Kerr’s status for Finals remains questionable

Steve

OAKLAND, Calif. — Steve Kerr is involved in just about everything but the actual game-day coaching for the Warriors.

But he’s still not ready to be back on the bench with the start of theNBA Finals less than aweek away.

General manager Bob Myers made the announcement Thursday. He didn’t rule out Kerr coming back at some point if Kerr somehow is healthy enough to do so, though that doesn’t appear promising at this stage.

“If he feels better and we have to make those decisions, we will, but right now we’re not putting any deadlines on should he feel better what willwe do?” Myers said. “It’ll be based onwhat day it is, howexactly he feels, howlong he’s feltwell.

“More than how it affects our team is how he’s feeling. That makes it very difficult to sit here and say that the man hugely responsible for us being in the Finals three years in a row, in a moment he should be treasuring, can’t do it.

“It’s painful, and I know it’s painful for him more anybody.”

The team returned to practice following a two-day break after completing a four-game sweep of the Spurs on Monday night to improve to 12-0 this postseason.

The 51-year-old Kerr underwent a procedure May 5 to repair a spinal fluid leak stemmingfromcomplications after a pair of back surgeries in 2015, after theWarriorswon their first championship in 40 years during his first season as coach.

Kerr returned to practice May 13 after more than three weeks off the court. He then traveled to SanAntonio for the Western Conference finals and has been watching games from behind the scenes, speaking to the team beforehand and during halftime. Acting coach Mike Brown has been leading theWarriors duringKerr’s absence.

Brown said he will continue to lead the way with reigning NBA Coach of the Year Kerr’s guidance until told otherwise. AP than