The situation is tentative in San Francisco right now, as Warriors star Stephen Curry continues work toward a return to action.
With only nine games left this season (including tonight against the Wizards), time is running out to re-take the court, and Steve Kerr’s latest update suggests that they will only let him play again under certain conditions. In a recent chat with ESPN, he hinted that a shutdown could come soon unless he’s cleared to play by next week.
“We’re not bringing him back (only) for the play-in game,” Kerr said, via Anthony Slater. “He’d need to play some games. We need to give him a runway if this is going to work. And we are running out of games. That’s fair to say.”
At 10th in the West, the Warriors are not proud of their season, but they’ll have a chance to sneak into the playoffs this spring. With the Pelicans whopping 10.5 games back in the standings, the Dubs can’t fall any lower than where they are, meaning they are a lock for the play-in tournament (at the very least).
For Steph, that’s really all the incentive that he needs to work his way back and try to play again this season. With averages of 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 46.8% shooting (39.1% from three), he knows that his availability puts the Warriors right back in the mix, but the process of clearing his return won’t be so simple.
According to the latest update, Steph is yet to be cleared for scrimmages, postponing his comeback for another two games. He’s set to be re-evaluated sometime next week, setting up his return for either next Wednesday against the Spurs or Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anything past that, and the Warriors will likely shut him down for the remainder of the season.
If he suits up again by the start of April, it still only leaves seven games left for him to play with the Warriors, none of which will have any major impact on their positioning in the West. So, for Kerr, it’s imperative that the Warriors think more about the future than trying to salvage this failed campaign.
After Jimmy Butler went down in January, the team’s trajectory has been entirely downhill, and everything since has been an attempt to recover. Still, with Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, and Moses Moody, there is a small hope that they can pull off some kind of miracle down the stretch and make a run to get into the playoffs. The key, as always, is Steph’s health, and this team can do nothing but wait.
With so much at stake going forward, Golden State knows better than to risk his health with the odds so stacked against them. As much as he wants to play and help his team, Steve Kerr will only allow it if he has some time to shake off the rust before being thrown into a highly competitive playoff atmosphere. Beyond this season, the Warriors have big plans for the future, and they need Curry at his best to realize their vision.
