Kurtenbach: Amid tragedy, the Warriors can be thankful Steve Kerr is leading the way
SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr has held nearly every role in the NBA.
And he had been through it all as the head coach of the Warriors, it seemed; experiencing the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, in-fighting, utopias, and everything in between.
But this is a challenge unlike anything Kerr has faced before.
The process of mourning the sudden death of assistant coach Dejan Milojević, who died of a heart attack last Wednesday in Utah, is ongoing. It won’t end anytime soon.
“It’s hard to describe the last week. Heartbreaking. Devastating,” Kerr, emotional and somber, said Monday in his first press conference since Milojević’s death. “It’s the saddest thing I’ve ever been a part of in the NBA.”
And yet, amid those emotions, still raw and, in some cases, understandably unprocessed, the Warriors are being asked to resume the business of basketball.
But there’s simply no getting on with it. Yes, the Warriors will host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, honoring “Deki” before the contest. But how on earth could anyone with the Warriors be expected to play a game after watching their coach, mentor, and friend — a man who was so full of life — die in what was seemingly an instant?
How do the Warriors move forward?
That’s the question Kerr said he put to the Warriors’ well of wisdom, assistant coach Ron Adams.
“Ron thought for a second and said, ‘It’s relatively simple: you ask the guys what would “Deki” want us to do?” Kerr said.
And then Kerr — wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with “Brate” (Serbian for brother, Milojević’s nickname for just about everyone) and a heart with “DM” in the center — smiled for the first time in his nearly 20 minutes at the Chase Center dais.
“I thought about it, and I could literally picture Decky smiling and laughing and saying, ‘You (expletives) need to go out there and win a basketball game.'”
That’s Deki’s legacy. He was a source of unfiltered, relentless joy. He remains that, even after his passing.
If only it were as simple as doing what Deki would tell them to do.
“There’s no handbook for this,” Kerr said.
Indeed, for Kerr, these next few weeks and months will likely be the most challenging of his coaching career.
Kevin Durant drama, Draymond Green antics, NBA Finals pressures, empty arenas, daily COVID testing, and last-place seasons seem trite now.
Even Kerr’s serious medical challenges, which he has thankfully put past him, pale in comparison.
Perhaps the routine of the season restarting — that inexorable grind — will comfort the Warriors. Staying busy has undoubtedly helped some amid the grieving process.
And yes, it’s inconsequential in the grander scheme, but once the Warriors return to the realm of basketball, they’re faced with a massive challenge.
It’s an I-880 onramp back into the season. The Warriors have to floor it.
And there’s no better person to lead the Warriors forward than Kerr.
The NBA’s trade deadline is Feb. 8. After their last two games were justly postponed, the Dubs are the only team in the Western Conference that has yet to play half of its games. As it stands on Monday afternoon, the Dubs are four wins behind the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the play-in tournament. That could be five wins by the time the Warriors play the Hawks.
The Warriors’ front office has two weeks to make moves.
It leaves the Warriors with eight games to prove their roster should stick together.
It’s not just a pivotal moment for the season — it’s a pivotal moment for the franchise. The direction of the years to come could be defined over this upcoming stretch, particularly with Klay Thompson and Kerr in the final days of their contracts.
To manage that amid tragedy seems unconscionable.
And yet, that’s what they must do.
It’s easy to forget now, but Kerr was brought to the Warriors in 2014 to change the team’s culture.
He just so happened to fundamentally change the NBA with his tactics in the process.
But Kerr’s core four principles — joy, mindfulness, compassion, and competition — have been battle-tested and proven exceptionally valuable. (Ask Forbes magazine.) They have also permeated every nook and cranny of the Warriors’ organization.
They were principles that Milojević carried, too.
They’re principles that will be tested like never before. Thank goodness they’re so deeply rooted.
On Wednesday, the Warriors will play with heavy hearts. Perhaps they’ll weigh the team down. Perhaps Deki’s blunt positivity — still reverberating in the walls of Chase Center and the minds of every Warrior — will lift them to a new level.
And maybe things will become easier with time.
But either way, Kerr’s principles — Deki’s principles — will remain, as the Dubs need them now more than ever.
“We’re going to do everything we can to win, and we’re going to enjoy life no matter what,” Kerr said. “That’s who he was. That’s how we’re going to continue.”