Coach Steve Kerr, sidelined by illness since the early days of the playoffs,
appeared to be moving closer to rejoining the Warriors amid news Wednesday that
he will accompany the team to San Antonio for the Western Conference finals that
continue Saturday.
Continuing to give Kerr as much time as he needs before deciding he is healthy
enough for full-time work again, the Warriors have purposely not put a timeline
on a potential return. But he has gone from being away from the team and
speaking mostly by phone with interim coach Mike Brown and the staff to
progressing to watching Games 1 and 2 against the Spurs from the locker room,
along with attending practices, and now being part of the Golden State traveling
party.
General manager Bob Myers confirmed Kerr’s travel plans Wednesday in an
interview with Bay Area radio station 95.7 The Game.
Kerr missed the first half of last season because of complications from back
surgery that caused spinal fluid to leak, leading to severe headaches and
nausea, among other problems. Assistant coach Luke Walton worked in his place.
Kerr gave every indication the problem was becoming a thing of the past,
finishing 2016-17 through the Finals and handling every day this season until he
began to appear sick early in these playoffs. He then missed shootaround April
22, the day of Game 3 against the Trail Blazers in the first round, and has not
coached in a game since.
Kerr’s stance all along has been that he would return when he felt confident he
could stay on the sideline, not come back for a game to see how he feels and
then possibly miss more time.
