The Golden State Warriors are embarking on their first real stretch of games now with Stephen Curry out because of an abdominal injury, a situation that will keep him out for a minimum of two weeks and cost him a minimum six games. Again, the Warriors have only said that Curry will be re-evaluated at that time, and it is entirely possible that he could need longer to come back–abdominal injuries are notoriously fickle, and while Curry might be ready for Thanksgiving, he also might not be ready until Christmas.
But this will be a good test of what the Warriors are hoping is a reinvigorated and tougher mindset. Last season–and the last few NBA seasons, really–the Warriors were too easily knocked off course by injuries. Obviously, losing a player like Curry would sting any team, but Golden State felt that the team got a bit too woe-is-me when bad luck hit. This time around, the team is hoping to maintain standards even without Curry.
Warriors Testing Resiliency Without Stephen Curry
So the Warriors hope, at least. It’s a lot easier to insist you’ll be tougher without Stephen Curry this year more than last than to actually be tougher without him. But Curry’s absence will show how successful the new mindset from Steve Kerr and friends will be.
That’s according to ESPN Warriors beat reporter Anthony Slater, who said on the latest installment of “The Hoops Collective”: “Last year, they felt organizationally that they whine too much about the injuries and their age and the schedule and all back to backs. That was from coaching, front office, players. They, intentionally, this offseason went into it, saying, ‘Hey, look we are going to bring back together the majority of a 37-win team, get ridiculed in a lot of ways for doing it.’
“But they just felt they were going to clean up their operation, take the day-to-day more serious. … They just felt like, coming into this year, we are back to taking everything serious, we’re going to have a no-excuse approach.”
Step one will be especially challenging: The Warriors play the Spurs in San Antonio on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Warriors Stephen Curry Injury to Test ‘No-Excuse’ Approach