Steve Kerr revealed the Warriors’ internal beliefs and conditions amid Mike Brown’s shocking dismissal. Vivek Ranadive shook the NBA world with an unanticipated move to show Sactown’s trusted head coach the exit door, amidst their 5-game losing streak. Many, including the Denver Nuggets HC Michael Malone, criticized the franchise for the wildly cold dismissal. At the same time, the Bay Area side’s HC, who broke his silence on his friend’s situation, also provided a glimpse into the Dubs’ culture.

Ahead of the Clips challenge, Steve Kerr met the press, and a reporter asked the burning question about Mike Brown. He emotionally said, “Very disappointed to hear the news, Mike is a great friend and a great coach. Talked to him. And we all kinda know it’s the nature of the business. But it just seems shocking when a guy is the unanimous coach of the year, a year and a half ago.”

Kerr continued highlighting the change that Brown had brought to Sactown, saying, “When you think about where that franchise was before Mike got there, where they’ve been the last couple years, the job he and his staff have done, it’s really shocking… I know they’ve been in a tough spell, but this is the NBA. We all go through tough spells.” Despite having a stacked lineup involving De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan, the team currently stands in the 12th seed with a 13-18 record.

Following that, though, Steve Kerr hailed the Warriors‘ work culture, saying, “I feel very fortunate to work in an organization that really values continuity. That allows our team and our staff to get through the rough patches. Every team in the league is going to face these tough stretches like we’re going through right now.” There are multiple instances in recent years where the Dubs front office has shown immense trust in their players despite their rough patch.

Golden State Warriors ‘player empowerment’ in the Steve Kerr Era

The first instance that comes to our mind is the team’s decision to extend Klay Thompson‘s contract despite his season-ending injury. During the 2019 NBA Finals Game 6, Klay tore his ACL and was sidelined for the entire season. Despite losing the Finals and getting injured, the team signed a 5-year extension worth $190 million with the Splash Bro. Notably, during his recovery period, he suffered an Achilles injury as well, which further delayed his recovery. He finally returned to the floor for the 2021-22 season and ultimately won the fourth ring. A true example of faith paying off.

The most recent instance is with Andrew Wiggins. Following the 2022 Championship, the star forward didn’t have a great run in the following two seasons. Moreover, he missed huge chunks of games, citing personal reasons. Importantly, the star’s stats took a massive fall in the 2023-24 season by 3 ppg. Nevertheless, the team continued to ride with him despite the community’s calls to trade him. Guess what? Wiggs is putting on a great show, producing his best stat line in the last four seasons, averaging 17.5 ppg!

However, Steve Kerr dropped a cautionary heads-up also, saying, “I know I’m probably the exception rather than the rule when it comes to organizational support and continuity. That doesn’t mean it’s going to last forever, but it means I’ve been very lucky to coach here and work for this organization because it’s not easy. This job, this business, it’s pretty rough.” 

In the case of Steve Kerr, he hasn’t been the same after his generational run in the 2010s. But the team has continued to trust him, also extending his contract till the 2025-26 season. What do you make of the Dubs’ org valuing ‘continuity’? Let us know in the comments.