Although Steve Kerr has been more active in the Golden State Warriors’ day-to-day proceedings, even traveling with the team to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, he still isn’t sure whether he’ll return to the sidelines during the NBA Finals.
Said Kerr to The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears (via ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne):
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he’s not sure yet whether he’ll be able to coach in the NBA Finals as he continues to deal with complications from back surgery two years ago that have kept him from coaching the past 10 playoff games.
“Just day by day,” Kerr told The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears, when asked about his status after the Warriors completed a sweep of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night in the Western Conference finals.
Kerr has been addressing the Warriors at halftime of late, and the team hasn’t missed a beat with acting head coach Mike Brown calling the shots. To say Kerr’s presence on the sideline is immaterial would be crude, but as we’ve noted here many times before, he’s helped establish a culture that transcends his attendance.
That’s a big deal, and a testament to the work he’s done, both on and off the court, since joining the organization. He doesn’t need to be on the sidelines for the Warriors to get another championship. And yet, if he’s healthy enough to travel, and if he’s still not coaching when the best-of-seven set tips off, and if the Warriors get to a championship-clinching game, you can bet his players and staff will be dragging him onto those sidelines, even if it’s only for a half, a quarter or the final seconds of their season.
Reach this point, and that’s when his absence would feel just plain wrong.
