Steve Kerr taking leave of absence from Warriors following back surgery

The defending champion Golden State Warriors will be without their head coach for an indeterminate period, as Steve Kerr has opted to take a leave of absence to rest and recover from back surgery.

Kerr went under the knife in late July to repair a herniated disc, and required follow-up surgery in early September. The Warriors are unsure when Kerr will return, and say the length of his absence will be based on his recovery progress.

"At this point, the most important thing is to make sure Steve is healthy, completely recovered and ready for not only the rigors of a long NBA season, but day-to-day life in general," said Warriors general manager Bob Myers. "We don't anticipate the recovery process will be long term, but as of today we don't know the exact timeframe. We'll evaluate his progress daily and provide updates as necessary."

Myers reportedly added that he's unsure at this point whether Kerr will be back for opening night. For the time being, assistant coach Luke Walton will replace him on an interim basis.

In his first season as an NBA head coach, Kerr guided the Warriors to a franchise-best 67-15 record (also the best record ever for a rookie coach) and helped them snap a 40-year championship drought.

But as the Warriors entered camp ready to kick off their title defense in earnest, he realized he wasn't in the right physical or mental space.

"After the first two days of training camp, I realized I need to take a step back and focus on my rehabilitation in order to be ready for the grind of another NBA season," Kerr said. "As I noted last week, my summer was difficult and no fun due to the multiple back surgeries. At this point, I simply want to get healthy and back to my normal daily routine on and off the court."

Golden State opens the regular season at home against the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 27.