Warriors forward Andre Iguodala announced today via his Point Forward podcast that he intends to make his season debut on Saturday when Golden State hosts the Magic (Twitter link).
“We got 24 hours ’til I step on the court, man. It’s a go,” Iguodala told co-host Evan Turner. “Hope the fan base is excited. I’m a little nervous, but actually I’m also excited. I try to play it cool, calm, and collected all the time, but excited to get there on the court. It’s finally happened.”
Iguodala, who weighed the possibility of retiring this past offseason, eventually elected to re-sign with the Warriors and made the deal official just before training camp got underway. However, his 2022/23 debut has been delayed due to a left hip issue.
It’s unclear how much action Iguodala will see now that he has been cleared to return. Last season, he appeared in only 31 games and averaged 19.5 minutes per contest during the regular season, then logged just 61 total minutes in seven playoff appearances.
Iguodala will turn 39 later this month and at this point in his career is probably more valued for his veteran leadership in the locker room than his contributions on the court. Still, while he no longer offers much offensively, the 19-year veteran is a versatile defender and will give head coach Steve Kerr one more option off the bench as the club awaits the return of Stephen Curry.
At last! Even if he plays just 10-12 minutes a game, Iguodala will have a significant impact on the Warriors bench play. He has always been a stabilizer whose wisdom and smart play will help the youngsters and the whole team.
A pair of my old buddies from the state of Illinois. Andre Iguodala was a beast at Springfield Lanphier High School waaay back in the day.
Evan Turner was always my guy! NCAA Player of the Year at Ohio State. True story … I talked Evan out of transferring from Ohio State after his freshman year because he was playing behind a kid from Ohio who he was better than., He was gonna go to Bradley to play with his best friend.
Wow that’s an amazing story. Thanks for contributing to his success.
Talking him out of that transfer could be exactly what lead him to his immense NBA success. One of the rare talents that fulfilled his potential and didn’t disappoint in the NBA.
Thank god you talked him out of that transfer. He could have been a bust if it weren’t for you.
“One of the rare talents that fulfilled his potential and didn’t disappoint in the NBA.”
What?
I like Turner but as a number 2 pick he was pretty much universally considered a dissapointment.
I think Lyman was being sarcastic. Pretty mean
Trolls are gonna troll. Dude tells a nice story and Lyman takes a big dump on him for no reason.
Evan was an excellent complimentary player in the NBA. He was a guy who could assume a number of different roles on the floor. He had a nice career. Better than a lot of #2 picks, but not a franchise cornerstone, like a Kevin Durant, that you hope to get at #2.
Lyman Bostock? He was from Gary, Indiana. Just outside of Chicago. Same hometown as Michael Jackson. He was a stud baseball player shot and killed in his prime back at the crib in Gary after playing a game that day against the White Sox.
Please stay healthy!!!!!
Eager Dolla!!