Like many Warriors fans, 27-year-old Justin Dutari was feeling frustrated after the team’s 136-131 loss to the Trail Blazers last Sunday. Despite Steph Curry scoring 48 points in his second game back from injury, the Warriors still couldn’t garner the win and instead fell to 13-14 on the season.
So Dutari decided to do something about his frustration. He ended up emailing Warriors owner Joe Lacob to vent, saying, "Dear Joe, Please do something about this team. What [does] Steph [Curry] need to do every night to win? Drop 50 points? Team is [in] need [of] a real second option. Jimmy [Butler'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. Thanks, Justin.”
Much to his surprise, Dutari received a response from Lacob just two minutes later. Lacob emailed back, “You can’t be as frustrated as me. I am working on it. It’s complicated. Style of play. Coaches desires regarding players. League trends. Jimmy is not the problem.”
Dutari ended up sharing the email exchange on Reddit, helping it go viral. The SF Gate confirmed through Warriors spokesperson Raymond Ridder that the reply did indeed come from Lacob.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was notably critical of his own coaching following the loss to Portland. "We gave up 24 points off turnovers, so we've got to find a way to connect the game,” Kerr told reporters. “That's my job. I'm not doing my job well this year, and we're 13-14. We have enough talent to be much better. We're losing all these close games, so I've got to find a way to help these guys."
The Warriors will look to rebound from two straight losses when they next take the court on Thursday against the Suns. In the process, they’ll try to ease some of the frustrations of Dutari and the rest of the fanbase.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Warriors Owner Surprised Frustrated Fan With Honest Email Reply About Team’s Struggles.