PORTLAND — A frustrated Steve Kerr met with reporters for nearly seven minutes in the team’s Portland hotel on Sunday afternoon, announcing that his health issues “took a turn for the worse” over the past five days.
Kerr said he will not coach the team during Monday’s Game 4 and will be out indefinitely until his health status improves.
“You guys saw me at the end of Game 2, I was very uncomfortable,” Kerr said. “I was uncomfortable at practice the other day. With things getting worse, I decided I couldn’t coach. So as of now, I’m consulting with my doctors, hoping for some improvement and if I get improvement, I’ll get back on the sidelines. But I’m not going to do that until I know I can help the team.”
Two offseasons ago, Kerr had two separate back surgeries that resulted in spinal fluid leak. Persistent headaches and pain resulted from the complications, forcing him to miss the first 43 games last season as he tried to rehab. Kerr returned, coached through the playoffs and coached all 82 games this season. (Here’s a timeline of his troubles, with his comments at each step.)
But the symptoms, which he’s constantly trying to control, worsened over the past week.
“I can tell you if you’re listening out there, stay away from back surgery,” Kerr said. “I can say that with the bottom of my heart. Rehab, rehab, rehab. Don’t let anyone get in there.”
Kerr said he will determine the next step in the coming days, but it “wouldn’t be a scenario” where he coaches one game and doesn’t the next.
“I’m not going to do that to our team and our staff,” Kerr said. “We’re hoping over the next week or two — whatever it is — I can sort of make a definitive realization or deduction or just feel that I’m going to do it or I’m not.”
Kerr was then asked if there was a scenario where he wouldn’t coach the rest of the postseason.
“Yeah,” Kerr said. “I just said that.”
In Kerr’s absence, assistant Mike Brown will continue to fill in as the acting head coach. Brown has plenty of experience as the lead guy, having been the head coach of LeBron James’ Cavaliers for five season and the Lakers for parts of two seasons. After the Warriors won Game 3, forward Draymond Green called Brown “the MVP” for some of his substitution decisions in the second half.
“Mike is fantastic,” Kerr said. “I was on the couch in my room saying we should put so and so in right now and that guy was going to the table. Mike and I are thinking along the same lines. The whole staff is. We’ve gotten to know each other so well.”
Brown has now coached 84 postseason games.
“It’s great that Mike has coached in this league 10 years, coached the Finals,” Kerr said. “The team is in great hands.”
Kerr said, even while he won’t be on the sideline during games, he will remain in the coaching meetings and watched film of the Blazers on Sunday morning in preparation for Game 4.
“It’s not really the coaching that’s hurting me, per se,” Kerr said. “It’s the discomfort. The symptoms, for whatever reason, took a turn for the worse maybe five days ago. I was able to manage the pain and the discomfort over the last year-and-a-half. Suddenly things got a lot worse and I don’t know why. Trying to figure out why.”
Steve Kerr updates his health status, says symptoms have worsened, he will not coach tomorrow and status unknown beyond pic.twitter.com/qtQRAYYHvq
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 23, 2017
More Steve Kerr on the discomfort he's feeling right now pic.twitter.com/tnORNJjpG0
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 23, 2017
Steve Kerr on Mike Brown coaching in his place pic.twitter.com/3w4j5NxT47
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 23, 2017
