DeMarcus Cousins didn’t mince words when discussing his former coach, Steve Kerr.
On Monday’s episode of “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV, Cousins criticized the message Kerr sent to the Warriors and their fans about the franchise’s championship outlook.
“I don’t like it one bit,” Cousins noted. “If this was a player saying this, how it would be viewed? This doesn’t instill confidence in your locker room. To me it actually shows who is the real problem in this situation.”
Kerr’s comments came during a recent appearance on the “Tom Tolbert Show,” where he pushed back on the idea that Golden State should expect to compete for championships every season.
“I just don’t want anybody to think that we’re all disillusioned and we’re thinking like, ‘Hey, we should be competing for titles year in and year out with San Antonio and Oklahoma City the next year,'” Kerr added. “That’s not realistic.”
Cousins took issue with that framing, arguing that publicly lowering expectations undermines belief within the team and reflects broader leadership concerns.
“You’re speaking down on your team,” Cousins emphasized. “You’re not really instilling confidence in this group … It’s obvious why you’re in this position that you’re in now with this group. But this type of message, this type of energy, this type of lack of confidence in your group, it’s only going to spread with the rest of the guys.”
Cousins, who spent the 2018-19 NBA season with Golden State, also questioned whether Kerr would be judged differently than a player making similar remarks.
“If the roles were reversed and this was a player speaking in this way, his name would be tarnished,” Cousins explained. “So I think the same thing applies to this coach. I disagree with everything he says.”
While Kerr emphasized perspective and process as the Warriors navigate the later stages of their dynasty, Cousins made it clear he sees the situation differently — believing that confidence, especially when spoken publicly, must start at the top.
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