Kerr: “Lineup simply enhanced” by De’Anthony Melton
Good interview by Steve Kerr on 95.7 The Game two days ago. Some of it is old news by now, but there’s good info on everything in terms of health and roster, including one Wardell Stephen Curry, Seth Curry and Al Horford.
With De’Anthony Melton cleared from the injury report and available for the first game of the road trip in Philadelphia tomorrow, Kerr also gave us a reminder of what “Melt” brings.
Remember, Melton is a former full Non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception free agent signee. That means, if you’re a team under the luxury tax, you can go out and spend $14 million (last year it was $12 million) on a free agent addition, as long as you stay under the first apron.
Other near full-NTMLE players signed this season and last season are Luke Kennard, Dorian Finney-Smith, Caris LeVert, Luke Kornet, and Kelly Olynyk. So, these NTMLE players are all obviously key pieces of their team’s rotation. Of course, it remains to be seen if Melton’s body can hold up, but when he’s 100%, he’s definitely an impact player at both ends.
He looks good. He scrimmaged quite a bit…
He’s another two-way player. Another guy who can play at a high level in a playoff type game and survive quite well at both ends, so Melt’s gonna be a big help…
One of the determining factors when you look for players is, are they lineup-dependent or is the lineup just simply enhanced by their presence? And Melt is the latter. I mean, he plays well with everybody because he can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s fundamentally sound. He makes good decisions and he’s a really good on-ball defender, so all of those things lend to him being a good fit with anybody.
Here’s the entire interview that had a ton of other info. I will post the transcripts from OKC-GSW postgame shortly…
Marc Grandi: I’m curious about the way you felt your team responded on Saturday after a rough loss on a Wednesday, you also lose Steph Curry. You eek that one out. You fought hard down the stretch. Jimmy Butler, was great in that one. You got Jonathan Kuminga back. What did you see from your team on Saturday without Steph Curry?
Steve Kerr: Well, we gutted it out and I think the main thing was we took care of the ball and that is the number one indicator of whether we’re gonna win or not. And the season is always interesting. There’s 82 games. It really is a marathon. I know that’s a cliche, but it’s the truth. And you go through these spells where you’re either on top of the world or you’re kind of down in the doldrums and you have to navigate the season, and that includes plenty of stretches where you’re kind of having to dig out a tough game, even against a team with a bad record. None of these games are easy. On the flip side is, you have spells during the year where you feel like you can’t lose and the game comes a lot easier, but you have to handle both really well. And I thought we handled that part of it well. The other night, not in a great groove, not making shots, then get the job done, take care of the ball and connect the game. And I thought we did a good job of that.
Dan Dibley: Yeah, it was definitely a gut-it-out kind of a victory where no shots were going in early and you found a way to get some late, a couple of Kuminga threes as well. I do wanna ask about Steph Curry and if you could offer any update on the quad and the reevaluation and just exactly what the next few days and weeks will be like for Steph Curry.
Steve Kerr: Well, I talked to him today. He was on the bike, so he was getting a good workout, good cardio workout. He’s not on the court yet. We’ll have an update on Thursday, so he won’t play tomorrow, obviously. And we’ll just take it day by day, but I don’t think any of us are too concerned that this is a long-term thing, but we also don’t have clarity on exactly when he is gonna play.
Dan Dibley: So will he make the trip that starts Thursday in Philly, is that still, to be determined?
Steve Kerr: Still to be determined and Rick Celebrini and Steph will put their heads together and we always look at our schedule while we’re on the trip, what it looks like in terms of practice time, is it more productive for the player to stay at home while the team’s on the road because of the access to the gym and the training facility and obviously all of that is dependent on how likely it is that he could play or not on the trip. So all those things are to be determined.
Marc Grandi: I know that you guys announced today that you have signed Seth Curry for the rest of the season. I know he was with you guys in camp, you had to waive him because of second apron and salary cap gymnastics. I know there was a little bit of confusion from, I think, outside the team, in the fan base, on why the delay, because I think the money worked more towards the middle of November. It becomes official today. I was wondering if you could answer, if that was just more salary cap gymnastics and now that you have him officially. What does he bring to this team?
Steve Kerr: It was a hundred percent salary cap gymnastics. These aprons are really penalizing. And by waiting until now, we’re able to stay below the threshold and it gives us more flexibility. And those are Mike Dunleavy questions, but I know enough to know that there was a reason we couldn’t really do it until today, but we’re thrilled to have him. Seth’s been a really solid NBA player for a decade or more, one of the best shooters in the league and doesn’t turn it over solid at both ends. So we’re really excited to have Seth.
Dan Dibley: What’s the ramp up gonna be like to get him in there? And what do you foresee as his role in the rotation?
Steve Kerr: Well, we’ll see. I mean, the ramp up, he is a full go in practice and scrimmages and he doesn’t have any injuries, so I imagine he’ll be active tomorrow night. That’s the plan. And then we just have to wait and see. I mean, it’s tough to play more than 10 guys and every game’s a little different. And the way I approach it with all these guys, eventually they’re all gonna get their chance and then who plays is really dependent on how well the team is doing. If we’re doing well, we’ll usually stick with something. If we’re struggling, then we’ll take a look at some other possibilities, lineup-wise. So Seth understands that he’s been around forever and, I guarantee you, he’ll find his way out there at some point, but right away will be difficult just because we’ve gotta kind of see where we are.
Marc Grandi: Steve, maybe one guy coming back that might make it more difficult for you to determine rotations and who plays is De’Anthony Melton. I know the team released an update for him on Saturday and in that said that there’s a possibility that he could, make his debut at some point on your upcoming three game road trip, which begins after this game tomorrow against OKC. Is there any further update there? Do you know if he might have Melton debut at some point on the trip?
Steve Kerr: I expect him to play on the trip at some point. He looks good. He scrimmaged quite a bit. He got another one in today. I think he’s gonna get another one in tomorrow. And then he’ll be on the trip with us and at that point it’s day to day. But I’m really excited to get Melt back. You guys got a glimpse of him last year. I think he played six or seven games with us. He was a perfect fit and it’s exciting to think about plugging him in because he’s another two-way player. Another guy who can play at a high level in a playoff type game and survive quite well at both ends, so Melt’s gonna be a big help.
Dan Dibley: And based on that glimpse, and that’s a great way to put it because he was gone way too soon, who are some of the players combo-wise that you really enjoyed watching him play with? Obviously he didn’t play with Jimmy Butler, but beyond that, who does he really pop and play well with?
Steve Kerr: Everybody. And really that’s one of the determining factors when you look for players is, are they lineup-dependent or is the lineup just simply enhanced by their presence? And Melt is the latter. I mean, he plays well with everybody because he can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s fundamentally sound. He makes good decisions and he’s a really good on-ball defender, so all of those things lend to him being a good fit with anybody.
Marc Grandi: Steve, you also got a Jonathan Kuminga back after he missed seven games. He played in that game on Saturday versus New Orleans. It seemed to me, just watching, didn’t get his normal minutes because, I imagine, there’s a bit of a ramp up there. What did you see from him on Saturday? What do you need to continue to see? And what has your team missed from Kuminga during those seven games, because it felt like there were at least a handful of games in there where he might’ve been the difference between a win or a loss? So what’d you see from him and how is he coming along as he gets back into action?
Steve Kerr: He’s a little rusty. I didn’t think he was moving particularly well, but he hit two huge threes mid-fourth quarter. We needed those shots and so he came through for us. He was on a minutes restriction, so I think he played 18 or 19 minutes. The restriction will be lifted as he goes. So as he continues to ramp up and build his conditioning, get his rhythm back, then there won’t be any restrictions. I imagine that’ll happen by the end of this trip, so it’s all a matter of same things with Jonathan that we ask of him: attack the rim, rebound, run the floor. When he does those things, he’s really good for us.
Dan Dibley: How critical is it to get those restrictions lifted as you get set for four games in six nights in four different cities? You’ve got me thinking cities now, Steve, so when I look at the schedule, I look at games and nights and cities and you’ve got another little mini-baby-gauntlet here.
Steve Kerr: Yeah, we do. And that’s why it’s great to get Seth and and Melt back. Jimmy will most likely play tomorrow after the hard spill he took the other night. Obviously with Steph out, we’ve gotta get guys to fill in, but I feel good about our depth and I feel good about our ability to find different combinations each night that can allow us to compete and win.
Marc Grandi: Steve, I know you said earlier that there’s no one in that organization that is fearful that Steph’s injury is one that’s going to be serious or keep him out for maybe anything more than a handful of games, but I’m curious, when you are playing without him and maybe even in games while he’s just resting, do you feel like there is, I don’t know, a need to maybe shift a little bit away from the offense that has worked for so long with Steph while he’s not on the floor and lean into a little bit more isolation led by Jimmy Butler? Is that just a thing you go into while Steph is out and isn’t playing in games, or can you do that also in games?
Steve Kerr: Well, it’s kind of somewhere in between. It’s hard in the NBA to just suddenly say, well, we’re gonna play differently. You develop an identity, you develop a style, and that style stays, regardless of who’s out on the floor. So we’re a ball movement team. We’re gonna move the ball, but there’s no question our play calls, when we’re not in flow, when we’re just — there’s a dead ball free throw. Our play calls will reflect exactly what you just said, Grandi, we’re gonna get the ball to Jimmy. We’re gonna get isolated. We’re gonna let him attack and we’ll get spaced. So finding that balance, whether we have Steph or not, is really important. I thought it was what we did so well last year after getting Jimmy. We were able to play through both guys and lean into the flow and the movement of Steph and then also the isolation ability of Jimmy. And when we find that balance and we take care of the ball, we’re really good.
Dan Dibley: Is it also reflected in maybe a slower-paced game without Steph, going to more isolation? Does that become more of a conscious decision for you and the team to play a little bit more slowly?
Steve Kerr: I’m not sure if that is gonna work, really, frankly. I think in some ways we have to play faster without Steph. We need to our young guys to really run the floor because if we’re running and we’re taking care of the ball, it’s just easier to get good shot. It is really hard to get good shots in the NBA if you’re walking the ball up the floor and playing against a set defense all the time, so I think that’s a little bit of a misnomer. We want to play fast, but we want to hit singles and just make good decisions, so that we’re not making mistakes.
Dan Dibley: Could you make the games go by faster? And I’m thinking about tomorrow, Steve, eight o’clock start, which as really means probably 8:08. What do you think of these games with poor Grandi in the post game not start until midnight?
Steve Kerr: Yeah, I mean, it’s not our favorite. It reminds me, if you play in the Finals and those games started 8:30 local time and in the east, so we’ve had some of these late starts in our playoff runs. But the eight o’clock start at home, not ideal. We do get some 8:00, 8:30 starts when we’re in the central time zone for TV purposes. But this is the first year we’re getting the eight o’clock starts on the West coast. I think it’s a direct result of the new TV deal. So, you don’t ask, you just go play when they tell you to get out there.
Marc Grandi: Steve, I don’t know if this has been, officially announced by the team, but there is at least reports out there that you guys are planning to sign, LJ Cryer to a two-way deal. He’s been playing with the Santa Cruz warriors down in the G League. So if you can’t officially comment on him signing that two-way deal, at least what have you seen from LJ Cryer while he’s been down in Santa Cruz and what kind of player is he?
Steve Kerr: Yeah, he’s a really talented player, undrafted out of Houston, got a great college experience. So a guy who’s been well-coached with Kelvin Sampson at Houston and Final Four experience. Loved him in camp. He had some really good games for us. And he’s tough. He is a competitor, so he’s a guy we liked before the draft and after. And happy to have him in our program in Santa Cruz. And yeah, he’s a guy we think very highly of.
Dan Dibley: Just one more on player personnel stuff. Al Horford. What’s the situation with the sciatica and are you expecting him to be available some time here on this trip?
Steve Kerr: Yeah, we are expecting Al to be, able to play on the trip. He will be on the floor tomorrow. He’s getting a workout in today. He will be on the floor tomorrow and our training staff will get a good look at him and get a feel. He won’t play tomorrow night, but we’ll get a good feel after these two days of workouts, whether he’ll be available on the trip or not.
Marc Grandi: Steve big challenge tomorrow, the defending champs OKC in town. I know you played them a couple of weeks ago in OKC. It was a game that you guys weren’t really that competitive in. Since then, they’ve gotten Jalen Williams back and Allstar last year, probably the second best player on a, on that championship team. How big of a challenge is OKC? Do they remind you at all of, your teams back in the day when you were rolling through the regular season?
Just how good and how big of a challenge are they?
Steve Kerr: Well, they’re on a 78 game, wins pace, so that’s pretty good. I mean, it’s, it’s crazy how good they’ve been at both ends of the floor and, they’re very different stylistically than we were. in our heyday, they’re, they’re a driving team.
They’re an attacking team. not as much, ball movement as, we had in our, in our, our run. But, Shea, Gils Alexander, Jalen Williams, the ability to attack, gaps and, draw fouls and get to the rim, and then a suffocating defense. I mean, there’s a reason. They’re the defending champs and they’re.
20 and one whatever. They’re they’re amazing. And we got a huge challenge ahead.
Dan Dibley: Yeah, no doubt. And speaking of challenge, you, kept had me thinking about Saturday night and Grandy and I were talking about it, where they review a play to see if it’s a flagrant on you guys, and then upon further review, I’m sure.
You guys realized already it was a foul on them. So the review goes your way and then you challenge, you and I, Steve, are kind of in lockstep on this whole cockamamie, let’s review it system. But that had to feel pretty good, right? When you got to twirl the finger and the call actually went your way.
Steve Kerr: Yeah, it does feel good when you win those, but it doesn’t feel great overall for the game, to me. And I get it, with all the camera angles now, the gambling, sponsorships with all the gambling that goes on out there, the officials are under such a microscope. Yoi want to get everything right. The problem is, this is not tennis. It’s not, well, the ball’s either in or out. It’s not baseball. You either beat the throw or not. Almost all these calls are really filled with gray area and there’s a handful like that one the other night. They’re obvious and you’re able to challenge and get it reversed and it feels good. But to be perfectly honest, I would like to throw the entire replay system in the trash can.
Dan Dibley: Oh, me too. And it just had me thinking about whether or not you have internal team fines for when a player twirls his finger. Is that like a hundred bucks or something? Please tell me it is. And you don’t have to call out the guys on your team, but the finger twirler on your club, if I were you and I wish I was, but I’m not, there would be a fine system in place for the twirl.
Steve Kerr: Yeah, there’s definitely a difference between the composed player twirl and the emotional player twirl. And it’s up to us to discern between the two, for sure. But there are times where I’ll call one, I’ll just challenge, if I feel like it’ll help the team, emotionally. Not often, but sometimes you just do it just to support your player. We’ve had a couple of those this year, but yeah, you gotta be careful because those are really valuable down the stretch of games.
Dan Dibley: And when Draymond twirls, you gotta challenge it because he’s such a savant, right? That he’s probably correct more than he is incorrect, and you gotta support him? You don’t have to answer that.
Steve Kerr: Well, I know you said you weren’t gonna mention names and then you mentioned Draymond’s name.
Dan Dibley: I didn’t want you to mention names, but because, I mean, when Draymond twirls, honestly, I think he probably has a case, but other players, when they twirl, I’m like, come on.
Steve Kerr: Yeah, the problem is you have to delineate Draymond’s passion from his basketball IQ and so they don’t always match up. So, I don’t think his overall challenge record is great, to be honest, but that’s okay. We love Dray. We win because of Dray. So if we challenge a few to help him out, I’m willing to do that.
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