Eddie House doesn’t buy Steve Kerr’s claim that he couldn’t fit Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in his rotation at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Kerr recently said that his currently undefeated Warriors team is “as deep as a team as I’ve ever coached,” which upset House because he believes Golden State has had better teams in the past, and the past summer’s Team USA roster was loaded.
On Saturday’s edition of NBC Sports Boston’s “Celtics Pregame Live,” House critiqued Kerr for Tatum’s slim international opportunities.
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“I don’t believe [Kerr] at all,” House said. “You got to remember that, in 2016-17, [the Warriors] had Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Shaun Livingston, Andre Iguodala; we could go on and on and on and on. That probably was the deepest Warriors team that he’s ever coached. They won 73 games the year before that … and they got a little deeper when they got KD.
“So when I hear [Kerr] say that (he couldn’t find Olympic minutes for Tatum), I can’t believe him.”
Eddie House has a problem with Steve Kerr benching Jayson Tatum in the Olympics
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 26, 2024
He doesn't believe that Kerr couldn't have fit him into the rotation pic.twitter.com/Ja76TEmUmP
Tatum averaged 17.7 minutes per Olympic game and endured two DNPs-CDs. House argued that Kerr’s experience managing Warriors teams with multiple Hall of Famers should’ve helped the coach find more time for Tatum.
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Kerr was criticized throughout the summer trials for his fluctuating rotation and what some considered favoritism, negligence or incompetence. At the end of the day, though, the Americans brought home gold, meaning Kerr got the job done.
That fact isn’t good enough for House. The 2008 NBA champion with Boston doesn’t understand why Kerr can find time to play whom he considers to be end-of-the-bench Golden State reserves while Tatum, who helped the Celtics to a 2024 finals victory, couldn’t have a longer leash.
“There’s no way I believe that,” House reiterated. “And also, he’s coming off the Olympics. He just coached the best players from the United States of America. And you’re saying you can go 12 deep with [the Warriors] but not with that team? It’s not even 12 deep; you can’t go eight or nine deep to put Jayson Tatum in?
“To me, I don’t know what Steve Kerr is saying. I like what he does [with Golden State], and I like the stance that he has and how he coaches. And for that matter, don’t lie to me, man.”
Kerr probably hasn’t lost any sleep over his handling of Tatum. What’s done is done and things could have been worse for Tatum.
He spent a summer in Paris with fellow NBA stars and two Celtics teammates -- Jrue Holiday and Derrick White -- and won his first gold medal just weeks after winning his first ring.
It seems House just wants the best for Tatum. And, fortunately for the 26-year-old wing, he should have future Olympic experiences down the line.