So many emotions are running through Steve Kerr’s mind and body right now, and you could hear all of them in his voice Tuesday, almost all at once.

You heard great satisfaction that his Warriors team has started its title defense this season so powerfully under interim coach Luke Walton, Kerr’s hand-picked protege.

And you absolutely heard immense frustration that Kerr is still suffering from complications after two back surgeries last summer and still has no set timetable for a return to the sideline.

But most of all, during our 20-minute phone conversation Tuesday, Kerr sounded fiercely determined to get back, figure out how to deal with the symptoms and start coaching this incredible group of players again.

“It’s funny, last year during the season I would look at the other coaches and say, ‘We’re going to be much better next year,’ and we would sort of laugh,” Kerr told me.

“We would say that, and meanwhile we were 67-15, you know? … It almost sounded like a joke, but I really meant it. Because year two is a year where everything is ingrained, and it feels very natural. …

“It’s great to see. I just really am looking forward to being part of it again, in the grind again, because I miss it.”

Kerr attended his second consecutive team practice at Warriors headquarters Tuesday and said he definitely feels better now than he did a few weeks ago.

He said this two-week homestand will give him a good gauge of his condition and his ability to manage and adjust to the headaches and other continuing symptoms.

Kerr talked and texted with Walton, the other coaches and the players throughout the recent seven-game trip — as the Warriors built their record to 24-0 and then lost in Milwaukee on Saturday to end a two-season, 28-game streak, the second-longest in NBA history, to bring them to their current 24-1 record.

“I thought we’d go 25-0 to be honest with you,” Kerr said, cracking up as he said it.

“I sent (Walton) a text after the Milwaukee game; I said, ‘What the hell are you doing? You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?’ Joking!”

Kerr said he figured Walton would do a good job in his absence because of Walton’s relationship with the players and his presence in the locker room.

But, really, 24-1?

“I figured the first part of the season would be tough,” Kerr said. “And I was hoping we would just win enough games where he could get his feet wet and not have to worry about anything.

“And lo and behold he wins his first 24. He’s done a great job. He’s a quick study and has such a great personality and feel.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry’s level of play — following his MVP performance last season — has Kerr as amazed as everybody else.

“He’s doing things that nobody in the history of the game has ever done,” Kerr said of Curry. “I told Steve Nash a few weeks ago, he’s like Nash on steroids.

“It’s like he’s taken all the stuff that Nash did, the ballhandling and the shooting, but he’s extended the shooting range by 10 feet, and he’s sped up the ballhandling compared to what Nash did.

“And there’s an energy and a pop to Steph’s game that wasn’t there even a couple years ago.”

So what does this all mean for Kerr’s comeback date?

He said it’s singularly focused on his health — but that the 24-1 start certainly makes it easier to avoid any potential rush back.

“If we were really struggling I would feel guilty about not being out there,” Kerr said.

“But the fact that we’re doing so well makes it a lot easier for all of us, for Joe (Lacob) and for Bob (Myers) and for me and Jerry (West) and everybody.

“The main thing is I just have to get well and be ready; when I do come back, be ready for the grind.”

So when will that be, Steve?

“There is no timetable — I have to feel well enough to go through the grind,” Kerr said.

“I know what the grind’s about. I know my body. And this will be a good couple of weeks being at home, really being engaged at practice. I’ll have a good feel over the next couple weeks. …

“Can you deal with the symptoms and still grind and have the necessary juice to do the job? That’s kind of the question.”

I asked him bluntly, was there ever a thought that you might skip this season?

“No, I don’t think that way at all,” Kerr said. “I think I’ll be back. I don’t know exactly when, but I think I will be back coaching again this season.

“It’s incredibly frustrating, but it’s part of life, you know? Things happen, people get sick, people get hurt and it’s no fun, but you have to deal with it.”

He’s dealing with this. He’s happy and simmering and joking and philosophical and mostly Kerr is buckling down and preparing himself for the grind again.

Contact Tim Kawakami at tkawakami@mercurynews.com.