Steve Kerr could miss the rest of the postseason

The Golden State Warriors could be without their leader for the rest of the postseason. Head coach Steve Kerr is dealing with what the team is calling an “illness.” His current problems are stemming from his 2015 back surgery.

Kerr missed Game 3 against the Portland Trailblazers after he experienced considerable discomfort during the second game of the series. He announced that he will not be coaching Game 4 or the rest of the Blazers series.

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Following the Warriors’ 2015 championship, Kerr had back surgery. There were complications and spinal fluid leaked. Then came the unbearable pain that kept him away from the sidelines for the first half of the 2016 season.

He dealt with migraines and nausea. He felt incredible pressure behind his eyes. There was dizziness. The pain and discomfort weren’t in his back, they were in his head.

Kerr returned to the team after Luke Walton led them to a 39-4 record. He took them to 73 regular season wins. He was a few minutes away from repeating as NBA champion.

The 2016 Coach of the Year was never at 100 percent when he returned. He just found ways to manage with the pain. Publicly, he downplayed it, but he was dealing with a lot. Some days were better than others, but he was never free of the symptoms according to everyone around him.

So now, the problems have resurfaced. Kerr is an incredible competitor so it must be serious if it’s keeping him out of postseason games. It must also be incredibly serious if he’s not ruling out missing the rest of the playoffs as a possibility.

Mike Brown will coach the Warriors during Kerr’s absence. Kerr has established a culture that can mostly run on auto-pilot. If health permits, he’ll also be involved during film sessions and will communicate with Brown.

Kerr needs to get healthy before he thinks about returning to the sideline, especially if there’s a chance he can make his symptoms worse. He’s out indefinitely. There are some things that are bigger than basketball and he deserves the chance to lead a healthy life. Basketball is just a game.

Hopefully he can get better soon. And if he can still manage to coach a basketball game, then great. If not, so be it. His healthy is and should be the top priority.