Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley wasn't a fan of the Golden State Warriors coaching themselves on the sideline, especially choosing a game against his 18-40 Suns to try out their antic.
The Warriors had been scuffing prior to their three-game win streak, losing three out of their last four games and notching two straight losses for the first time in the season. Despite winning two straight games coming into a home matchup against Phoenix, head coach Steve Kerr opted to recalibrate his operation by letting players take full rein and hold themselves accountable for their mistakes and their ensuing adjustments.
“It shows a lack of respect for an opponent, and maybe right now, we don’t deserve respect,” said Dudley, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes. “When you keep getting beat by 40, teams won’t respect you. But it’s up to us to change that.”
Kerr's experiment worked, as Golden State throttled a 46-point win over the Suns, their largest of the season.
If there was a team to try it against, it would be one of the bottom-dwelling teams in the West, especially with their star player, Devin Booker, still on the shelf for a fourth straight game.
Immediately after the game, Kerr approached Suns coach Jay Triano on the court, explaining his intentions.
“I told Jay afterward that it had nothing to do with being disrespectful,” Kerr said. “It had to do with me reaching my team.”
“I have not reached them for the last month. They're tired of my voice. I'm tired of my voice. It's been a long haul these last few years and I wasn't reaching them, and we just figured it was probably a good night to pull a trick out of the hat and do something different.”
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