Warriors targeting Saturday for Stephen Curry's return
What's the story?
In a post-practice session with the media on Thursday, head coach of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr said that Stephen Curry will most probably return on Saturday against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.
In case you didn't know
The impact of his injury hasn't been fatal. The Warriors are 9-1 in his absence with his starting minutes being majorly split between Patrick McCaw and Shaun Livingston.
Heart of the matter
Curry sprained his right ankle in the closing minutes of action against the Pelicans in New Orleans on December 4th and he has been out of action since. Fortunately, there wasn't any structural damage as per an MRI in Charlotte. The official statement made by the team then was that he would be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.
After close to 14 days of rehab, the Warriors' assessment of his ankle ruled him out of the Christmas Day but both he and the team were positive in the progress made. His re-evaluation date then was announced to be a week later.
And a week later, this is what the team announced:
While an official assessment is still due, Kerr's word is quite reliable to go by. Here's Kerr's complete statement after practice on Thursday, as reported by ESPN's Chris Haynes:
"I doubt he'll play tomorrow with a back-to-back," coach Steve Kerr said after practice Thursday. "I don't think it would make much sense, but I think he's probably going to want to. But it's more likely he plays Saturday. If all goes well, I expect him to play Saturday, but even if it goes well, I'm not expecting him to play tomorrow."
As per the report, Curry participated in 5-on-0 drills and even scrimmaged 3-on-3 in Thursday's practice and came out without any noticeable signs of discomfort.
What's next?
Curry's already been ruled out of Friday's game against hometown franchise the Charlotte Hornets, which will be his 11th straight game missed.
Author's take
The Warriors are the reigning champions for a reason and they are taking the most cautious approach possible, which is the best way to go about it. The fact that the team has gone 10-1 without Curry is a testament to the team's depth and talent pool. The Warriors were pretty banged up but now Curry is the only one on the injured list.
Watch out, NBA.