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GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 24, 2018

Steve Kerr

Oakland, California

Q. The fact that Patrick apparently, doesn't seem like he'll be at practice tomorrow, does that change the equation for you at all, how you're thinking about your roster moving forward?
COACH KERR: Not now. We'll just start (buffering -- missed audio) -- how lucky we are to be together in this time and place. We're well aware it's not going to last forever.

We have a lot to celebrate. Three titles in the last four years. A chance to add another one in our final season at Oracle. A bunch of free agents next summer. A lot could change. We don't know.

Obviously we want to keep this thing going, but at some point you just have to enjoy the moment, enjoy the now because there's going to be so much speculation as to what's ahead. Nobody knows what's ahead.

So I think our guys, they understand that. They really enjoy being around each other. They really enjoy the process. And having won several championships, I think they feel like, all right, we've got -- we've done some damage and let's keep it rolling.

Q. DeMarcus is supposed to be out for at least the outset of the season. How do you approach the center position going in preseason? And is it going to be something that is set in stone once it's set in stone, or is it going to be about matchups?
COACH KERR: Good question. There's really no thought as to who will be the starter right now, the day before camp starts. I think that will unfold as we go.

I could tell you, the only thing that I could tell you for sure is that Draymond will not be our starting center. I'm not going to start small and play that way all year.

So opening night, the chances are it would be one of the other three young bigs, Damian, Loon or Jordan Bell. It could be by matchup. It could be by how training camp goes. But we will give all three guys a chance and training camp will determine a lot.

Q. It came out today that you guys have promoted Bruce and Chris DeMarco to assistant coach. What went into that decision, and how specifically is their role going to be different?
COACH KERR: I think one of the areas where we want to improve is, because of the number of young players on our roster, is the player development aspect. The last couple of years we've sort of been in recovery mode for much of practice with our top six, seven guys.

We've had some, beyond that we've had veteran guys, David West and JaVale McGee and Zaza. So we haven't been in this situation where we've got six, seven very young players who need work.

And so there's a clear delineation on this roster between youth and experience. And the youth, they need work. And so we're going to revamp kind of the way we practice for those guys. And we wanted to put Chris DeMarco in charge of that development program. He's doing a great job with it.

Bruce has done a great job. I can't believe I just called him Bruce. Only his mom calls him Bruce and you apparently. Q has done a great job. He's taken on more responsibility on the coaching side in terms of our offensive schemes, and so it seemed like a natural fit to bump both guys up into those roles.

Q. Steve, how much can you expect from Shaun Livingston and Iguodala this year based on what you saw last year? Can they be as integral to this team as they have been in previous years?
COACH KERR: Yeah, I don't see why not. And I think our approach this year will be very similar. Our idea last year was let's have them at their best in the playoffs and both guys played critical roles for us in the postseason.

So they're at the point in their careers where they're going to need rest. They're going to need recovery. They're going to need rhythm on their own timeframe as the season goes. And we'll try to balance all of that out.

Q. Also in those announcements I noticed there was a Nick Kerr mentioned. What does it mean to you to have Nick back? And what do you think he learned from the year with Popovich?
COACH KERR: Well, he stole all Pop's secrets and he brought all that information back, a whole binder full of stuff, which is great. I actually sort of felt bad when I called Pop to tell him I wanted to bring Nick back; he had such a great experience down there.

But he's going to be in the video room. He'll be working with Jacob and Khalid (phonetic) and James and those guys. And those guys probably worked the longest hours of any of us on the staff. And it will be good for Nick to be in there. Same thing he did in San Antonio, and be a good role for him. It will be fun for me to have him around.

Q. Jordan Bell said he pushed himself to another limit this summer in his training. And what have you seen from him? Bob said there's a seriousness to this guy. He knows there's an opportunity for him. And how far did he grow to get to this point?
COACH KERR: Yeah, I think his approach seems more steady. Most rookies are kind of in shock when they understand or when they get to understand how they have to prepare and how it really is a daily routine. And I think most guys make their biggest improvement between their first and second years.

So I think Jordan has been fantastic all summer. I think the Finals experience and Conference Finals last year probably propelled him to another level. And I think he's ready to take another step. So we're excited about Jordan.

Q. When did you first to get to know about Jonas and what do you expect from him, and what kind of role do you think he'll play?
COACH KERR: I first saw Jonas play at the Euro Pre Draft Camp in Treviso. I think that would have been 2009, maybe. And was really impressed. I was with the Phoenix Suns then.

He came in and was very aggressive and physical and could make shots. And so I liked him back then. I've watched him since and he's a role player. He's a guy who can step out and make 3-pointers, but knows how to play. Good cutter, good screener. So he's going to be a very good addition to our team.

He's aware that we have a very deep team, that there's going to be times much to the chagrin of his Swedish fans that he doesn't play. And there are going to be times where he could start and play a lot.

So he understands the flexibility that he offers is important. And his professionalism and staying prepared is going to be very important.

Q. You talked a lot last year, like you said before, about how hard the journey was. And there were a lot of times there was frustration expressed, that you guys couldn't really get going. I know you've expressed you want to do things differently and Bob said the same thing. In looking back on it, how much did that play into the ability of the team to kind of at times not be able to kind of get out of second gear in your opinion?
COACH KERR: There's no formula for this stuff. You just try to feel it as a coach. I'm usually pretty frank with you guys, with the players. So I didn't want to come in last year and sugarcoat it and say this is all going to be real easy. I knew exactly what they were facing, having gone through a similar experience as a player.

I thought last year we made it through. It was a grind and we won. And I think we should look at that as its own experience and this year as a brand new one. And there's no doubt if we can get back to the Finals and it's another nine-month haul, we're going to have some bumps in the road and it's not going to be easy. But I do think there should be a slightly different theme this year.

We are playing with some house money. We won three of the last four championships. Our place in the history of the league is pretty secure.

I don't think our guys should feel a ton of pressure. I think they should feel the importance of trying to do it again, because this may be the last time we have this current iteration of the Warriors, just given all the free agents and the money crunch and everything else. So we don't know what's going to happen. So why not just go all out and enjoy every step of the way?

We've got a deep team. We have a lot of young guys who should be able to take on a heavy burden when we need them to.

Q. You talked about signing a new contract in the offseason, how nice it is for you? And give us an update on what your health situation is?
COACH KERR: I feel good. I'm excited about the contract extension. There's no other place I'd want to be in the NBA. No other job I would want in the world. So I'm lucky. I'm very, very lucky to be here.

This is my dream job. And I've got two of my kids are here in the Bay. My daughter is in law school at Berkeley. And my wife loves it up here. So I'm incredibly blessed and feeling good and excited about the season.

Q. Steve, you've talked about how, last year you talked a bit how you would be expecting more from Damian Jones this year and how this could be a real opportunity for him. What are you sensing from his mindset and how ready he is for that opportunity?
COACH KERR: I think his mindset is that he paid his dues in Santa Cruz last year. He really put in a lot of work. I'm proud of him for what he accomplished last year. I think he got a lot better.

And there's an opening for him now with our veteran centers having moved on. There's a spot that is going to need to be filled and he can play a role in that.

It may be again it may be something we do match up-wise, as far as who we're playing against each night. I think Jordan, Loon and Damian all represent kind of a different style, different size.

We're going to need D.J. for sure, especially against the bigger centers in this league. I'm excited for him and for his opportunity and I think he's going to do great.

Q. When you look up at the bench this year compared to last year in terms of youth versus some of the veterans, how do you kind of weigh some of the potential benefits of having younger players versus how do you offset just losing some of the veteran voices?
COACH KERR: We'll see how it plays out. I think the last couple of years, tough to quantify the impact that David West and Zaza and JaVale made. You just can't look at the stats and say, well, we can replace that.

I thought Zaza, you know, his unselfishness last year when we went in a different direction late in year, the way he turned himself into a mentor and a confidante for the younger guys, that stuff is so valuable.

And David was a mentor for all of our younger guys the last two years. So we're going to miss that. We've going to have a different dynamic this year. So we've got to take advantage of the youth, the energy. And some of our other players are going to have to step up into stronger leadership roles and that's kind of the fun part of each year being different. You get to see how it all blossoms. And I think our fans will enjoy that process too.

When you think about the whole regular season, a lot of people start saying, well, just can't wait for the playoffs. I think this year will be really fun for our fans to see the development of the young guys -- Damian and Loon and Jacob Evans and Jordan Bell, hopefully Patrick. So you watch these guys develop.

Then you get to see DeMarcus Cousins, once he's healthy. How does he fit into the team? And how does the team grow as a whole? I think it will be fun as a coach and for fans. And by the end of the season we'll be clicking and ready to roll in the playoffs.

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