Warriors' Steve Kerr: I'd Back Up Daryl Morey on China Comments If I Had Do-Over

Daryl Morey caught heat for supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last October, and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he wishes he had supported Morey at the time. 

Speaking to Candace Buckner of the Washington Post, Kerr said his response to Morey's comments last year was "really poor" and he would "back up" the Houston Rockets general manager if given the opportunity for a do-over:

As the NBA prepared to host two preseason games in China, Morey sent out a since-deleted tweet on Oct. 4 supporting the pro-democracy protests taking place in Hong Kong. 

Prior to a Warriors practice three days after Morey's tweet, Kerr didn't offer an opinion when asked about the situation during a press conference:

"It's a really bizarre international story, and a lot of us don't know what to make of it. So it's something I'm reading about just like everybody is, but I'm not going to comment further than that. 

"What I've found is that it's easy to speak on issues that I'm passionate about and that I feel like I'm well-versed on, and I've found that it makes the most sense to stick to topics that fall in that category. So I try to keep my comments to those things, and so it's not difficult. It's more I'm just trying to learn." 

The tweet caused a firestorm, including Chinese State television suspending NBA broadcasts and the Chinese Basketball Association suspending its relationship with the Rockets. 

In November, ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz reported the Rockets stood to lose $7 million this season and around $20 million total from canceled sponsorship deals in China. 

Morey issued an apology on Twitter, stating he "did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China" and said his comments were "my own and in no way represent the Rockets or the NBA."

Kerr has been one of the NBA's most outspoken head coaches, including criticizing President Donald Trump and speaking to Black Lives Matter activists in Oakland earlier this summer.