Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Takes Leave of Absence to Recover from Back Surgery

The Golden State Warriors would be without their coach Steve Kerr for sometime as he will take a leave of absence to recover from a recent back surgery.

ESPN said there is still no definite time frame on his return but sources revealed that he might be back during the opening of the regular season by the end of the month.

It was noted that the coach needed some time off to recover and rehabilitate from his operation. While he is away, Luke Walton will take his place on an "interim basis."

"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," Kerr said in the ESPN report.

Last season, Kerr suffered a ruptured disk on his back during the NBA Finals Game 5. He reportedly underwent two surgeries to repair the said injury.

The Warriors coach also said in a USA Today report that he was not able to enjoy the entire summer because of his injury.

"It took all of the fun out of the summer. Yeah. I did not have any fun over the summer, which is unfortunate given that we just won the damned title. I was looking forward to a lot of fun, but it's all part of it and I'll be OK," he added.

Walton claimed that the biggest concern of the team now is Kerr's health.

"We know he's going to get better, but on a friend level, it's always hard to see someone you hold in high regard and care about, not able to really do what they love to do," he added.

For his part, Warriors general manager Bob Myers said that they will make sure that Kerr will be fully recovered before he can return to coaching.

"We don't anticipate the recovery process will be long term, but as of today we don't know the exact timeframe. We'll evaluate his progress daily and provide updates as necessary," he was quoted by Chicago Tribune as saying.

For warriors center Andrew Bogut, Kerr's situation is a "tough one" since it is an immediate concern which he needs to address.

"You don't want that thing popping up in December or January again. It's much like if someone had a knee problem or someone was hurt right now, he is going to be watching practice and not doing anything," Bogut told Yahoo Sports.

He added that the players have observed that Kerr has not been moving a lot and sitting every five to 10 minutes in the past days.