© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
OAKLAND — Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is seemingly aware of the weight of his words.
Two days after he declared injured point guard Stephen Curry won’t play in the first round, he jokingly retracted his statement, which made headlines on Sunday.
“I think, just watching him today, I am ready to announce he will actually play in the first round,” said Kerr, smiling, before Tuesday night’s game. “We are going to be cautious with him. He’s got to go through steps. The training staff will put him through those steps, and we will go from there.”
Amid the team’s brutal stretch of injuries, which have sidelined all four of Golden State’s All-Stars for multiple games, the Warriors have stayed upbeat and positive. After their loss to the Hawks on Sunday, Kevin Durant said ‘everyone just needs to relax,’ according to ESPN. None of the team’s injuries are believed to have long-term implications.
Durant’s incomplete rib cartilage fracture injury he suffered on March 16 was initially expected to sideline him for at least two weeks. The four-time NBA scoring champion looked mobile and fluid during Tuesday morning’s shootaround, enough so that he wanted to play on Tuesday night. Kerr decided to sit Durant one more game, but he is expected to play on Thursday.
Kerr knows he is working with some of the most competitive athletes in the world, such as Durant, who is itching to return to the floor. He said the training staff’s decision on whether to play or sit still takes precedence.
“It’s (the player saying), ‘I like to play,’ and we say, ‘You’re not, and that’s it,’” Kerr said. “We are just trying to be smart. So, if (Durant) feels like he’s ready to go, we are going to give him two extra days until the next game, just to be really safe. The last thing we want is for anybody to re-injure something or have something linger, so we are going to be extra cautious with everybody.”
Forward Draymond Green is working his way back from a pelvic contusion and flu-like symptoms. Kerr said Green is still feeling the effects of the illness, and playing him on Tuesday night didn’t make sense. Shooting guard Klay Thompson is also recovering from a fractured thumb. He missed his seventh straight game on Tuesday night.
After Tuesday’s matchup, eight contests remain on the Warriors schedule before the postseason begins.
