The NBA season can be grueling. 82 games in a span of six months can take a toll on a players body and mind. With nagging injuries and thousands of miles traveled, it’s good to take a break from it all and re-energize yourself.
The Warriors have only played 10 games this season, but they haven’t played since Sunday and were given two days off this week. This gave them proper time to rest, but the Warriors have had problems with rust in the past. However, according to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, Steve Kerr is not worried about them being rusty when they play the Jazz on Friday night:
Another positive sign for Kerr was that the first practice for the Warriors after two days off was “great,” he said. The players had previously struggled to shake off rust after days off.
“I was surprised, actually,” said Kerr, who began the practice with an eight-minute scrimmage.
Said Bogut: “I think we’re professional enough to know that two days (off) were a gift, were nice, but we have to not take it for granted. We had a great practice.”
One can understand why a player would be rusty after a four day lay-off, but the Warriors are on a mission this season. They are determined to get over the hump and they cannot afford to show up to tomorrow’s game and let rust lower their chances of getting the victory.
Kerr has done a great job of managing this team and the players have really responded to him. Andrew Bogut spoke about being professionals and understanding the task at hand, which is win as many games as possible to give the Warriors a high seed in the West. They have to take it one game at a time and although the Jazz aren’t very good, they can’t underestimate their opponent.
The time off was nice, but it’s time to get back to business.