The Warriors’ season is officially in crisis mode. Already juggling injuries up and down the roster, Golden State now finds itself without Stephen Curry, who will miss All-Star weekend despite being named a Western Conference starter. With their superstar sidelined and the standings tightening, the uncomfortable question has started circulating around the league: should the Warriors consider pulling the plug and tanking?

Head coach Steve Kerr isn’t entertaining that idea for a second.

“We’re desperately trying to win not only each game, but put ourselves in the position to be healthy for the playoffs,” Kerr told reporters ahead of the team’s game tonight. “We’re actually in the habit of trying to preserve our guys for the betterment of our record. And every team that faces their own circumstances, and I’m going to deal with ours and let everybody else deal with theirs.”

Kerr discussed managing injuries, noting that veterans like Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford must be used carefully, especially given their advanced age. In moments like those, the team needs to be able to rely on their young players, something that Golden State has struggled with throughout the season.

The Warriors’ precarious hold on the 8th seed at 29-25 is now in serious jeopardy. The team is not only without Stephen Curry, who is sidelined with Runner’s Knee until after the All-Star break, but also missing newly acquired Kristaps Porzingis dealing with Achilles tendinopathy and a flare-up of POTS, something he’s dealt with for the last few years.

The conversation about tanking matters because of how poorly the season is going. This season, the Warriors were expected to be premier contenders with the duo of Curry and Jimmy Butler, but with Butler’s ACL injury ruling him out for the season following a rough start to the season, things have shifted.

Steve Kerr Explains League-Wide Tanking, Warriors’ Playoff-First Approach

When asked about the tanking taking place around the league, Kerr had an interesting answer. He acknowledged that tanking happens for multiple reasons, and this season’s circumstances have led to many teams leaning in that direction.

“A lot of teams are – injuries, starting rebuilds, that sort of thing,” Kerr told reporters. “I know the league is really concerned about it, as they should be. It’s not good for the fans and the league itself. And they’re considering everything a really tough issue.”

The conversation around tanking has a lot of momentum right now, especially as the worst teams around the league try to keep losing games. Teams like the Utah Jazz and the Washington Wizards have been accused of intentionally putting themselves in a position to lose, and a recent game between the Jazz and Orlando Magic.

The Jazz led this game 94-87 going into the fourth quarter that night, with stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. combining for 49 points to that point. Neither of them played a single minute in the fourth, and Utah ended up losing the game by three.

Some consider tanking an unethical practice that betrays the spirit of competition, and the NBA flattening lottery odds hasn’t helped the issue around the league.