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Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
It has been nearly a month now since we last saw Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry on the floor, as he has been sitting out with a relatively vague condition called patellofemoral pain syndrome, which is essentially bruising around the kneecap sometimes known as runner’s knee. When word of the injury first came down, the expectation was that Curry would sit out until the All-Star break, and likely return once the team took the floor again on February 19 against Boston.
But Curry was not back after the All-Star break. He tested the knee before the Celtics game and there was still too much pain, according to the Warriors. The team announced that Curry would be re-evaluated in 10 days, which meant March 1–this coming Sunday.
What has not been clear is what, exactly, happened with Curry that caused a potential three-week absence broken up by the All-Star break to turn into at least a five-week absence by the time he is ready to return to the floor.
Stephen Curry ‘Had a Setback’
Speaking on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco on Thursday, ESPN insider Marc Spears offered a bit of insight, pointing out that there had been a setback for Curry over the All-Star break that set up his subsequent absence. Had that setback not come around, Curry might already be back on the floor.
“Around All-Star weekend, [Curry] had a setback,” Spears said. “He was trying to work out, trying to get back and it pushed him back. I’m not sure when he’ll be back but I do know that he wants to come back.”
As things stand, the Warriors are in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, good enough to land a play-in tournament berth. At 31-28, they’re a full 3.0 games ahead of Portland for that spot, and are 9.0 games ahead of the tanking Grizzlies, who would be the first team out of the play-in chase.
No matter how long Curry is out, the Warriors will almost certainly hang on to a play-in spot. And that gives Curry a chance.
“Hey, this team’s kind of in a no-man’s land, right?” Spears said. “Probably too bad for a playoff lock, top six spot, but they’re too good to not be in the play-in. So, Steph expects to be in the play-in. He wants to be in the play-in. He wants the chance to be in the playoffs.”
Warriors 4-5 Without Curry This Month
Give the Warriors credit, they’ve done what they can to stay afloat in Curry’s absence, but they are just 4-5 in their current stretch without him. Already missing Jimmy Butler (ACL surgery, out for the season), the Dubs have had a very difficult time generating offense.
The trade the Warriors made at the February 5 NBA deadline, swapping Jonathan Kuminga in a deal for oft-injured Kristaps Porzingis, has already looked like a disaster, with Porzingis having played just one game before going back out with an illness.
But it’s Curry the Warriors need, and fast.
As center Al Horford said, “I mean, it’s a big difference. We can’t lie to ourselves. It’s, you try to do things and figure things out but he just does so much that goes—we see the scoring, we see the amazing plays, but then also, the way that your offense runs and the things he doesn’t get credit for, whether it is assists, whether it is layups, a lot of things that open up for the rest of us, it is a huge gap. It is night and day, completely, how we are with him and without him.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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