Golden State Warriors welcome Steve Kerr back to the bench

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr will be back on the bench on Friday against the Indiana Pacers after missing the first 43 games of the season to recover from off-season back surgery.

The defending NBA champions won 39 of those games under interim coach Luke Walton, and Kerr will try to keep Stephen Curry and Co. rolling just like they have been in his absence.

“I was thinking I’d do it like [Michael Jordan] did and send a fax out that just says ‘I’m back,'” Kerr cracked to reporters on Friday. “But… faxes, do they even exist at this point?”

Walton and the Warriors won their first 24 games after Kerr announced in October that he would take a leave of absence as he worked his way back from a pair of surgeries to repair a ruptured disc.

Kerr led Golden State to a league-best 67-15 regular-season record last year as a rookie head coach, before going on to win the Warriors’ first NBA title in 40 years.