Despite the absence of Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors have played extremely well under interim head coach Luke Walton. There has been no dropoff with Walton coaching as the Warriors won their first 19 games and are off to the best start in NBA history.
Still recovering from back surgery, Kerr has been advising Walton and staying involved with the Warriors and is quite happy with how his team is playing. However, don’t expect Golden State’s early-season success to make Kerr come back anytime soon. Talking with Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, Kerr says that he will only come back when he is feeling better.
“I’m extremely proud of Luke and the whole staff and all of the players,” Kerr said in a phone conversation. “It’s just incredible what they’ve done, and it speaks to confidence of the group and to the continuity from winning the championship and taking that to the next step.”
“I’m thrilled watching our play and to watch individual players succeed,” Kerr said. “It makes me happy, but it’s also very, very difficult, because I’m not there. Just being part of the team is something I miss. There’s no question that there’s part of me that feels I’m missing out, and that’s frustrating.”
Kerr said his back feels fine, but he’s still having headaches and other side effects from the surgeries. He said there is still no timetable for his return.
“When I feel better, I’ll come back and coach,” Kerr said. … “That’s the hardest thing: You don’t know when you’re going to feel better.”
Kerr should probably take as long as needs to get better. His health, not the Warriors, should be his No. 1 priority.
Plus, it’s not like Golden State is missing him too much as Walton is using Kerr’s principles and system to perfection. The Warriors are undefeated and showing no signs of slowing down, so Kerr has plenty of time to rest up before returning.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
