The star-studded series also features rare interviews with Jordan and Pippen about Longley as well as the towering Australian’s former Bulls teammate Steve Kerr and coach Phil Jackson. Longley has, until now, declined to comment publicly on The Last Dance, which detailed Jordan’s influence on the all-conquering Bulls team and the brash operation run by then-general manager Jerry Krause.
Steve Kerr Rumors
Rod Beard: Team USA assistant Steve Kerr said that Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday — fresh off the NBA Finals — will arrive in Japan on Saturday, just ahead of Sunday’s opener vs. France.
The show found an early supporter in someone else who believes that winning should be fun, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who tweeted his praise for the series when most people were ready to dismiss it. He also has another reason to be a fan: One of his children happens to work at “Ted Lasso.” “If there is a lesson on the show, it is that culture beats scheme,” Kerr said in an email. “The guy knows nothing about soccer but he has created a great atmosphere with the club that leads to winning.”
“The most interesting thing [about the NBA Finals] has been watching Deandre Ayton,” Kerr said Thursday afternoon on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon, Ratto & Kolsky” show. “I talk to James and text him. I’m just so inspired by what Ayton has been able to do. And I think there’s no reason why James can’t follow that same path. “[The Suns] really streamlined his game. You think back a couple years ago and he was kind of all over the map. You could tell how gifted he was, but you weren’t exactly sure what he was. They’ve figured it out.
“I’m watching Ayton quite a bit and I’m thinking a lot about how we can use James and simplify the game and make him really effective for us next year.” Ayton is averaging 15.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 0.8 steals through 20 playoff games, while shooting 68 percent overall and 69 percent from the free throw line. He also has vastly improved as a defender, which is something the Warriors definitely will need from Wiseman.
EVERY COACH IN the league had to find a way to talk to players about everything they’d be signing up for this season. From daily testing — which was more like three times a day during the height of the surge in January — to the lack of personal freedom on the road to restrictions on how many family members and friends they could see. “We actually talked to the team about [the safety protocols] many times during the season,” Kerr says. “‘Yeah, this sucks, but you really have to put it in perspective and remember how fortunate we are to be working.”
