Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr tested positive for COVID-19, which means Mike Brown will coach the Warriors during Game 5 in Memphis.
This week, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr tested positive for COVID-19, which has officially sidelined him for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals series.
Kerr did not travel with the Warriors team to Memphis, and Mike Brown was named to make coaching calls in Kerr’s absence. Brown also coached the Warriors in Game 4 due to Kerr’s COVID diagnosis.
The Warriors did win Game 4, but the victory was narrow, even with Grizzlies star Ja Morant sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury from Game 3. In Game 4, the Warriors won 101-98, and Warriors fans are concerned that coaching decisions could have influenced the score.
One of the biggest takeaways from Game 4 was the observation that Damion Lee played over Jonathan Kuminga, a coaching decision that puzzled basketball fans.
Although Kerr made this decision earlier in the series, Brown reinforced it in Game 4. It’s worth noting that when Kerr coached, Kuminga saw 15 minutes in Game 1, 14 minutes in Game 2, and 18 minutes in Game 3. In Game 4, Kuminga saw 5 minutes, while Damion Lee saw 13 minutes.
Steve Kerr set to miss Game 5 in Memphis as Mike Brown coaches Warriors
It’s been a week of major changes for the Warriors coaching staff, represented by a whirlwind turn of events for Brown ahead of Game 4.
As the Monterey Herald’s Shayna Rubin reported, Brown officially signed on to be the new Sacramento Kings head coach on Monday morning, inking a four-year deal with the nearby team. Then, a few hours before Game 4 tipoff, Brown learned that Kerr tested positive for COVID-19 and would be unavailable to coach.
According to one Twitter user, Brown’s decision to play Lee could be a conspiracy with the league to push the 3-1 series to seven games for more exciting basketball.
More likely than not, it’s simply a confounding personnel decision that has NBA fans wary of what Brown will bring to Sacramento.
However, Kerr isn’t worried: he praised Brown after his recent hiring, saying that “Sacramento made a great choice.”
All in all, most of the Warriors-Grizzlies games have been close this series, so without Kerr to make critical decisions, the Warriors could end up 3-2 if Damion Lee stays in over Kuminga and Moses Moody.