Day 3 of the Golden State Warriors' training camp is over and the biggest news is that head coach Steve Kerr will take an indefinite leave of absence to recover from offseason back surgery. Chat Sports was at training camp today, and here's what we learned about Kerr's status and more.
Steve Kerr Won't Be A Puppet Master While He's Out
While Kerr is out, he won't be dictating what the Warriors do from behind the scenes. That wasn't his style last season, as Kerr gave plenty of responsibility to his coaching staff. That decision is paying dividends now, according to interim head coach Luke Walton.
"If he was one of those coaches who wanted to do everything himself, we'd be sitting around screwed right now," Walton said. "We wouldn't know what to do. He gives us power and decision-making and I think that helps our confidence in our situation."
The Warriors first and only priority is getting Kerr healthy and they'll give him as much time as needed. Kerr needs time off and both GM Bob Myers and Walton said the Warriors will give him that time.
"I think he was trying to gut through it the last few day and we all realized this isn't the time to do that," Myers said. "We're not in the postseason, or even the regular season. This was the right time to take a step back."
There is no timetable for Kerr's return, although Myers is "hopeful," Kerr will be back in time for the start of the regular season.
Warriors Will Be Fine With Luke Walton
Taking over as the interim head coach for the defending champions could rattle a coach. That's not the case with Walton, who was calm, cool and collected in his first media appearance as interim. He was the Warriors' head coach during the summer league, and Walton pointed to that as a big reason for his confidence.
"Summer league is going to be a huge help for this," Walton said. "I think not only for me, but for the rest of the staff. We've got a pretty young staff, and [during] summer league we were in charge of setting up everything. It gave me a lot of confidence for what we're doing now. I'm sure the same is true for the rest of the guys."
The Warriors are a veteran team and Walton said he just wants to keep the ship heading in the right direction until Kerr returns.
Stephen Curry Is A Gym Rat
Curry was one of the last players getting work in after practice, a sign of his effort and dedication. It's just practice, but there is a genuine sign of disgust from Curry every time he misses a shot. He expects them all to go in, even though that's an impossible goal. Curry could start the NBA season tomorrow and be ready to drop 30-plus points.
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