The encouraging news of Wednesday — the expected Warriors debuts of Willie Cauley-Stein and Alec Burks — arrived with a dose of gloom.
Two in, two out, as Golden State announced Kevon Looney (nerve condition) will miss the entire homestand — which concludes Monday — and Jacob Evans (left adductor strain) will be reevaluated in three weeks.
If there is a bright side, it’s the timing. Wednesday against the Suns is a good time for a veteran big man and wing to enter the lineup.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Looney, who would be a starting big man and was on the Chase Center court before the game working out. He missed much of training camp with a hamstring injury and played 10 minutes in Thursday’s loss to the Clippers before being removed for “precautionary reasons.” The Warriors believe the nerve issue is connected to the hamstring issue.
“He’s frustrated. And we’re frustrated for him,” Steve Kerr said before the game. “He’s scheduled to see some specialists coming up soon, I think early next week. We’re just hoping for the best. He’s able to [do] controlled workouts with the training stuff. He’s getting conditioning, he’s getting shooting. Just no live action.”
The Warriors will rely on Cauley-Stein getting up to speed, which will take time. The big man himself did not know what to expect Wednesday because his mid-foot sprain hasn’t let him practice or play with the team.
Burks, meanwhile, will step in for Evans, the second-year shooting guard who played just three minutes Monday before leaving with the adductor strain.
“It’s a big blow,” Kerr said. “Jacob has been really good throughout camp and the first week of the season. One of the better defenders on the floor, guarding the ball especially. … More importantly, just a young player finally getting some time, finally getting some minutes to show what he can do. I feel bad for Jacob.”
The Warriors’ rotation, already thin, needs help. Cauley-Stein and Burks are returning at the right time, but what the Warriors can expect from them is unclear.
“We have to see where they fit. It’s tough,” Kerr said. “Forget never having played in a game for us, they haven’t even scrimmaged. I think Alec did maybe the first day or two of camp, so we barely know these player.s They don’t know their teammates very well. These things take time. We gotta put them out there, let them learn on the fly.”
