OAKLAND -- After meeting last week with his father, Jeff McCaw, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr, second-year guard Pat McCaw requested a temporary demotion.
He's leaving the NBA for a few days to spend some time with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors.
"I just asked if I could go down there and get some consistent run in, get up and down and get my conditioning right," he said after practice Wednesday. "Just play."
He'll report to Santa Cruz on Friday.
While this move doesn't prohibit the possibility of McCaw being included in a trade ahead of the deadline at noon Thursday, it would seem to diminish the likelihood.
"It'll be great for him to get some shots," Kerr said. "Most games, he only gets a couple shots up. And he plays limited minutes. It's hard to emerge from a slump or a funk or whatever when you're only getting a couple shots a game.
"Patrick's been great defensively. He's somebody I believe in and we believe in, as an organization. He's got a bright future, but he needs to play more."
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After a solid rookie season during which he started 20 games, McCaw has struggled to earn minutes behind starters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. His field-goal percentage is similar, at 44 percent, but his 3-point shooting is declined from 33.3 percent to 24.6. Moreover, his efficiency rating of 8.6 is the lowest on the team.
The diminished effectiveness clearly has damaged McCaw's confidence.
"I'm a big perfectionist guy; I don't like making mistakes at all," he said. "Having that on my shoulders as well as trying to go out there and make sure I'm doing the right thing, it's kind of tough to play like that."
McCaw's minutes have fluctuated wildly, from a high of 28 to a couple DNP-CDs.
Kerr has expressed his hope that either Nick Young or McCaw seize the backup minutes at shooting guard. Young is making more an offensive impact, while McCaw has been better on defense, but neither has affirmed his role in the rotation.
Kerr concurred with McCaw's suggestion.
"He was glad I brought it up," McCaw said. "He kind of feels where I'm coming from. As a coach and as a player, that's what you want to see. I was glad he kind of embraced it and liked the idea and now it gives me a better feel that he understands how I feel about it."
