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00:00Take a quick listen to this and then we're going to welcome Steve Kerr in, but this is
00:05part of what Klay said about the game tomorrow night.
00:09It'd be good to see people that you grinded with, obviously, but to me it's just another
00:15regular season game in November, obviously there's bigger implications with the NBA Cup,
00:20so that's what's on our mind, in my mind, is just to win that because I haven't been
00:25a part of it yet, I know it's young, but it'll be fun to play for that title.
00:31Okay, let's go out to the River Islands guest line, it's time for Coach Steve Kerr here
00:35on Willard & Dibbs, as is the case every single week, presented by Great Clips, and sports
00:40success is about team effort and the same is true for your hair.
00:44Great Clips, it's going to be great.
00:45Hey coach, how you doing?
00:47So just another garden variety game tomorrow night, I guess, huh?
00:52Just another game in November.
00:53I mean, how would you put into words your emotions?
01:00I don't think I'll know until I get to the arena tomorrow and I see Klay in a different
01:07jersey and hear the crowd react to him.
01:12It's hard to predict until then, so we'll wait and see how it goes tomorrow, but I know
01:20we're all looking forward to seeing him.
01:21It's going to be fun and you'll have 18,000 or so fans with captain's hats on in honor
01:27of Klay Thompson.
01:29Have you thought about donning one yourself for just maybe the start of the game, Steve?
01:33I'm going to go full love boat like Captain Steubing.
01:36That's so good.
01:37Yeah!
01:38I love it.
01:39Yeah, the white shorts, the long socks, yeah, let's go with it.
01:44Gosh, I wish you were telling the truth right now.
01:46I wish I was.
01:47I do too.
01:48You're so amazing, coach.
01:49Oh, man.
01:50All right.
01:51Hey, just in watching tape so far, how do you think Klay is fitting in with Dallas?
02:03Oh, man, he's a great fit.
02:06I mean, he gets to play next to two of the great shot creators on earth.
02:12There's a reason they went after him.
02:14I mean, they knew he would fit perfectly next to those guys and I was watching their
02:22game against Phoenix today and you just see how many openings he has as a result of playing
02:31next to those guys and also having lob threats.
02:34You remember how well he played with Trace last year coming out pin downs and what a
02:40good passer Klay was, you know, hitting Trace for an easy bucket to the rim.
02:47So Dallas can use him a lot of different ways, but he's definitely a great fit.
02:52Just looking at your fit with your 12 or 13 or however many you need to play on a given
02:57night 8 and 2 through 10, you've got to be delighted with how everything has meshed so
03:01far.
03:02Yeah, I mean, to be 8 and 2 at this point, especially coming off that road trip, I think
03:09we're all really excited, but it's more than the record.
03:13It's just the vibe.
03:14It's the feeling that the group is connected.
03:17It's a lot to ask of players to play a 12 man rotation.
03:23There's the risk that, you know, guys don't get into the rhythm, that there's some unease
03:28about, you know, how it's all going to play out, but I got to give our guys a lot of credit.
03:34They've all really bought in and they're committed to each other and playing hard and it's been
03:39fun to watch.
03:40Steve, we know after the, whatever the full tribute is tomorrow, we know that Steph Curry
03:46is going to grab the microphone and address the crowd.
03:49Has he spoken to you about what he's going to say?
03:53Was that kind of a collaboration at all?
03:55No, no, I haven't talked to Steph about it at all.
03:59We were obviously busy on the road trip trying to win games and then we had today off, so
04:06I'm sure, you know, Steph will do what he does.
04:09He always nails this kind of stuff and says the right thing and then, you know, then we
04:14got a game to play.
04:15So it'll be, it'll be a weird night for sure.
04:18No doubt.
04:19Well, and, and, and, you know, here's the other thing I wanted to ask you about this
04:22based on what we just heard Clay say.
04:25Just another garden variety, November regular season game.
04:30I don't want you to speak for him, but I don't buy that at all, right?
04:33I mean, you know, you know, Clay really well.
04:37What do you think that this will be like for him?
04:40Well, I mean, I have a lot of experience playing against my old teams since I played on six
04:48different teams.
04:50So, and, and, and even for me, you know, someone who bounced around and, and wasn't, wasn't
04:57anywhere close to the player Clay was, I mean, every single one of those games is special
05:03when you go back and play your old team and play in front of your old fans.
05:07And so there's a, he's going to be juiced, he's going to be excited and fired up.
05:12And I think, you know, there's a reason he said that he's trying to clear his mind and
05:18get centered and, and come out and play a great game.
05:21And, and it's, there's going to be a lot, that's going to be a lot on him and a lot
05:25on us.
05:26And it's, it's definitely a different night and an emotional night and everybody has to
05:33do whatever they have to do to settle in and play well.
05:36Was it a little surreal for you looking at the tape and then sitting down with your coaches
05:39and figuring out how to game plan to stop Clay Thompson?
05:44Yeah, it's different.
05:46I mean, you know, we, we know him so well, we've been through so many battles together
05:51and, and had so much success.
05:53And so, you know, that's a lifetime bond there and nights like these don't happen that often.
06:02You know, I guess we had one with, with Andre Godala a few years ago when he came back with
06:06Miami.
06:07You know, we've had a couple with Kevin Durant.
06:12But this one is even different because Clay was a warrior for life.
06:17You know, I mean, 13 years here, that's, that's quite a legacy and quite a bond.
06:24Steve Kerr with us here, with it in dibs, 95-7 the game.
06:26Once the Athletic article came out and sort of detailed a dinner last offseason between
06:33you and Clay in Manhattan Beach, where you, you drove and really wanted to express to
06:38him the importance of him within the organization, but that by the end of it, he was straight
06:43with you and at least reportedly said, I think it's time to go, I'm going to go to Dallas.
06:49Did you expect that kind of a definitive finish to the dinner when you were on your way up?
06:56It was actually a breakfast, but yeah, I mean, I think, you know, same thing.
07:00I mean, we were just, we connected and I wanted to, to make sure that he knew how I felt and
07:07how all the coaches felt before he made a decision.
07:11This was right around July 1st, whenever, you know, pre-agency started and, and because,
07:17you know, the last couple of years were really emotional for, for Clay and, and, you know,
07:24there's, there's always contract stuff and, and, you know, just things that get in the
07:30way of, of relationships at times.
07:32And, you know, the main thing I wanted him to know was just how much he meant to us and
07:37how much we wanted him back.
07:39And, and so it was great, it was great to connect and to at least, you know, express
07:46my feelings for what we wanted, but in the end, I think it was the right decision for
07:52him.
07:53You know, he was feeling strongly about needing a fresh start and, and it's been a tough couple
07:59of years coming off the injuries and I think he made his decision and, and he was at peace
08:04with it.
08:05And, and, you know, at least, at least I could be there with him, you know, as he, as he
08:12made that decision and, and, and meet face to face, that was important for me and for
08:17us, I think.
08:18Yeah, it's great direct communication, something that you pride yourself in and something that
08:22you're really so good at.
08:24And it makes me wonder, Steve, how you navigate these sorts of things during a season when
08:28it comes to contracts.
08:30If a player clearly is not happy with the status or the situation, yet it's not really
08:36your department exclusively.
08:37How do you try to navigate the feelings of a player while not stepping on toes or the
08:42front office?
08:43Yeah, I mean, that's the balance and, and, you know, the thing that I always try to impress
08:49upon our players is, you know, that this is a business and they, they are their own
08:58best asset.
08:59You know, they're, they're, they are, they have to, to put themselves in the best possible
09:03position to earn a living, to, to be successful because, you know, all the things that can
09:11happen, you get traded, you cut, get cut and get booed and it's not an easy job, you know?
09:19And so it's, it's just important for our guys to understand the balance between all this.
09:25It's not a, not an easy thing to navigate, but the guys who do it the best really understand
09:30the business in a, in a profound way.
09:33Steve would certainly love to dive into what has taken place in these first 10 games.
09:38A four and one road trip with the opponents you had is wildly impressive.
09:44So in your mind, why is this team eight and two?
09:48What is it that they're doing so well?
09:50Defense.
09:51I mean, it comes down to, to, to our defense.
09:55Our success over the last decade has, has largely been predicated on what kind of defensive
10:02team we've had.
10:03And in 2022, we were the number one defense in the league and we won the championship.
10:09Last couple of years, we were not nearly as good and, and we, we struggled.
10:14So, you know, we, we're going to be able to score as long as we have stuff and dream
10:18on.
10:19We're going to run our stuff.
10:20We're going to, you know, push the ball and move the ball.
10:23But if we can defend at a high level, then we've got a shot against anybody.
10:27And that's, that's been the case so far.
10:29How has Jonathan Kaminga's defense improved for you this year, Steve?
10:34He's been good.
10:35You know, I think that he's found a really nice role now coming off the bench and he's
10:41giving us such a important firepower and an ability to, to get to the rim and to attack
10:48and to score.
10:50And and then the defense is crucial, you know, his size and strength and certain matchups.
10:56We have to have them out there.
10:58He, he's getting better and, and we're, we're continuing to just see JK grow as a, as a
11:06young player.
11:07And it's been fun to watch.
11:08We asked you last week, what happens when DeAnthony Melton gets healthy and you're like,
11:13I'm going to play him and you weren't kidding.
11:16So I will, will you, will you share with the audience what the thought is right now, at
11:20least that, that, that he's going to be the starter, at least for a little while.
11:26Well we want, we want to keep grace and Raymond in the front court because we like, we like
11:34dream on at the four playing center field.
11:37We like trace at the five guarding, the bigger guys.
11:40And that means we need to be able to guard the perimeter, but also score.
11:44And, and DeAnthony is a great two way player.
11:48You saw the pass he made on the first play of the game.
11:51He's a really good passer.
11:52He found trace for a layup off a little dump off and you know, he takes ball handling pressure
11:58off of Steph.
11:59He can knock down threes.
12:01I think he made five of them last night.
12:03And then he is a really good on ball defender.
12:07So you pair him with Wiggs and you get a really good combination of defense and offense.
12:13And Andrew has been really good so far through 10 games that I know he hasn't played them
12:16all Steve, but what have you seen from Andrew Wiggins and to what do you attribute seeming
12:23Renaissance this year for Andrew Wiggins?
12:27Well I mean, we've seen it before, so we know that this is what Wiggs is capable of.
12:33And we expected that he came into camp in great shape, real peace of mind.
12:39You can, you can see and feel that, you know, he was in a good place emotionally.
12:45And I think the, the emphasis on defense, the effort he put forth last night, guarding
12:51guys like Shea, Alexander, and Jalen Williams, I mean, it was, it was really impressive.
12:57So that's what we need from Wiggs and that's what we're getting.
13:01Steve Kerr with us here on Withered and Dibs, 95-7 the game.
13:07What's your, what's your take on, on the play?
13:11I love that, that Chet Holmgren found a way to sort of be almost kind of playful about
13:15a really, really tough injury.
13:17I don't know if you saw that he tweeted, I can't believe the guy still made the shot
13:21also.
13:22You know, so nothing dirty there at all, but just what's your take on what happened to
13:28that play and how that changes Oklahoma City going forward?
13:31Yeah, I mean, it was just a, a midair collision.
13:35I mean, that's both, both players, I think made the right play.
13:39You know, if you're Wiggs, you can't expect to shoot a little floater over a shot block
13:43or like that.
13:44So you have to attack the body.
13:46And if you're Holmgren, it's all about verticality and, and you know, not, not, not committing
13:52a foul.
13:53Seeing it on tape, it looked like both players made, made really good basketball plays.
13:59Wiggs just was able to get right through them and finish.
14:02It was an incredible play.
14:05And I just feel terrible for Chet.
14:06He's, you know, obviously a thin guy and a young guy and to land on his hip like that
14:12and sustain that, that fracture is just, it's terrible, terrible for him and their team
14:17and for the league.
14:18Cause he's a, he's a great young player on a, on a great team.
14:22So we obviously wish him well and hope that he's back as soon as possible.
14:26Yeah.
14:27Great young player and fun to watch somebody that tall, who's also that skilled.
14:32It seems like there are more and more of them coming into the league each and every day
14:35tomorrow.
14:36It's a big one, Steve.
14:37It's the NBA cup.
14:38Does it get the juices flowing a little bit knowing that, uh, you know, this time this
14:43one counts and I'm, I'm only being a little facetious cause Mark and I have had a debate
14:47about the NBA cup, the IST, as I call it, the in-season tournament.
14:51I'm kind of all in on it and Mark, maybe not as much.
14:54Does it move the needle for you and the team at all, Steve?
14:59No, last year was interesting.
15:00I mean, the, the, the first year of the NBA cup and we were, you know, trying to sort
15:07through it a little bit.
15:09We won the first game that we played at OKC and, um, you know, then all of a sudden you
15:14look at the standings and you go, okay, well, you know, let's see where this goes.
15:20And I thought it picked up some momentum.
15:21I thought the teams around the league, um, took it pretty seriously and the, you know,
15:26players took it seriously.
15:27And I think it's a, it's a nice kind of, uh, shift in, you know, in terms of 82 games it's
15:35a, it's a long haul.
15:36You make something a little different.
15:38The court's different.
15:39The uniforms are different.
15:41It's a, you know, it's a, it's a good start for the league to, to experiment with this
15:46and we'll see how it goes.
15:47But our, our focus is always going to be on, on the, you know, winning the NBA championship,
15:54uh, and, and, and handling our business over 82 games.
15:57But, uh, yeah, we're going to, we're going to try to win this thing for sure.
16:01Uh, Steve, uh, and there's a reason I'm asking this.
16:04So, uh, go, go with me on this one.
16:07If, if you do lose, uh, this game, one of the NBA cup, will you flip the dinner spread
16:11after the game in the locker room?
16:14Yeah.
16:15Well, it depends on, uh, depends on how we play and, uh, and, and, you know, if I blame
16:21myself for the, for the loss, if I do, I'm liable to do anything.
16:25You guys know me.
16:26I can snap on at a moment's note.
16:28Wow.
16:29That's kind of, I don't know.
16:30Do we know you?
16:31Because the reason I'm asking Steve, did you hear that Shane Battier shared this story
16:36apparently about, about you in practice, uh, like maybe once or twice a year, you'd kind
16:44of, you do something like that.
16:46You would just kind of lose it in practice, but that the guys figured out at a certain
16:50point, the reasoning was because you are such a nice guy, you had to keep them on their
16:55toes.
16:56Is there any truth to this?
16:57Wait, Shane Battier said this?
17:00This is what I'm told.
17:01Yeah.
17:02Shane Battier said he heard it from someone who played for you.
17:05Interesting.
17:06Um, I've never, yeah, cause I never played with Shane, but, uh, he's talking about me
17:13as a coach or as a, uh, as a, as a player, he's saying as a coach that there were like,
17:18you know, Gatorade coolers who just got it from you and stuff like that.
17:22But, but, but because you were trying to keep your guys on their toes, well, you've seen
17:28the clipboards.
17:29Um, there, there, there may have been a Gatorade cooler or two that went down as well.
17:34I, I, I, I have a temper.
17:36I can lose my mind sometimes.
17:38I'm not always proud after these things happen, but, um, it does happen.
17:43I will say, you know, what's interesting.
17:45I just thought of this since you're saying this prior to you coming on, we're having
17:49a debate.
17:50I don't know if you saw what happened in the 49er game yesterday where, uh, Debo Samuel
17:54and one of the, the long snapper for the Niners kind of got into it, uh, screaming at each
17:59other.
18:00Debo kind of pushed his helmet because of the frustration bubbled over and we see it
18:04on TV and fans it's, it's uncomfortable, but in, in professional sports, how normal is
18:11that?
18:12Well, I mean, it's hard for me to, to, uh, comment on what happened in that particular
18:20case.
18:21Um, I think the emotion of professional sports, um, everything that is at stake, um, for the
18:30players with contracts, their careers, um, I would say there are usually three or four
18:38incidents a year, um, where guys get into, uh, screaming matches, fights, um, very rarely
18:47are there punches thrown, but, um, you know, it's an incredibly competitive business, uh,
18:54professional sports in general.
18:56And so, you know, there's, um, there is plenty of that.
19:00It just, it happens.
19:01It's a competitive environment.
19:02Yeah.
19:03And there's obviously alpha male type personalities involved as well.
19:07And Mark and I have been talking a lot about Draymond this year, and I've been referring
19:11to him as Draymond 2.0, because it seems like he has completely changed a lot of his on-court
19:18demeanor.
19:19Is this something that you guys have talked about, or is it just part of the natural evolution
19:23of, of an athlete becoming maybe a little bit more comfortable with what he's doing?
19:28Well, I mean, I, I always look at the big picture.
19:32I mean, Draymond and I have been together 11 years.
19:35Um, has he had a few outbursts?
19:38Yeah.
19:39But, um, you know, I think last week I coached my 800th game.
19:42Um, so for 790 of those, Draymond has been, you know, like he has been this year.
19:50I mean, this is, this is the norm.
19:52I mean, when he has, uh, an outburst like he's had, you know, a few times over the last
19:57couple of years, it's obviously it's a big deal and it gets headlines.
20:02But, um, he's always going to be passionate, emotional, he's always going to get technical
20:06fouls.
20:07Um, but he's, he's played in his entire career and won championships and done amazing things.
20:14So it's not like every game he's losing his mind, you know what I mean?
20:19So I don't think anything is that different this year.
20:22I just think, um, you know, I think he has one tech he's, you know, he just means he's
20:27probably going to get one tomorrow.
20:29I mean, yeah, actually, what, what do you think the interactions in the game between
20:37Steph Clay and Draymond will be like, that's a great question.
20:42Um, I don't, I don't know.
20:45I mean, it just, it's so, it's going to be so bizarre seeing it, um, up close.
20:50Um, I think they will definitely share some laughs, uh, during the game.
20:55I think they'll share hugs after the game.
20:57Um, but I also think it'll be incredibly competitive because the one thing those three
21:03guys share as different as they are, you know, as personalities and as basketball players,
21:08they are all just vicious competitors and that's why they won all those championships.
21:14Has either of those two asked to check Clay straight out the gate?
21:18No, we honestly, we have not even talked about it.
21:21Um, the matchup we, you know, we, we had this huge game last night.
21:26Okay.
21:27See, and today we had off.
21:28So, um, we won't even, uh, we will have not even spoken of the, uh, of the matchup until
21:35tomorrow when we all get to the arena.
21:37Uh, Steve, before you go, uh, as part of this big night tomorrow, uh, we're going to be
21:41out there doing the show out on the plaza and the station is putting together what we're
21:46calling the clay carnival where fans can come by and do sort of like clay related activities.
21:52And we wanted to throw three out to you and find out which one you think you'd be best
21:56at.
21:57So there's going to be a paper airplane making contest.
21:59Uh, there will be a championship ring toss or a pin the nub tail on the Rocco.
22:07Uh, which do you think, which, which do you think you could pull off the best?
22:14Paper paper airplane contest for sure.
22:16And that would be the one I would want to take part in just cause I have a great memory
22:22of clay flying the airplane during the media session.
22:25Um, and he's still doing that out in Dallas, by the way, indeed he is.
22:31Yes.
22:32Uh, true and true clay as always, Steve, we'll, uh, we'll see you out there tomorrow night
22:37and thank you so much as always.
22:39Thanks you guys for having me.
22:41Have a good, uh, have a good night.