The Golden State Warriors will have to start their title defense this Tuesday without original head coach Steve Kerr who is still not feeling well due to two back surgeries he had in the offseason.
Reports say Warriors general manager Bob Myers made the announcement regarding Kerr's unavailability last Saturday during the team's practice.
"Luke is going to start the season as the head coach - I believe you all probably believed that was the case, but I wanted to make it official in some sense," Myers told reporters, according to SFGate.
"I've talked to Steve. He's improving, but there's still no timeline as to when he's coming back. He's confident he will be back, but it's all speculation as to when," he added.
According to the report, Myers also told reporters that Kerr already informed the team about his absence.
The Warriors general manager also expressed the team's confidence in interim head coach Luke Walton who will be taking over.
In a previous report, Walton said after performing the head coaching duties since Kerr took a leave of absence that he is already comfortable in his temporary work.
Along with their season opener this Tuesday, the Warriors will also have a championship ring ceremony after winning the title last season.
Despite Kerr not being available to coach, Myers told reporters that he will be present when the team receives their championship rings from the 2014–15 season.
Last season, Kerr in his rookie year as a National Basketball Association (NBA) head coach led Golden State to its first championship after 40 years.
The Warriors finished with the best regular season record at 67–15 and in the NBA Finals defeated an injury-laden Cleveland Cavaliers squad to capture the title.
Golden State will open the season on Wednesday, Oct. 28, taking on last season's first-round opponents, the New Orleans Pelicans.
