two years when he got here. Honestly, I never heard him talk and then he became one of our best communicators over the years, defensively. So you do hear him calling out coverages. You just don’t hear him giving a lot of locker room speeches. So one of the reasons his teammates respect him so much, (is) when he does speak, he’s got something wise to say but he’s out there battling and communicating on the floor all the time.”
11:11 on if he’s learned anything new about Chris Paul: “I’ve known for years that he’s one of the smartest, toughest competitors in the league. So everything that I’ve seen backs that up, nothing really surprises me. Mostly, I’m just really thrilled to be collaborating with him because he’s got a lot of knowledge. I mean, all of his time in the league, as good as he’s been, what he has experienced in the playoffs. FIBA. I just enjoy talking shop with Chris and a lot of little details and in some of the actions that he’s run consistently over the years, I’m learning from him. He’s telling me what he’s looking at and what he’s trying to do with the defense and manipulate the defense a little bit and it’s fun to just hear him express that, because I learned from him.”
12:13 on looking at Phoenix with the new additions, particularly Bradley Beal: “Extremely talented. Frank’s always been an excellent coach. So I expect them to be tight, defensively, connected and we know Kevin better than anybody. I mean, I’ve said it, he’s the most skilled offensive player ever at that size, with that kind of shooting ability and ability to get his own shot. Never been anybody quite like Kevin. So you have to win the game in the margins because you know Devin and Brad and Kevin are all going to get their points and create their own shots, but can’t give up the back-cut, can’t give up the box out. Can’t send them to the line 28 times, so you’ve got to win the game in the margins.”
LOON AFTER MONDAY PRACTICE
[Video is part of Kerr upload, above]
13:19 Kevon Looney on what he thinks of Draymond saying he needs to be more vocal and if it’s something he wants to do: “For sure. That’s something that’s my next step. Being an even better defender, even a better player, just being more vocal. Show more leadership out there on the court, something that I’ve been preparing for. I think I’m ready to take that step. I think I’ve been doing a decent job so far throughout the preseason, but I can still get it to another level and I look forward to doing it.”
14:02 on what his vibe is about this team: “So far has been great. You know, it’s been one of our harder training camps. Everybody’s been locked in and we’ve been really, really practicing on the details of winning the margins, all the small things that they might let slide in the past or that they’re calling us out on, holding us accountable. So practices have been intense, they’ve been a lot of fun. And I think this group is super-competitive. I know we still gotta grow together, gotta go through the fire together, but I think we got a good start. Camp was great. I think we learned a lot about each other. And I think the group is feeling good about each other.”
14:42 on the leadership dynamic from Chris being natural leader but also trying to work his way in with guys who already leaders on the team: “He done fit in perfect. He hasn’t tried to force it or tries to be that, ‘I’m the leader now’ type of guy. He’s been really trying to fit in, learning culture and he has so much knowledge… when he talks, everybody listens. We all have respect for him and what he has done in his life. He’s one of the best ever. People are looking for him, for his voice and his leadership, even though he’s probably not even expecting it, but we need his voice for us to be good this year and I think he’s been doing a good job of that. He’s been doing a good job. It’s a career of being a good leader. So the dynamic has been really great. It’s been really cool to see our film sessions are at a very high level when you got Chris, Dray, Steph breaking down things. So it’s just something that you learn every day.”
15:53 on if there’s a different sense of urgency this training camp than in previous ones: “I would say yes. Last year coming off a championship kind of just — it’s urgency but it’s still like we’re still celebrating a little bit. This year, we got put out in the second round, fell short of our goal. We got new guys in, everybody’s hungry and so yeah, it’s a different type of urgency. You can tell just from the players and from the coaches, just like I said, the way we running drills. I feel like this might have been one of the most coaching and detail training camps that we done had, so it’s been a lot of fun, and I think a lot of urgency and I think we’re ready to go out there and start this journey.”
16:46 on what it’ll be like for the fans who haven’t seen Kevin play in person yet at Chase: “I think it’s gonna be exciting. There’s always been different seasons, different uniforms, but just to know what he did in our jersey, did for our team and this city and for the Bay Area. He had some legendary years here, he put his body on the line, risked it all out there trying to play and playing through injury and different things like that. So he’s always gonna have the respect of our organization, our team and I think the Bay Area. So I’m excited to get to see him, get to play against him and he’s one of the best-ever. So we get to see him on the other side. It’s gonna bring out the best out of us and out of him, so I’m looking forward to it.”
17:44 on if the best way to honor Kevin is by sending them back to Phoenix with an L: “For sure. He wouldn’t want it any other way. He’s competitive. We all love hoop and we all want to beat each other, so it’s gonna be nice to see him come out and get some cheers. But once the game’s started, it’s gonna be trash talking just like it always was.”
Loon
Hhh
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