NBA Rumors: Dubs Hoping Elite Eight Holds Up For Now

The Golden State Warriors are facing a crisis and head coach Steve Kerr has his hands tied. Losing key players and dealing with injuries to current stars, the Dubs find themselves in a bind.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kerr had to deal with an eight-man rotation. He calls them the Elite Eight, with stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell out of commission. It explains their cellar-dwelling 3-15 2019-20 NBA season start.

Unable to add more players because of the sign-and-trade deal for Russell, Kerr is unfazed with what he has to work with. He lauds his Elite Eight for holding up - even if they are hardly a shade of the successful Dubs squad that performed well the past five seasons.

"So for us to be doing this almost routinely now is, I've never seen it. So it's a testament to the group, the Elite Eight, that I like to call them. The Elite Eight's doing a hell of a job hanging in there," said Kerr in a report from ESPN.

Kerr admits that he could have used Green or Russell against the Thunder. Kevon Looney would have suited up as well. Rather, the five-time NBA champion coach seems to be taking a cautious approach. He does not want to force the issue and rush key players back to action.

As things stand now, Kerr wants his stars to return if they are 100-percent ready for battle. In the meantime, he will rely on the Elite Eight. Admitting that he needs bodies on the floor, the 54-year-old head coach knows he has to find ways to make things work. Kerr can't recall a time where things were worse.

"I think it's important to keep accentuating the positives. We've gotten a lot better the last few weeks. And [it's] not easy playing with eight guys. The effort was there and the defensive consistency has improved dramatically," said Kerr in a report by Omnisport.

The Warriors will host the Chicago Bulls next on Nov. 27 at the Chase Center starting at 10:30 p.m. E.T. Golden State is hoping to snap a three-game losing streak.