Steve Kerr returns to coach Warriors
After sitting out the first half of the season because of a bad back, the reigning NBA champions will have their head coach back on the sidelines Friday.
The team has announced Steve Kerr will rejoin and coach the team when they take on the Indiana Pacers at the Oracle.
Kerr jokes that he planned to send an "I'm back" fax like MJ
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) January 22, 2016
After winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy in his first year as head coach, Kerr elected for offseason back surgery that was supposed to heal before the season started. However, complications led to a spinal leak which kept Kerr grounded.
Kerr's return had been rumored for months as he became a regular sighting at practice. He started increasing his workload in mid-December, and was recently spotted drilling half-court shots at practice.
Interim head coach Luke Walton picked up the slack, guiding the team to an NBA-record 24-game win streak right out of the gate. The Warriors have since dropped four games, but are still 39-4 and on pace to shatter the immortal 72-win record held by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
In Kerr's stead, Walton picked up Coach of the Month honors for November and October, but he's still technically winless as games played under an interim coach are still in the books under Kerr. In that case, Kerr's record through parts of two seasons is 106-19.