Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently was forced to take a leave of absence due to back problems. Those issues may not be going away for a while. While his players have been very supportive, as expected, they are also preparing for a playoff run without him according to Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Draymond Green simply wants the best for his head coach, but also understands the reality of the situation. “We hope and pray Steve gets better, and can come back, but at the end of the day, his health is more important than anything,” Green said. “So we’re here in support of him. We know how bad he wants to be here and how bad we’d love for him to be here. But he needs to take care of himself, and whether it’s this year or next year that he’s back, we’re ready. We’re going to approach these entire playoffs as if Steve isn’t coming back. I think it’s a lot easier to adjust if we hear otherwise and he’s back on the bench.”
Kerr announced prior to Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers that he required time off. Assistant coach Mike Brown assumed coaching duties and the Warriors promptly swept Portland. They came back and won Game 3 by six points and dismantled the Blazers in Game 4, which included a 45-point first quarter.
Not having Steve Kerr on the sidelines clearly does not help the Warriors, but the drop-off may not be as steep as one would imagine. Former assistant Luke Walton coached Golden State last season to a 39-4 record, which included a 24-0 start. Kerr won the NBA Coach of the Year, despite coaching fewer games than Walton.
Mike Brown has plenty of coaching experience to take over for Kerr, and the two are talking frequently. “My whole deal is I’m going to coach the team until Bob (Myers) and Steve tell me otherwise,” Brown said. “I’m not putting a timetable on it, just taking it one day at a time. The reality of it is, Steve and I talk a couple of times a day.” Brown and Kerr also have a relationship dating back to their days with the Spurs. Brown was an assistant for the Spurs while Kerr played in the twilight years of his career.
