It鈥檚 easy to see why the Suns balked at the idea of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr handing over his clipboard to his players for the duration of their match the other day. For all their lack of competitiveness, they have pride, and the sight of the opponents taking turns on the hot seat while playing them no doubt gnawed at it. To them, the implication was clear: They aren鈥檛 good enough to be taken seriously, so much so that even those with absolutely no experience whatsoever can do what鈥檚 supposed to be the most difficult job in the sport.
For the record, Kerr informed counterpart Jay Triano that he was going to make the unprecedented move because, as he explained in the aftermath, 鈥淚 have not reached them for the last month. They鈥檙e tired of my voice.鈥 Nonetheless, the Suns didn鈥檛 appreciate the development, with veteran Jared Dudley arguing it reflected 鈥渁 lack of respect for an opponent鈥 and guard Troy Daniels taking the opportunity to throw shade at the 2016 National Basketball Association Coach of the Year. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 hard to coach those guys. I think anybody can do it.鈥
Regardless, what Kerr termed an 鈥渆xperiment鈥 worked. The Warriors found themselves engaged from start to finish. As two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry explained, 鈥淚t was a collective effort. We were just trying to stay locked in and enjoy the process of getting focused and knowing our sets, being thoughtful about what lineups are out there, what we鈥檙e trying to accomplish and execute.鈥 Added general manager Bob Myers, 鈥淚 thought it was great!鈥
Needless to say, the Warriors received significant backlash for what numerous quarters deemed to be a 鈥渟tunt鈥 they wouldn鈥檛 pull against better competition. And if Kerr 鈥渄idn鈥檛 have four All-Stars, he wouldn鈥檛 be doing that, added the Suns鈥 2015 first-round pick Devin Booker. Still, he stuck to his guns, ruing the fact that 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 a controversy or not, it has to become one… [in] the world we live in.鈥 Moreover, he disclosed that he intends to employ the same method again. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good exercise,鈥 he said, 鈥渟o I can see [us] doing it again one time, a couple of times.鈥
In the final analysis, Dudley鈥檚 right. The Suns wouldn鈥檛 have been patsies for Kerr were they simply better on the court. 鈥淢aybe right now, we don鈥檛 deserve respect. When you keep getting beat[en] by 40, teams won鈥檛 respect you.鈥 Which is why it won鈥檛 happen anytime soon, and why other bench tacticians can make light of it in retrospect. It may or may not be a show of arrogance, but unless and until the Warriors are knocked off their perch, they should be free to employ it as they wish.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
