In a cathartic media session on Wednesday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he “regrets” his latest incident with Draymond Green and that the Warriors are a “fading dynasty.”
Green left the bench after a heated argument with Kerr during a timeout in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Orlando Magic.
Green later returned to sit on the bench for the remainder of the game, which ended with the Warriors winning 120-97 to bring them back to .500 (15-15).
“Monday night was not my finest hour, and that was a time I needed to be calm in the huddle, and so I regret my actions in that exchange, and I apologize to Dray,” Kerr told reporters Wednesday. “He apologized to me. We both apologized to the team. You know these things, they happen, especially when you get two incredibly competitive people like Dray and me. So over the 12 years we’ve been together, this has happened occasionally, and I’m not proud of it.”
After the game, Green told reporters: “Tempers spilled over. I just thought it was best that I get out of there. I don’t think there was a situation where it was going to get better. So it was just best to remove myself…sh*t happens. We move forward. We alright.”
For the season, Green has 72 made field goals, 75 turnovers and 80 personal fouls.
“Quite honestly, if everybody’s OK with being 15-15, whoop dee doo,” he added. “Talk to me when they’re 41-41. Can’t be whoop dee doo when you’re 15-15, something’s gotta give.”
Addressing the team’s overall state on Wednesday, Kerr said: “You know, we are no longer the [20]17 Warriors, dominating the league. We are a fading dynasty. We know that, everybody knows that. So what is up to us? How do we carry ourselves night to night, how connected are we? And can we give ourselves another swing at the plate.”