The NBA schedule-makers give no concessions for superteams.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had a few things to say to those in charge of the calendar when he spoke about his post All-Star break to-do list Thursday in an interview with reporters.
“The obvious one would be to be fully healthy and fresh and ready to roll when the postseason starts, and that may mean managing some rest,” Kerr said. “We have the most insane schedule I’ve ever seen in all my years in the NBA coming up.”
Kerr rested stars Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for Wednesday's practice, before the insanity is set to begin. The four were all members of the West's All-Star squad and didn't get time off over the break.
In a time span of less than two weeks, the Warriors have a five-game road trip beginning Monday on the East Coast, jump back home for a game against the Celtics, and then head out again for a back-to-back against Minnesota and San Antonio.
“Here you go, Golden State, here’s your marquee game against the Spurs on a Saturday night on ABC and it’ll be your eighth game in 12 days with 10,000 miles - like, it’s insane,” Kerr said. “So I’ve got to be very, very careful about our players’ welfare and make sure they’re fresh and not too fatigued, because we know that can lead to injury.”
Kerr will have a healthy Zaza Pachulia and David West back Thursday, which will give him the depth to rest his major players when necessary and as he noted, "still be competitive."
