The Golden State Warriors announced last Thursday that their main man on the sidelines, head coach Steve Kerr, took a leave of absence to recover from back surgery.
Kerr became a rookie head coach last season after joining the Warriors, and it paid dividends as the franchise ended a 40-year title drought winning the championship in the 2014–15 season.
Unfortunately, Kerr suffered a ruptured disk in his back in Game 5 of last season's NBA Finals, according to ESPN and it required two surgeries, with the most recent being accomplished last Sept. 4.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers said, according to NBA.com, that Kerr's health is the most important thing as he should not just be ready for the National Basketball Association (NBA) but also for everyday living.
Myers added that they are not expecting it to be long-term, although they do not have a time frame for Kerr's return.
"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," Kerr said in a statement.
"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," he added.
Serving as the interim head coach in the 50-year-old's absence will be former Los Angeles Laker and Warriors assistant Luke Walton.
Walton echoed Myers' thoughts saying that Kerr's health is their biggest concern, adding that it is hard seeing a friend being unable to do the thing he loves.
The Warriors will be opening their preseason on Oct. 5 facing the Toronto Raptors and will play six more games before starting the regular season on Oct. 27.
Golden State's opener will be a rematch of their first-round playoff series last season as they face budding star Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans.
