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Steve Kerr: Warriors not being in bubble is 'actually kind of painful'

The Golden State Warriors are one of the eight teams watching the conclusion of the NBA season from afar just like everyone else in the nation. With the worst record in the league at 15-50, the team was not included in the Disney World bubble in Orlando, Florida.

Coach Steve Kerr said at first, he and the rest of the team were OK with being left out. But now, seeing games, it’s painful to not be there.

Kerr: Warriors needed rest, but watching is painful

The Warriors stars are coming off of five consecutive seasons reaching the NBA Finals. It was a lot of extra games for the group. And they were without Stephen Curry for most of the season after he broke his left hand in October.

After a frustrating season and four months of quarantine, time away from it seemed good at first. Then, the games started.

“Obviously we were having a really rough season. It's been a grind this year,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” (H/T NBC Sports). “So when the Orlando thing happened, I don't think a lot of us were that disappointed to not be invited — especially Steph (Curry), Draymond (Green), Klay (Thompson). The guys needed a rest. They just needed to get away.

“But now that it's going — I talked to Draymond about it — Draymond and I kind of both feel the same way, which is we kind of want to be there. We're missing out. These games look fun. The NBA is doing a great job. The games are competitive. The players look great.

“To not be there actually is kind of painful.”

True competitors want to be in the game, even when injured or not their best. So it makes sense the Warriors want in now that games are underway.

There was a chance the Warriors would be part of a second bubble comprised of the eight teams not in Florida. That’s reportedly unlikely to happen. It would be an opportunity for competitive basketball so these teams weren’t taking nine full months away from the game.

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After five trips to the finals, the Warriors are tired and could use some rest. But even if the NBA had jumped straight to a postseason in the bubble — or played a regular season and playoff schedule in a non-pandemic world — it’s likely it also would have been painful to watch it go on without them.

Steve Kerr on the sideline with a sad face.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr called it 'painful' to not be in the NBA bubble. (AP Photo/John Hefti)

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