“Benching Klay for a Rookie will haunt this team”: Warriors fans react to Steve Kerr raving about Klay Thompson's sixth-man role

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr startled NBA fans with his decision to bench Warriors' veteran star Klay Thompson in favor of rookie Brandin Podziemski in recent games. Fans took to social media to express concern over the decision in support of Thompson.

"Kerr benching Klay for a rookie that can't score will haunt this team," a fan tweeted.

Thompson's benching came after his slip in judgment during the Warriors' matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 14. With 38 seconds remaining and the Clippers leading 126-123, Klay Thompson intentionally fouled Russell Westbrook in the close game which helped the Clippers push the lead to five.

"We didn't want a foul," Steve Kerr said after the loss. "We're down three with 38 seconds, so it's an obvious defend and just play it out and get a rebound, and then it's a one-possession game."

The game concluded 130-125 in favor of the Clippers with Thompson registering 12 points. Moreover, the four-time NBA champion's performance looked particularly unflattering when compared to Podziemski, who recorded a career-high 25 points in the loss.

Thompson did not start in the Warriors's next matchup against the Utah Jazz and has been benched in favor of the rookie since. It was the first time the splash brother did not start in a game since his rookie 2011-12 season.

In a post-game interview after being benched in the Warriors' victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 5, Klay Thompson opened up about being benched down the stretch.

"To go from one of the best players…It's hard for anybody," Thompson said.

"I've accepted it," he added. "You can be mad, but I'm not gonna be mad. I'm happy for these young guys, obviously."

Steve Kerr reviews Warriors' loss to Knicks

With the end of the regular season approaching, the Golden State Warriors failed to pull off a much-needed win against the underhanded New York Knicks on Monday, who were missing key players such as Julius Randle and OG Anunoby.

After the loss, the Warriors slipped back to tenth spot in the Western Conference. They have only won five of their last 10 games and are four games behind from making it out of the play-in tournament.

According to Steve Kerr, the loss was not because of a lack of effort, but a matter of simply not being good enough.

"I don't think it's a lack of effort," Kerr said in the post-game interview.

"I think we weren't good enough. It's that simple. We just did not play well enough. It's disappointing because we have these three home games here this week and we wanted to get off on the right track, but that's a really good team and they just outplayed us. Simple as that."

The Warriors lost to the Knicks on their home ground. They've been a bad team at home this season. After their loss, the Warriors are now 17-18 at home, which contributes to the Warriors not being in a better position with 15 games left in the regular season.

"It's always important to control your home floor," Steve Kerr said.

"This has been a strange season in that regard. We've been good at home for a long time, and just haven't been able to establish that dominance at home. That's what's keeping us from climbing up in the standings."

The Warriors will look to revive their momentum with a win against the Memphis Grizzlies at home on Wednesday. After that, the Warriors will host the Indiana Pacers before a grueling and crucial five-game road trip in Minnesota, Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, and San Antonio.