Keith Smart Fired from Warriors

[jackson_34]

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/04/27/warriors-keith-smart-fired.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

This seems really bizarre, granted the Warriors were not the best team, they still had potential to become a decent squad in a year or three.

I just watched an episode of Real NBA that was dedicated to the Warriors season this year and the owners and players seemed very happy with Smart. I think one of the owners even said, he knew it would take some time to get on track and they were really happy with the direction Smart was taking the team.

[Who]

It's been coming for awhile.

The owner was completely non-committal to keeping Keith Smart in multiple interviews towards the end of the regular season ... he did everything but say that he was going to fire Smart as soon as the season was over.

Several of their beat writers in the area had been reporting this as pretty much a forgone conclusion for the past month.

[Lucky17]

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/04/27/warriors-keith-smart-fired.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

This seems really bizarre, granted the Warriors were not the best team, they still had potential to become a decent squad in a year or three.

I just watched an episode of Real NBA that was dedicated to the Warriors season this year and the owners and players seemed very happy with Smart. I think one of the owners even said, he knew it would take some time to get on track and they were really happy with the direction Smart was taking the team.

I don't know. I didn't watch many W's games, but I heard that there may have been some friction between Smart and Curry.

New owners will want to put their own stamp on the team. Smart may have done an OK job, but I think he wasn't their man for the job.

[Who]

The main complaint that I saw was Steph Curry being kept on a shorter leash and having his playing time reduced to 33.5 minutes a game. He was benched late in the fourth quarter a few times.

I don't know. I didn't watch many W's games, but I heard that there may have been some friction between Smart and Curry.

Steph Curry did publicly say he wanted his coach back next season for whatever that is worth.

I'm thinking the problem was more the ownership's view of Smart's handling of Curry rather than between Curry and Smart themselves. That they felt Curry wasn't been developed properly.

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I imagine they were also unsatisfied with their team's continued struggles defensively (26th in def eff) and on the backboards (last in the league, again!). Especially after they spent $80 million on David Lee (rebounds).

Oh, and GSW did improve by +5rpg in terms of rebounding differential. Still were the worst in the league (-4.3 per game) ... that is how bad they were they year before (-9.7 per game).

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There were also some complaints about Epke Udoh's role/minutes earlier in the year. Not sure if they lasted though. That the ownership wanted to see him on the court more. He did seem to get a fair bit of playing time, and several starts, to close the year. So that complaint might be outdated.

[Lucky17]

The main complaint that I saw was Steph Curry being kept on a shorter leash and having his playing time reduced to 33.5 minutes a game. He was benched late in the fourth quarter a few times.

Yep, that's what I was alluding to. Curry seems to be a cornerstone of the franchise; he should be logging major minutes.

[Who]

I'd love to see Mike D'Antoni in Golden State. I think he'd do wonders for Steph Curry.

Pity New York won't be firing him (like they should).

[Section 87]

I wonder how many people remember Keith Smart's career as a professional player in this area. He played for the Worcester Counts (in the World Basketball League) in 1989, when the Counts played almost a full season at the Centrum in Worcester before they folded just before the playoffs. They finished last (5th) while the other four teams in the league went on to the playoffs. As I recall, Youngstown beat Calgary (including former Celtic Carlos Clark) in the finals that year.

A few years later, the league folded after relevations of a money-laundering scam, but the Counts were long gone. Smart had moved to the expansion team in Halifax.

The Counts' assistant coach was Norm Van Lier, who remained in the area after the Counts folded, coaching at a private school.