Getty Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have been playing without star guard Stephen Curry for over a week. Curry went down with a lower leg injury on February 4, in a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Prior to Monday’s game against the Washington Wizards, the 2022 Finals MVP spoke with the media about how far away he is from being back in the lineup.
“It’s all dictated around how this heals,” Curry told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “This is different than the shoulder where it’s pretty predictable where I’ll be, and we get to a point where I can play and then I reinjure it or put myself in jeopardy out there on the floor. This one’s different because ligaments can heal on all different types of timelines. So there’s a window for each checkpoint. After the All-Star break I want to hopefully get back on the court. Depending on how things go from there I can start to key in on a specific day to get back.”
Slater then asked Curry if he felt like he’d miss a “chunk of time” even after the All-Star break.
“I don’t know you define a chunk, but year I won’t be playing against the (Los Angeles) Lakers,” Curry answered.
Steph Curry said he doesn’t have a specific timeline for his return. Hopes to get back on court after the All-Star break. But will clearly miss a number of games post ASB.
Before going down with the leg ailment, Curry was putting together a strong season for the Warriors. The 3-point King was averaging 29.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 49.2% from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc.
Steve Kerr Issues Final Statement On James Wiseman After Dubs Exit
Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr also spoke to the media ahead of the February 13 victory over the Wizards.
In particular, he discussed the trade that sent former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons.
“It’s hard on a personal level, because of our affection for James, and the talent level. I was all-in on taking James when we did, I was part of the group, and loved the ability, loved everything we saw,” Kerr said via Slater. “You can’t always foresee the circumstances. At the time we had the worst record in the league, Klay had just torn his Achilles. We didn’t really know where we were as a team. Frankly, we didn’t know we would win a championship just a year and a half later. I think the important thing… is in this league, and in all sports, you have to move forward you can’t look back. You have to move forward and make whatever moves that are necessary to allow you to succeed in the present state of the team and going forward”
Steve Kerr on James Wiseman: “I was all in on (drafting) James when we did. I was part of the group, loved the ability, loved everything that we saw.”
Steve Kerr Wasn’t Able To Give James Wiseman The Proper ‘Runway’
Kerr was then asked why he thought Wiseman didn’t work out with Golden State, he cited the fit, but, again had high praise for the young center.
“Everybody here loved James, that’s been a common theme, just our affection for him because of what a hard worker he is, what a great young man he is, just how much he wants it, how committed he is, what he’s been through with all the injuries,” he explained via Slater. “But, I think between the injuries and the inexperience, coming to a team like ours that’s fighting for championships, playing with a group that’s been together for a long time. It was just difficult for me to give James the runway that he needed. He was great every single day when he came to work he had a great attitude and a positive spirit. He’s everything you look for in a young player in terms of his approach and his talent. But, the timing was difficult just given what he needed and where we are as a franchise. I think this will be good for him, to hopefully get a chance to play, make the mistakes he needs to make, and have a runway, and grow and develop into the player he can become. He’s got a lot of ability, and we know he’ll work for it.”
Steve Kerr on why it didn’t work with James Wiseman and the Warriors
“It was just difficult for me to give James the runway that he needed.”