The concept of shrinking the NBA’s schedule has been something of a hobby horse for Steve Kerr. The Warriors coach has raised the subject many times over the years, including on a podcast appearance just last week.
But his latest plea apparently caught the attention of Stephen A. Smith.
“I did not see it,” Kerr said Tuesday before Golden State hosted the Bulls, when informed he had inspired the hot-take artist. “No, he was not kind to me?”
No, the ESPN personality did not agree with Kerr. He didn’t even give him the benefit of the doubt. On Tuesday morning’s episode of “First Take,” Smith said he was “incredibly disappointed” to hear Kerr advocate for a 72-game schedule.
Smith went so far as to call Kerr “hypocritical” while citing the NBA’s new $7 billion per season media-rights deal that took effect this season. “When you never talk about giving the money back, but you talk about giving some of the workload back,” he said, “that is more than hypocritical. And that’s where the disappointment lies.”
The problem with Smith’s argument is that Kerr has been quite honest about the financial realities of his vision. Kerr acknowledged in the comments that caught Smith’s attention that revenue would take a hit, and he reiterated that point again before Tuesday’s game.
“I know it’s a question of revenue. I’m not an idiot,” Kerr said. “Everybody would have to agree (that) to improve the product we would have to make less revenue. Not really an American concept anymore. I’m just of the belief that it should be.”
Kerr’s initial comments came in response to a question before the Warriors’ game Monday in Utah. A reporter asked what he would do if he were in Adam Silver’s seat.
Kerr, of course, has never been shy about weighing in on everything from the NBA’s tanking problem to the politics of President Trump and the country’s gun violence epidemic.
“I know it’s a controversial subject,” Kerr said of the schedule. “But I’m going to keep speaking my mind because I think it’s important.”
As far as on-the-court issues, Kerr believes playing fewer games would solve a lot.
“I think limiting the schedule would encompass a lot of issues: Player health, player availability, tanking — I think all of that stuff would improve,” Kerr said. “Quality of play would improve. We don’t practice much at all. If we had those extra days for practice and a fresher team, the quality of the product would be better.”
The problem, Kerr pointed out, is that sacrificing money to quality goes against the country’s capitalist ethos, which he implied prioritizes profits above all else.
“I think quality is going to matter long-term. I think for the long-term health of the league, we need to think about this,” Kerr said. “… Just having more of something doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to make more money if the product isn’t good.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
