The Star’s Bruce Pascoe visited Steve Kerr on Jan. 22, the day he returned to the Warriors’ bench after missing the first half of the season following back surgery:
OAKLAND, Calif. — Steve Kerr’s back ached, then his head, and it all went on for months and months longer than he figured.
But there’s one thing the former UA star and Golden State Warriors coach made clear Friday when he returned to his head coaching seat for good: He never did lose that sense of humor.
Kerr joked that he returned so that he would force San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich to coach the Western Conference all-stars — since coaches aren’t allowed to coach the game in successive years — instead of being “on some beach with a mai tai in his hand.”
He said he never really knew what sitting out was all about. “Do you sit there and watch soap operas?” Kerr said. “I don’t know.”
Kerr also said he found it amusing that interim Warriors coach Luke Walton was being considered for the All-Star game “because they didn’t give him (credit for) any wins” and smiled broadly when asked what he might “steal” from his latest mentor.
After all, Kerr is famous for having played under Popovich, Phil Jackson and Lute Olson, crediting all of them for the knowledge that helped him build an NBA champion last season. But now he has Walton, too.
Walton, of course, is the former UA and NBA forward who led the Warriors to a 39-4 record while Kerr sat out the first half of the season with complications resulting from offseason back surgery.
“I want to be as laid-back as Luke,” Kerr said. “I thought I was laid-back. Luke is the picture of laid-back.”
Seriously, though, Kerr said Walton added some plays to the Warriors that helped, and used his combination of laid-back nature and basketball smarts to guide the team to a mind-blowing start.
“Luke was phenomenal,” Kerr said. “Obviously, he’s done a great job managing the team, in timeouts, and calling the right plays & Obviously, we’ve got great talent and character but we didn’t skip a beat. We actually got better.”
Kerr said he hoped to keep hanging on to Walton, even as he’s now positioned to be a permanent head coach somewhere soon.
Kerr said he initially expected to return two weeks ago but felt he wasn’t ready. But he then took a big step by accompanying the Warriors on their last road trip.
Kerr said it wasn’t one moment that convinced him he was ready, just a cumulative effect. And when he did return Friday, he said, it was almost like opening night.
“More than anything, I’m excited about the camaraderie and getting back with the group,” Kerr said. “I really missed the routine.”
