The Golden State Warriors are one of two undefeated teams left in the NBA so far this season (along with the Toronto Raptors.) Golden State has looked like world beaters to this point as they had an average margin of victory of 25 before beating the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday by four points. The Warriors have been able to do all of this without head coach Steve Kerr who is still recovering from back surgery and it is being reported now that he may not be back until after the All-Star break, according to James Herbert of CBS Sports.
During the game on Wednesday night J.A. Adande of ESPN reported that an anonymous player told him that he thinks Kerr isn't close to a return and February seems like a realistic return date.
"We had a chance to catch up with coach Kerr before the game and he still seemed very fatigued, told us he's dealing with headaches, is still heavily medicated. Yet he did get a chance to talk to the team after its 50-point victory over the Memphis Grizzlies the other day. He joked with them that, 'It's obvious you guys need me.' Now, they took that as a good sign his sense of humor was back. But he's still far away. In fact, one player told me they wouldn't be surprised if it takes him until after the All-Star break to return. And they're prepared to go that long without him," said Adande.
Kerr underwent surgery on his back to repair a spinal fluid leak in the offseason and was expected to just miss training camp and potentially be back for the regular season but that hasn't happened. Kerr is reportedly still in significant pain and since the team is doing so well that will likely be helpful in allowing him to take his time to recover.
In Kerr's absence Luke Walton has been coaching the team and gaining very valuable experience as a head coach. The team is so talented that regardless of the coaching situation they will still likely win a lot of games but the Warriors would still like to get their guy back on the sidelines at some point. If the anonymous player is right about the potential timetable Kerr would be back in February and be able to coach the team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
