Kevin Durant will practice today for the first time since straining his right calf, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made the announcement this afternoon, saying Durant will participate in a workout with some of the team’s younger players, adds Marc J. Spears of ESPN (Twitter link). “He’s doing more today,” Kerr told reporters. “We’ll know more after that.”
It’s not a guarantee that Durant will be ready for tomorrow’s Game 5, but it’s welcome news for the Warriors, who face a 3-1 deficit as the series heads back to Toronto. The practice will include a lot of running up and down the court to see how the injured area responds, relays ESPN’s Nick Friedell (Twitter link).
“What he’s going to do today, he hasn’t done,” Kerr said. (Twitter link from Ben Golliver of The Washington Post)
At the point where why possibly cause more injury – just close it down
Why cause more injury??? Maybe because it’s the finals and that’s what you do? There’s a bruins player who’s still playing with a broken jaw right now. I’m not advocating that Durant should risk his career/future wellbeing, but my god put on a uniform, get out on the court, and do what you can. It’s the finals for Christ’s sake
Ditto. Well said.
Exactly
You dont run/skate with your jaw.
I know you don’t skate with your jaw, but the point is you play through it. He has months to recover. Even if he plays 20 minutes at 70% that’s better than what they’re getting now.
Exactly! Only raptors fans are questioning why she should comeback lol
Lucky- Doris Burke would not miss this.;)
Seriously, a muscle injury can get worse by usng it, but a long offseason is ahead. They’re not going to win on the road without him, so do a Looney and get out there.
The doctor medically cleared him. It means that area is healed. There should be no reason not to see if he can help or not.
The doctor clearing KD for practice does NOT mean the area is healed. It could be, but clearing him for practice doesn’t mean it is. Just means that the doctor is confident KD can practice and possibly play without a significant risk of reinjury. A mild calf muscle tear/mild Achilles tear would take 4-6 weeks to heal, and then another 2 weeks for rehabilitation to get the muscle and tendon strong enough again to withstand strain. Considering it’s been 4.5 weeks, I doubt it’s “fully” healed, but maybe feels good enough to practice and see what happens
Durant was not classified at the level your paragraph suggests. Class 1 only means two weeks. link to hoopsrumors.com
More likely he was cleared because he did not report discomfort and without xrays being of much use, that’s what the doctors have to work with.
Durant having proved his point, made a different self-report.
IMO: the challenge he ‘worked’ for now lies before him. So do accusations of intentional malingering, but they’re accusations he can better live with, more than that he never mattered to GSW. Which BTW were always wrong.
It doesn’t matter what “level” KD was classified at. I take that with a grain of salt, because I wouldn’t think it’s in the warriors or Kevin’s best interest to disclose the actual severity of the injury. I can only judge according to what I saw, what I know, and what would make sense given KD’s pending free agency and warriors title run. From that, I thought right off the bat it was likely a (minor)Achilles strain (there’s different grades) and/or minor calf tear/strain, by taking various things into account such as the nature of the injury where and how it occurred. The way I saw it, and the lack of progress from KD subsequent to the injury, tells me it’s a strain in the 4-6 week time frame.
Kerr’s response to the questioning could be explained by the feeling that he too feels lied to from the start, which I find to be a pretty drastic misdirection for that franchise.
A number of people thought he reacted like it was an achilles. That could be a drastic misdirection of its own.
Somewhere else on HR it is quoted by an involved doctor that he thought a strained muscle was as bad as a torn muscle. So much for grades. I think he was the one Durant chose to heed.
There’s going to be a number of game-time decisions made.
KD isn’t coming back, he isn’t the type of guy to show up for his team and play through pain. He’s soft. He’ll protect himself by sitting out while his team loses then he’ll take off in FA like the snake he is.
Bitter rockets fan
Nice try, not a Rockets fan. Just saying what’s going to happen. If KD wanted to play he’d be playing. You have guys like Klay playing through pain that have pushed to get back on the court for the team while KD sits out while his team loses.
There’s just no way he’s coming back after pulling this when his team needs him most.
Klay’s injury was far less severe than KD’s. I’m the last person to defend KD but I don’t think he’s so selfish to be healthy enough to play in the Finals and willingly sit it out. It’s very obvious that he cares about winning and about his teammates, no matter what the media wants to write. The worry in the back of my head is that he will use a Finals loss with him out as a reason to come back to the Warriors, the team that always could offer him the most money, most guaranteed years, and best shot at a title every single year.
He about to go 3-0 and opt in for next year now, lol
You should capitalize LOL. Because what you said is a joke. LOL
Why a joke? IF he’s healthy, GSW could go 3-0. He could also change his mind & stay if his critics are put to their falsehoods. So many things could happen. Yesterday I thought he would not play… That could still happen.
I just don’t think the doctors would be so brazen as to clear him if he says they still hurt.
He about to go 3-0 and opt in for next year now, lol
“He should close it down. Why risk more injury“-Toronto Raptors fans
Lol I said the same thing
Too little, too late. This series is a wrap. Even if KD comes back, he won’t be 100%, and he’ll be stepping right into the finals fire.
A hurt KD > Alphonso McKinnie. His presence on the court is already enough. Even if he stays in the corner all game Toronto won’t be able to double or box 1.
Yes McKinie is a great rebounding SF with remarkable lift & activity. Less great on those corner 3s though.
If he’s cleared, he’s physically able/ready to play. The question is: Is he MENTALLY ready to play? It won’t be hard to figure out…
We’ll find out tomorrow.
Are you joking? KD is never not thinking about basketball. He’s the most “ball is life” human being in the world. When the game ends, he probably goes to pickup games, only breaking for sleep. He has such a great basketball mind he probably knows how he has to play to beat the Raptors, which he will.
If KD comes back and goes 3-0, no one’s allowed to say anything about him again. Period.
Nice burner account KD! He could win the finals and be named MVP every season until he retires but that isn’t gonna stop myself or anyone else from calling him a snake. Period.
I’m pulling for KD! He can seriously one up LBJ by leading this bunch back from 3-1. You would have to say he’s the greater player if he can do this. Not better, but greater.
I doubt it. LeBron was healthy and played the first 4 games of that series. KD has been out a month. There’s a reason the 2016 Cavs are the only NBA team in finals history to come back from 1-3. It’s bloody hard to do. Get ready for the LOB heading to the North!!!!