The Warriors came up short in their pursuit of LeBron James, and it’s unclear exactly how close they came to landing him. In Golden State coach Steve Kerr’s opinion, not close at all.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater, in an appearance Tuesday on “NBA Today,” shared what Kerr told him in a conversation after James chose to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers last week.
“I didn’t even think we were realistically in the running for LeBron,” Kerr told Slater. “It’s just that everyone kept saying we were. It never seemed serious to me despite all the reports.”
In the final two weeks leading up to James’ long-awaited decision, there was plenty of reporting that the Warriors were not optimistic about their chances to land the 22-time NBA All-Star, and Kerr’s comments to Slater seemingly confirm that.
Despite initially being viewed as the favorites to sign James once he left the Los Angeles Lakers, other teams, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Philadelphia leapfrogged Golden State as the most likely suitors, in the court of public opinion.
And likely,...