Steve Kerr was in the building Wednesday night as the Warriors stayed unbeaten and knocked off the Clippers. But again he was not on the sidelines guiding the Warriors as coach, that was left to Luke Walton. Kerr is still recovering from multiple back surgeries over the summer, and there is no date for his return.
It could be as late as the All-Star break according to one anonymous Golden State player?
ESPN’s J.A. Adande had sideline duties for the broadcast and when talking about Kerr said this:
"(Kerr) 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.”
Kerr needs to take as long as he needs to get healthy — basketball isn’t going anywhere, and it will be there when he gets back. And as noted, the Warriors are 5-0 and outscoring opponents by 22.1 points per 100 possessions — they are doing just fine without him. Stephen Curry can knock down threes whether or not Kerr is on the sidelines.
Eventually, they will need him to push the right buttons and help guide them through the playoffs — Kerr was on a Bulls team that repeated as champions, he gets it — but they don’t have to have him back right now. He needs to get his back right.