Golden State Warriors Head coach Steve Kerr has apologized for an altercation with one of his most experienced players.
Kerr and the Warriors forward Draymond Green During a timeout in the third quarter Monday night, there was a heated exchange that sent Green to the locker room to cool down.
Kerr said that even after Green returned to the bench for the finale of Golden State's 120-97 win over the Orlando Magic, he had no intention of playing again after what happened.
“Obviously we got carried away with it and I called a timeout just because I thought we lost our focus a little bit,” Kerr said after the game. “We talked a little bit and he decided to go back to the locker room to cool down, and that's all I have to say about it. It's all confidential. I have nothing more to add.”
Two days later, Kerr stated that the incident was nothing and that he and Green apologized to each other and the team.
“Monday was not my best hour.” Kerr told reporters on Wednesday.. “…My goal is for (Green) to finish his Warrior career with us, fighting and competing together until we both finish.”
“We are much more alike than most people realize,” Kerr added.
Golden State's 15-15 record is hardly what this group expected at this point, and Green noted Monday that “that's probably why tempers are flaring.”
Asked Monday if he thought the problem would continue, Kerr said, “No.”
“The group is ready to go, you can see that in today’s game,” he explained. “We need Draymond. He's a champion. We've been together for a long time. All we can do is the rest of the group to keep pushing, keep getting better. I think this was one of our best games. I thought the first half was great – we just weren't making shots. I thought Draymond played great.”
The Warriors' first game since the incident is on Christmas Day, when they host rookie sensation Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks (5 p.m., Sportsnet, Sportsnet+).
— With files from The Associated Press.
