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All-American boy Steve Kerr is having a tough week.
Since that 1988 March afternoon, when his Arizona Wildcats knocked Carolina out of the NCAA Tournament, many of us have followed Kerr’s career.
He was not only on three of Michael Jordan’s six NBA champions, he also turned into America’s pro coach by leading the Warriors and Stephen Curry to four world titles.
He was awarded and named coach of USA Basketball for the Paris 2024 Olympics. So he obviously knows something about the international game. Or does he?
As a strategist and players’ coach, Kerr was considered a home run hire. Then came the opener in France against Serbia and NBA star Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and rated the fourth-best player in the world.
For some reason that even he could not explain, Kerr left Celtics star Jayson Tatum – a three-time All-NBA first teamer and the best player for the best team – on the bench for all 40 minutes of the 26-point win.
All he could say afterward was that he “felt like an idiot” for the benching. And fans across the country agreed with his self-diagnosis. Social media went berserk.
Charles Barkley was the first, saying “It’s the Olympics, and everyone has to play. If you are representing your country and travel halfway around the globe, everyone needs to get at least 10 minutes.” Tatum didn’t and sat for all 40 along with Tyrese Haliburton, another NBA star.
Screamin’ Stephen A. Smith blew out Kerr for not “finding a few minutes” for Tatum in the second-half runaway. And much of the blogosphere agreed with Stephen A.
International basketball is a shorter game than the NBA’s 48 minutes. Kerr implied that Kevin Durant, who was coming off an injury and made every shot in the first half, took Tatum’s minutes, even when Durant cooled off. But Kerr must have made that plan before the game because he told Tatum he might not play.
Kerr said Tatum handled it like a true pro and promised he would play Wednesday against South Sudan, which will be a bigger rout. And Kerr will be in a no-win situation. Tatum will play, but how long will be on Kerr. If it’s 10 minutes, why wasn’t he part of the rotation in the first game? And if he plays more, will Kerr be making it up to him and jeopardize the chemistry veterans LeBron James and Durant established?
Sometimes coaching can seem much harder than it is, and this is one of them. With three established head coaches on his bench, Kerr and his staff all failed.
Featured image via Associated Press/Steve Marcus
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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