Steve Kerr's return to Warriors still uncertain after undergoing another back procedure

Kerr could return soon, or he could miss the rest of the playoffs.

There is still no timetable for Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr’s return to the team, and it’s still possible it doesn’t happen this season. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Warriors general manager Bob Myers confirmed that Kerr underwent a spinal leak procedure at Duke, but said that even the doctors don’t know his exact timetable for return.

“It’s hard to answer some of this because even the doctors aren’t entirely sure of recovery time,” Myers told media members. “That’s why we’ve been a little indefinite about everything. We don’t know. But the procedure went well, as far as we know. Now it’s a case of how well it takes and when he might or might not be back. The good news is it’s on the path to recovery, but I wish I could be more definitive.”

Kerr missed Game 3 against the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and it was revealed his absence was related to a botched back surgery he underwent in the summer of 2015. The complications from the surgery caused Kerr to miss 43 games last season. He spoke to media once, but he has not resumed his head coaching role since Game 3.

Myers also indicated a slight change in how Kerr was approaching his health.

“I’m always encouraged because he’s now dedicated to the pursuit of getting better,” Myers said. “Whereas before, his focus was us, our team. But now putting all his energy into recovery and getting better, it’s encouraging. I wish we had some kind of solution and we were progressing and I could say he’s going to be back, but we just can’t say that right now. When the day comes that we can make a determination, we will tell you.”

Kerr said before that he won’t return until he is confident there won’t be another relapse, meaning it’s possible that he does not return throughout this postseason. In the meantime, the Warriors are being coached by associate head coach Mike Brown, who has ample head coaching experience and was hired, in part, because the Warriors wanted a trusted option if Kerr’s health did deteriorate again.

The Warriors are Kerr’s team, and certainly we all hope he can return quickly. But it’s good that his health is now his top priority, because in situations like this, basketball just isn’t that important.