OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr attended Saturday’s practice leading up to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
It’s the first time Kerr has been at a home practice since he took a leave of absence in the middle of the first round to find a remedy for the pain he’s been dealing with stemming from back surgery he had almost two years ago.
For many on the team, it was the first time they had seen Kerr in nearly two weeks.
“It’s obviously great any time you get to hear his voice, see his face,” Stephen Curry said after practice. “He’s obviously been doing his homework in between. His downtime is to help us get prepared for the series and you know he misses being around the day-to-day routine, the atmosphere, practice and locker rooms and games and all that. So, for him to even just have the energy and ability to be here means a lot. Hopefully, he’s feeling better.”
Curry said Kerr was semiactive Saturday.
“He was one of the coaches in our pregame film, just giving his assessment of the series and things we need to do well,” he said. “Obviously, coach (Mike) Brown led most of it, but he was present.”
Brown said it was “great” to see Kerr at practice.
“For me, more than anything else, it was great to see him out here, especially during practice walking around, talking to guys,” Brown said. “You really enjoy that because he’s our leader. He’s the guy that laid the foundation and got everybody headed in the right directions. And so the more he can be around, the better feel that all of us have … it was good to see him out here today.”
Kerr also was present in a coaches’ meeting Friday.
The Warriors continue to say they do not know if Kerr will be back on the sideline this postseason.
Courtesy: ESPN.com
