Steve Kerr re-ups - some quibbles and praise

The Warriors decide to keep the band together for one last run

Some thoughts on Steve Kerr extending his stay as head coach for two more years.

First Mea Culpa. Although it kept me in good standing with the Society of Professional Conspiracy Theorists, he did not ride off into the sunset and retire.

As I may have suggested.

I had a whole Jenga tower of logic for that theory. He was in the final year of his contract. He is coaching Team USA in the upcoming Olympic Games. A stress-free and lucrative broadcasting job awaits.

And, just to try to save a little face on this, the extension did come relatively late — in the second half of the final year of his contract. It is not a complete stretch to imagine that the “R word” came up a few times.

But then he re-upped. So forget I ever mentioned it.

Is it the right call?

Absolutely.

He’s a multiple championship winner, guided teams to five straight NBA Finals, handles himself impeccably in public and is well on his way to cementing his legacy as one of the NBA’s iconic coaches.

Now I do have a few quibbles.

For starters, Kerr roster management is baffling. Players will languish at the end of the bench, never even removing their warmups when suddenly, like three weeks ago, in the fourth quarter of a close game — here’s Gui Santos, who had only played in eight games up until then.

Understand, I’m on the Brazilian Bandwagon for Santos. I’d like to see more of him. But unfortunately, after that stint he seems to have disappeared into the ozone again, playing two, five and three minutes in the last three games.

It has to be disconcerting for the players. And we know that Jonathan Kuminga did a little low-key grumbling about his uncertain playing time earlier in the year. And, no less than Steph Curry stepped up and said “He’s not wrong.”

Still, Kerr has the banners hanging on the wall, so it is doubtful he’s going to change. We may have to mark down “inconsistent rotation” as a Kerr quirk and move on.

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He’s also turned out to be very stubborn about giving young players some run. We know that the front office, also known as owner Joe Lacob, made it clear he was frustrated the Kuminga wasn’t getting more playing time.

And the only rotation poor Moses Moody has are head-spinning stretches in and out of the lineup.

Frankly, this one concerns me less. At this point Kerr has the experience and the clout to call the shots. He has a clear vision of the Warrior Way, and it appears to be the job of the players, especially the young ones, to buy in.

The truth is, Kuminga was taking too many threes. He was letting ball-handlers blow by him. Something happened, because he’s now attacking the rim and moving his feet on defense.

Is there a straight line from Kerr’s tough love to Kuminga’s improved play? Certainly seems possible.

Also, there’s rookie Brandin Podziemski, who has unexpectedly become Kerr’s Golden Boy. It seems pretty clear. If you buy into the Warrior model, and Podziemski has, you will get a chance to play.

On the plus side, Kerr is unfailingly optimistic. Even when the team was in the doldrums earlier in the year, he consistently emphasized that he “saw some good thing out there” and that he had a feeling they were “just about to turn it around.”

Optimism is an underrated trait in coaching. Players listen carefully to what is said in post-game interviews as they try to read the tea leaves. In all sports the season is a grind, with ample chances for self-doubt and paranoia.

Players appreciate an upbeat guy. And they respond. If you go all Rick Pitino on your players, you’re going to lose them.

(If you missed it, last week after a loss Pitino ripped into his players, some by name, calling them “slow . . . weak . . . disappointing.” An incredibly tone deaf rant.)

Kerr’s upbeat vibe permeates the roster. (Another example — and you will see it this year with the Giants — is manager Bob Melvin. He’s honest about his players, but he also makes a point to support them.)

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This leads to another Kerr-ism.

There was a story a year or so ago that said NBA executives were wary of trading for Miami Heat players. The reason, it was said, was that players played better for coach Eric Spoelstra than they did for anybody else.

Kerr’s got some of that going.Andre Iguodala was a cornerstone of the franchise when he was with Warriors, even winning an MVP. But when he went to the Grizzlies, it was a disaster. Then he came back to the Warriors and was a respected veteran again.

And just to settle the matter, we have Jordan Poole. He averaged 20+ points for the Warriors and was a key piece in the last championship. But after going to Washington, supposedly as a promising young piece of the puzzle, he has floundered.

Last week he was benched. The official word was that it would give Poole a chance to “find his game.” He’d better check Chase Arena because that’s where he left it.

And finally we run into the obvious problem with Kerr passing the torch . . .

To whom?

Are you going to find someone who has not only won four rings, but did it in the era of LeBron James, perhaps the most dominant player in the current NBA generation?

Also, let’s remember that this mystery person would be coming into a settled situation. The core of this team is baked in.

He or she would have to manage the sensitive ego of Klay Thompson, rein in wild horse Draymond Green and — most of all — earn the respect of Curry, who, I’ll bet, has more to say about moves in the franchise than we might think.

As long as Kerr is available and interested in the job, there is no other person.

We’re getting to the end of this show, but Kerr and Dubs have to believe they’ve got one more run in them. Why not keep the core — players and coaches — together for one last hurrah?

So Kerr is back with the Warriors.

Together again.

Naturally.

Contact C.W. Nevius at cwnevius@gmail.com. Twitter (I still call it that) @cwnevius