Steve Kerr was a first year head coach last season with the Golden State Warriors and he led them to 67 regular season wins and the NBA Championship. Based on that you would think this offseason for Kerr has been a great one but it hasn't as he has had multiple back surgeries and has been in recovery all offseason. Kerr will take a leave of absence from the team as he will need time to rehab and recover, according to ESPN.
Kerr ruptured a disk in his back during game five of the NBA Finals and has since had two surgeries for the injury, one in July and one in September. Kerr was present at the beginning of Warriors training camp but he realized that he wasn't ready to coach the season.
"After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season, As I noted last week, my summer was difficult and no fun due to the multiple back surgeries. At this point, I simply want to get healthy and back to my normal daily routine on and off the court," said Kerr.
The Warriors are unsure how long Kerr will have to miss as he rests and rehabs but in his stead Luke Walton will take over as the interim head coach. Earlier this offseason Walton was promoted to the associate head coach position after Alvin Gentry, who held that position last season, left to become the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. Walton has no previous head coaching experience in the NBA but he may have to learn on the fly.
The hope as of right now for the Warriors is that Kerr will be back for the regular season opener on October 27th but they will not put a timetable on his return. Walton will run the show while Kerr is out and hopes to "keep the ship moving in the right direction" until Kerr is healthy enough to come back.
