Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has expressed regret over his comments about Kristaps Porzingis’ medical woes.
Porzingis has played in only one game since the Warriors acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks before the Feb. 5 trade deadline. He was out again on Saturday due to what the team labeled as an illness, referring to Porzingis’ ongoing battle with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Per the Cleveland Clinic, POTS is a non-curable condition that causes a person to experience palpitations, dizziness, and fatigue when transitioning from lying down to standing up.
On Friday, Kerr appeared on a Bay Area radio show and revealed he had called Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh about Porzingis’ condition. Saleh supposedly told Kerr that “it’s actually not POTS” and called the diagnosis “some misinformation that was out there.”
When asked about those comments on Saturday, Kerr stated he was in no position to discuss the issue.
“I can’t really say anything more on it,” Kerr said, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “It’s a medical issue way beyond my capabilities explaining anything. He’s sick. He won’t play. We’ll keep monitoring him.”
Per the Cleveland Clinic, POTS is a non-curable condition that causes a person to experience palpitations, dizziness, and fatigue when transitioning from lying down to standing up.
Porzingis has been dealing with an illness since his final months with the Boston Celtics last season. The details surrounding his medical issues have been murky since then, and even Kerr seems befuddled by what’s been bothering his Latvian big man.
Porzingis remains out for the Warriors’ Monday game against the Los Angeles Clippers, marking his fifth straight contest sidelined due to illness.
