The Golden State Warriors’ internal frustrations spilled over into the open earlier this week, when franchise owner Joe Lacob replied via email to a disgruntled Dubs fan. The screenshot, obviously, went viral, and now, one voice has come forward to defend the moment: head coach Steve Kerr.

“It’s not a big deal,” Kerr told reporters. “I’m not concerned about anything like that… I hate when people post private emails. Imagine if everyone’s emails were publicly posted. How tough that would be to live our lives?”

Kerr framed the situation not as controversy but as the byproduct of exceedingly high expectations.

The Warriors have leaned on Stephen Curry once again this season, and the losses have amplified scrutiny on the entire roster. Overall construction, rotation decisions, and whether the current group is good enough to go all the way have all come into question.

Kerr also shut down any suggestion of a disconnect between the coaching staff and the ownership, clarifying that both he and Lacob have a mutually supportive relationship. This matters because the Warriors‘ recent play has raised legitimate questions about their contention status.

Despite Curry producing at an elite level as usual, the team has struggled to close games, defend consistently, and generate reliable secondary scoring.

All of these problems have lingered throughout their recent losing stretch. They’ve lost four of their last six games, including two consecutive close losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Curry scored 39 points against the Timberwolves and 48 points against the Blazers, but none of his teammates scored above 16 in either game. Notably, Jimmy Butler struggled, going 9-22 in the two-game stretch, averaging just 15.5 points and 4.5 assists.

Butler, who is currently signed to a two-year, $110 million contract, is expected to be the secondary scorer alongside Curry, and his performance (or lack of it in this case) is the X-factor in their success or failure.

Fan Frustration, Joe Lacob’s Response, and the Jimmy Butler Question

The exchange that sparked everyone’s attention came from a fan pleading for change, putting Lacob on the spot about Curry being expected to carry a poorly constructed roster, and pointing to various issues.

“Team is [in] need [of] a real second option,” Justin Dutari wrote to the Warriors owner. “Jimmy’s tools are being underutilized because he is playing as a power forward due to the small position players. We have no true center. I am so frustrated.”

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Dutari reportedly found the email address through a quick search and immediately sent the message over. To his surprise, however, he found the correct email and Lacob responded in two minutes, telling the fan that he “can’t be as frustrated as me.”

The Warriors owner also further added some interesting comments:

“I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches’ desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”

Keen-eyed viewers might have noticed the comment about coaching desires. Many have speculated that this refers to the schism between management and coaching on forward Jonathan Kuminga, with Lacob often praising the wing, despite a lengthy contract holdout this offseason.

This, combined with Steve Kerr’s decision to completely remove the forward from the rotation, has reignited discussions about the tense dynamic within the organization.

After all, given Kuminga’s poor performance after a promising start, as well as multiple DNPs in the last few games, it seems that come January 15, the forward will be traded.