Gsw coach Steve Kerr issues mea culpa after questioning Kristaps Porziņģis' POTS diagnosis
Golden State coach Steve Kerr issued a public apology on Saturday after appearing to question Kristaps Porziņģis' medical situation, a development that leaves the 30-year-old big man's availability uncertain and keeps gsw monitoring his health closely.
Gsw coach's radio remarks and the subsequent apology
Kerr acknowledged he made a mistake after a Friday-night radio interview in which he downplayed the postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnosis that Porziņģis revealed last year. Kerr said it was "a stupid mistake" to discuss something he is not qualified to explain and said he regretted trying to analyze the diagnosis rather than leaving it to medical professionals. When pressed about specifics, Kerr described the situation as a medical issue beyond his capabilities and said Porziņģis was sick, would not play, and that the team would keep monitoring him.
What Kerr said on the radio and who he contacted
In the radio interview Kerr said he read about the POTS diagnosis after the trade and called Onsi Saleh, who is Atlanta's general manager, to inquire whether the POTS story was accurate. Kerr relayed that Saleh told him it was not POTS and characterized that earlier information as misinformation. Kerr then explained that whatever had been keeping Porziņģis out while with Atlanta was unrelated to the illness that caused him to miss recent games, describing the more immediate problem as a contagious sickness associated with significant fluid loss.
Porziņģis' health timeline and limited court time
Porziņģis was acquired at the trade deadline while dealing with an Achilles injury, which delayed his Golden State debut until Feb. 19. He has been a member of the team for more than three weeks but has played only one game. After debuting on Feb. 19 he missed three straight games with an illness, then did return to practice on Friday but remained out for Saturday's game, a 129-101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Saturday absence marked his fourth straight missed game because of illness.
POTS context and Porziņģis' own account
Porziņģis revealed that he had dealt with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, while with his previous team; POTS is described as a non-life-threatening blood circulation disorder in which symptoms can emerge when a person stands up. He discussed how the condition affected him in October in a lengthy interview, saying it hit him hard and impacted his breathing and overall performance. Since joining the Warriors, Porziņģis has praised the team's training staff and expressed confidence he can stay healthy, but the timetable for a return remains unclear.
Availability, roster implications and the near-term schedule
Kerr said an appearance in Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers was a possibility but also indicated uncertainty about Porziņģis' status for that home game. The coach has maintained that the organization would not have pursued acquiring Porziņģis if it did not believe he could be healthy long term. Porziņģis has played just 60 games over the last two seasons because of prior health issues, a factor the team considered when making the trade decision.
Broader injury notes and lingering questions
Kerr also noted conversations with injured veteran Stephen Curry but said he did not know when the 37-year-old would return; the context lists Curry as dealing with runner's knee for the past "mont" (unclear in the provided context). For now, the team is monitoring Porziņģis' recovery from the acute illness, tracking fluid loss and contagion concerns, and balancing short-term availability against longer-term plans for integrating the 7-foot center into the rotation.
Recent updates indicate the situation remains fluid: Kerr’s public apology narrowed the focus back to medical professionals for diagnosis, while Porziņģis’ limited appearances and ongoing illness leave gsw with immediate uncertainty and decisions to make ahead of upcoming games.
