Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Andre Iguodala recommended JaVale McGee
The coach also said the center has a 'real chance' to make the team
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Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Wednesday that center JaVale McGee, who has a non-guaranteed minimum contract with the team, was "highly recommended" by swingman Andre Iguodala. McGee and Iguodala both played for the 2012-13 Denver Nuggets, who won 57 games and lost to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
From the Mercury News' Tim Kawakami:
-Q: Do you think JaVale McGee have a shot at making this team?
-KERR: I do. I think JaVale has a real chance here. We'll see how he plays in camp.
But he comes highly recommended by Andre, who played with him in Denver. I think this is a really good opportunity for him, because he's playing with a talented group of players and a really good environment... in which there's nobody like him on the roster.
I think he's got a chance and we'll give him every opportunity to play.
People will probably laugh at this. Iguodala is known as one of the smartest basketball minds in the league, and McGee is known as the guy who appears on Shaqtin' a Fool all the time. While Iguodala is often lauded for his ability to calm Golden State down on both ends when he's on the court, McGee's mere presence can lead to chaos -- he's always in danger of turning the ball over, and he will sacrifice defensive positioning to chase blocks.
Why, then, would Iguodala think that the Warriors should give McGee a shot? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the two were teammates the last time that McGee was healthy and in an NBA rotation for a full season. Perhaps it has to do with McGee's specific tools and the construction of Golden State's roster. The things he does well -- shot-blocking, rebounding, finishing alley-oops the way that only the most athletic 7-footers can -- are precisely the things the Warriors need from a backup center.
There's no guarantee McGee will stay healthy and fit in with this Golden State team. If McGee can be the best version of himself, though, he will bring some attributes that can't be found elsewhere on the roster. It sounds like Iguodala knows a good gamble when he sees one.
