Right when there was increased hope of getting their franchise player back on the court, the Warriors announced on Sunday that Steph Curry will need more time to recover from his patellofemoral pain syndrome.
The news brought up the question of whether or not Golden State simply should sit Curry out for the remainder of the regular season for his knee injury to fully heal.
NBC Sports Bay Area asked Warriors fans if the team should shut down Curry until the NBA play-in tournament, to which a surprising majority believes Golden State should.
As of early Monday afternoon, 56 percent of fans voted that the Warriors should keep Curry on the bench until the end of the regular season, while 44 percent of fans believe the team should bring back the two-time NBA MVP whenever he’s fully healthy.
Curry still is “making progress” and will miss at least five more games before his next re-evaluation on March 11. The 12-time NBA All-Star last played on Jan. 30 in a 131-124 loss to the Detroit Pistons and has missed the Warriors’ last 10 games.
Golden State currently is the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference standings with a 31-29 record, with 22 games remaining on its regular-season schedule.
The Warriors are five games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 6 seed and are 7.5 games above the No. 11-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Thus, a play-in tournament berth is the likeliest scenario for Golden State ahead of the NBA playoffs.
This season, Curry is averaging 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range. Losing a player of Curry’s caliber is a major blow for the Warriors, but making sure the 11-time All-NBA selection is available for the postseason also is important.
For now, the Warriors will have to hold down the fort while Curry continues to recover and will just have to see if the 37-year-old is ready to roll in nine days.