The Golden State Warriors have had a strange vibe to them all season. Most recently, they have struggled a bit with forward Kevin Durant sitting injured on the sidelines.
Most recently, the Warriors lost a close contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves after overcoming a 17-point deficit. After the loss, head coach Steve Kerr revealed that several Warriors players (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Iguodala) would sit out Saturday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Iguodala was told of the plan by reporters in his post-game scrum and had an interesting response.
Iguodala, when told he and the rest of the main guys are resting tomorrow: "No clue. Do what master says."
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) March 11, 2017
Iguodala’s answers throughout the session were all strange. Some NSFW language follows.
Couple interesting postgame Andre Iguodala quotes tonight pic.twitter.com/4F44eZnVtM
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 11, 2017
This is all coming out of the blue. Iguodala has been known to speak his mind on multiple occasions (he is a generally well-spoken person but is not afraid to make some news) and the Warriors’ relationship with their head coach has sometimes been less than perfect.
But for Iguodala to use a term with obvious racial implications showcases some serious allegations, whether it’s towards Kerr or someone else. His usage of the N-word in previous responses adds to the seriousness of his interview.
Iguodala later told ESPN’s Chris Haynes that he did not mean the comments to be directed at Kerr. Regardless, it’s difficult not to look at his comments and wonder what caused them. According to him, it was a joke:
Spoke w/ @Andre Iguodala about "master" comment. He made it clear that in no way was he referring to Steve Kerr. Was an inside locker joke.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 11, 2017
It’s hard to draw any conclusions about where Iguodala’s frustrations are rooted in. It’s obvious that it’s not just about the team’s top players being rested – he had started giving the strange responses before being told that he would be sitting. Is it part of a larger feud with Kerr? Is it something much more serious that we don’t know about and can’t make any predictions on? Or is it really a joke that Iguodala felt comfortable relaying to the media?
It’ll be interesting to see how the league office handles this situation and whether or not using the N word is grounds for a fine.
Stay tuned for any updates in the form of a statement from Iguodala, Kerr, or the Warriors.
