The Golden State Warriors made headlines after head coach Steve Kerr was seen handing the reigns over to small forward Andre Iguodala during their blowout win over the Phoenix Suns. Although Kerr has received praise for empowering his players, they have also taken their fair share of criticism for seemingly disrespecting their opponents.
Players and coaches alike have given their two cents on whether it is a common occurrence that plays out in the league. However, center Tyson Chandler has taken a tough love approach to the whole situation, according to Scott Bordow of azcentral.com:
“It’s the same thing in football when defenses get mad because they say you ran the score up. Stop them.That’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. You feel that way, come in here, work on your game, get better and make sure that s—t don’t happen again.”
Chandler's comments should come as no surprise considering his no-nonsense approach to the game of basketball. That said, it just goes to show some of the unwritten rules that exist in sports to this day.
In the NFL, it is often considered disrespectful to attempt to score when the game is out of reach. At the same time, there are those who feel holding back does more harm to the winning team than good in the long run. That situation seems to apply to the Warriors.
It is no secret that Golden State has not been playing well by their standards. As a result, Kerr's actions seem to be one of his more extreme measures to get the team on the right page before the All-Star break. Regardless, it is clear that the Suns have far more to worry about than what other teams are doing.