Warriors guard Steph Curry will miss the entire first round series against the Spurs. Quinn Cook is expected to start for Golden State as Curry recovers from injury. How long will Curry be sidelined? This part is a little less certain, but Curry is expected back sometime in the second round as long as the Warriors can get past the Spurs. Yahoo Sports Shams Charania reported Curry will be evaluated on Saturday, April 14.
“Warriors star Stephen Curry (sprained MCL) is targeting expected return at some point in the Western Conference semifinals, league sources told Yahoo. Curry has three-week evaluation on Saturday,” Charania tweeted.
According to CBS Sports, Curry sustained a sprained MCL on March 23. ESPN’s Ryen Russillo reported on The Bill Simmons Podcast that Curry’s injury is similar to the one he sustained two seasons ago. While Curry’s return date is up in the air, he has been ruled out for the first round. Steve Kerr noted to KNBR that Curry is not close to playing.
“He’s not practicing yet or anything,” Kerr told KNBR. “I think three weeks [from his injury] is Saturday. I think that’s when we said the doctors would reevaluate him. He isn’t anywhere close to playing, I can say that.”
Curry may be sidelined, but he is helping Cook with the playoff learning curve he is facing.
“[Curry)] has already helped [Cook] over the last month,” Kerr told KNBR. “I thought Steph was the guy who really talked Quinn through it. The first few games, Quinn was sort of tentative, and then Steph helped him realize, we want you to shoot. We want you to shoot 20 times. I thought one of the reasons Quinn played so well is having Steph in his ear.”
Cook was originally a two-way player for the Warriors, splitting time between Golden State and the team’s G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. Cook’s play in Curry’s absence prompted the team to sign him to a multiyear deal prior to the playoffs. Cook is averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds this season. The Warriors guard has shined as of late, scoring 20 or more points five times in the last month.
Draymond Green advocated for Quinn to be added to the Warriors roster, and noted the team is confident Quinn can fill in during Curry’s absence.
“We feel very comfortable going into these playoffs with him as the starting point guard,” Green told The Mercury News. “We’re good.”
Curry has been relatively quiet since his injury, but told the USA Today that his daughters are helping him get back on the court.
“When our athletic trainer comes by the house to do some rehab sessions, she takes my girls through the whole process, lets them use some of the tools on my knee and things like that so they feel involved and they’re helping Daddy get better,” Curry told USA Today. “…They know how much I love to play basketball, so they’re helping me get back on the court. I think they have a pretty good awareness of the process and how hard I’m working to get back on the court, for sure.”