Jun 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and assistant coach Luke Walton reacts to a call during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The regular season hasn’t even started, but the Golden State Warriors have already received injury news that might derail their hopes of defending their title. This injury comes to perhaps the most important member of the Warriors, and it isn’t even one of the players. No, Steve Kerr has just requested a leave of absence to attend to his back issues.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who had back surgery in July & follow-up surgery in September, has taken a leave of absence. Return TBD.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) October 1, 2015
The Warriors later released a statement that recently promoted assistant head coach Luke Walton will be taking over as interim head coach while Kerr is out. This comes as a huge surprise, as last season was Walton’s first year as an assistant coach in the NBA (he was a player development coach for the D-League’s Los Angeles D-Fenders). He has no head coaching experience of any sort either.
So, to prepare the first-time head coach, here’s a possible list of best and worst case scenarios.
Next: Best Case