Steve Kerr condemns ‘dirty play’ that left Gary Payton with fractured elbow

MEMPHIS (CBS SF/AP) — Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr didn’t mince words, the anger still clearly visible on his face after his team’s 106-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Dillon Brooks bone-shattering flagrant foul on Warriors guard Gary Payton had simply broken the code held dear by all NBA coaches and players.

“I don’t know if it was intentional, but it was dirty,” Kerr said. “And playoff basketball is supposed to be physical, everybody’s going to compete, everybody is going to fight for everything. But there’s a code in this league, there’s a code that players follow where you never put a guy’s season/career in jeopardy by taking somebody out in mid-air and clubbing him across the head, ultimately fracturing Gary’s elbow.”

Payton was going for a layup when Brooks chased him down and swung his arm, hitting the Warriors guard across the head.

The blow knocked Payton off balance. He fell to the ground and immediately grabbed at his left arm with 9:08 left in the first quarter. Officials reviewed the play and quickly ruled it a Flagrant 2, sending Brooks to the locker room.

X-rays revealed Payton had suffered a fractured elbow. His return to the playoffs is doubtful.

Told Kerr called Brooks’ flagrant foul dirty, Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said he just trusted the officials to make the call.

“They reviewed it,” Jenkins said. “They made their judgment, obviously (Brooks) made contact to the head. So going to trust what the refs did.”

It was a difficult end to what had been Payton’s most promising year after years of trying to find a spot on a NBA team’s roster. He was the last player cut, but was quickly resigned by the Warriors at the end of training camp.

His defensive quickness and leaping ability soon earned him regular playing time. In the Memphis series he was assigned to cover Ja Morant, who went for a career playoff tying 47 points in Tuesday night’s win without Payton on court.

“This is a guy toiling the last six years trying to make it in this league, finally found a home, just playing his butt off this year,” Kerr said. “In the playoffs, this should be the time of his life and a guy comes in and whacks him across the head in mid-air.”