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Warriors Notes: Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Iguodala, Buyout Market

January 9th, 2023 at 5:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry‘s return could be imminent. Curry participated in Monday’s practice and scrimmages, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, and he’s listed as questionable to play against Phoenix on Tuesday. Curry hasn’t played since Dec. 14 due to a shoulder injury.

Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins were also full participants while Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and JaMychal Green sat out.

Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, Donte DiVincenzo and Jordan Poole did not participate in the scrimmages because they’ve played heavy minutes in recent games (Twitter links here).

We have more on the Warriors:

Wiggins missed 15 games due to an adductor strain and illness. In his return against Orlando on Saturday, he scored 12 points in 19 minutes but shot just 4-for-12 from the field. He told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater that he’ll need some time to regain his best form. “It just felt a little rusty out there just trying to get my feet right, get back in rhythm,” Wiggins said. “But I know it’s going to take a little time.”
Andre Iguodala made his season debut in the same game and also needs to scrape off some rust. He wasn’t much of a factor in 12 minutes. However, Iguodala isn’t a crucial rotation piece like Wiggins, Slater notes in the same piece.
The trade deadline is a month away, followed by the buyout market. The Warriors, who have an open roster spot, need to add another piece, Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic opines. What do they need the most? In Thompson’s estimation, an athletic big would be ideal. They could also pursue a wing capable of stressing defenses off the dribble.

Warriors Notes: Two-Way Players, Curry, Wiggins, Iguodala

January 7th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors have been forced to rely more than they expected on two-way players Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome, and both are starting to get close to their game limits for the season, writes Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.

NBA rules state that two-way players can’t be on the active roster for more than 50 games and they’re not eligible for the playoffs. With the season not quite at the halfway point, Lamb has already appeared in 31 games, while Jerome has played 25 and had two more in which he was active but didn’t get on the court.

“We have to navigate that,” coach Steve Kerr admitted. “There will be some games where those guys will not suit up.”

Lamb, who is on his third team in three years, signed with the Warriors in October shortly before the start of the regular season. He has earned a consistent role off the bench, averaging 6.6 PPG in 19.3 minutes per game. Jerome also came to Golden State in October, after being traded and waived during the offseason, and is putting up 7.5 PPG in 18 minutes per night.

“It says a lot about the culture,” Andre Iguodala said, “just with them looking for guys like that who will make the most of their time here and even extend their time because of their work ethics.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Stephen Curry felt good after taking part in Friday’s practice, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. He was able to play 5-on-5 with contact and said his conditioning is fine after missing nearly four weeks with a left shoulder subluxation. President of basketball operations Bob Myers indicated this week that Curry might be able to return January 13, but the former MVP wouldn’t commit to that, saying he plans “to be ready when I’m ready.” (Twitter link)
The Warriors confirmed that Andrew Wiggins will be in the starting lineup for tonight’s game against the Magic, ending a 15-game absence due to an adductor strain and an illness, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Donte DiVincenzo will return to his role off the bench. Wiggins will be on a minutes restriction, although Kerr wasn’t specific about how long he will play, according to Andrews (Twitter link).
Iguodala, who will make his season debut tonight, will also play restricted minutes, Andrews tweets. Kerr didn’t reveal how long that will be, saying the team is working out a long-term plan for Iguodala, including whether he will be available for back-to-back games.

Warriors Hopeful Stephen Curry Can Return Next Week

January 4th, 2023 at 8:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers is optimistic that reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry can return to action sometime next week, possibly next Friday in San Antonio, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.

“He’s working out on the court, and the two-week mark to reevaluate him this weekend,” Myers said on Bay Area radio station 95.7. “There have been no setbacks, so (next Friday) would be a hope. That’s what we would be shooting for, something in that range when he could be back. He’s been, not contact, but out there doing all this stuff. He looks like the same guy. He’s got a sleeve on his shoulder and arm.”

The Warriors announced earlier today that Curry would be reevaluated on Saturday. He sustained a left shoulder subluxation on December 14 while trying to strip the ball away from Pacers big man Jalen Smith. Next Friday, January 13, would be just over four weeks since he was initially injured.

Head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that next Friday is a realistic timetable for Curry’s return, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

“I think so. He’s progressed really well,” Kerr said.

When Curry first went down, there was some fear that Golden State’s season might spiral out of control. The team lost three of its first four contests without the star guard, including a couple of blowouts.

However, the Warriors have righted the ship, reeling off five straight home wins to move to 20-18, the No. 9 seed in the West. The Warriors finish off their lengthy home stand against Detroit (Wednesday), Orlando (Saturday) and Phoenix (next Tuesday) prior to the January 13 contest in San Antonio.

The eight-time All-NBA guard was having another stellar season prior to getting injured, averaging 30.0 PPG, a career-high 6.6 RPG, 6.8 APG and 1.0 SPG on .500/.434/.919 shooting through 26 games (34.4 MPG). Until he returns, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson will continue to carry a heavy offensive load.

Pacific Notes: Warriors, Klay, Kawhi, Clippers, Kings

January 4th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Rory Maher

The Warriors provided updates (via Twitter) on several injured players on Wednesday evening. Star guard Stephen Curry will have his left shoulder reevaluated on Saturday, which is in line with what the team previously announced.

Starting forward Andrew Wiggins has begun practicing and is ramping up his conditioning after missing the past 14 games due to a strained right adductor and then an illness. He will be reevaluated later this week, per the team.

The Warriors also announced that JaMychal Green (right lower leg infection), Jonathan Kuminga (right foot sprain) and James Wiseman (left ankle sprain) will all be out at least one more week — that’s when they’ll be reevaluated.

Here’s more from the Pacific:

Klay Thompson missed two-plus seasons after a couple of major injuries, first a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals, followed by a torn Achilles tendon. On Monday, he scored a season-high 54 points in the Warriors‘ double-overtime victory over the Hawks, a performance he doesn’t take for granted. “It’s a huge accomplishment for me,” Thompson said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “There were some hard days for me when I didn’t know that this would be possible in real time. I am just going to embrace the heck out of it.”
After missing Monday’s loss to Miami with a non-COVID illness, Kawhi Leonard is no longer on the Clippers‘ injury report for Thursday’s contest in Denver, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Paul George, who tweaked his hamstring on Monday, is listed as questionable, while Nicolas Batum is out with a left ankle sprain.
Can Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue find lineups that work whether or not Leonard and/or George are in the lineup? Law Murray of The Athletic explores that topic, writing that if Lue is unable to optimize the current group, trades could be in order for a team that hopes to compete for a championship.
The Kings have three players — Matthew Dellavedova, Chima Moneke and KZ Okpala — on partially guaranteed deals, and none are locks to have their salaries guaranteed for the rest of the season, writes James Ham of TheKingsBeat.com. It’s possible one or more might be released in the next few days (the deadline to waive partially and non-guaranteed deals before they become fully guaranteed is January 7) in order to create roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline, according to Ham, who says the Kings figure to be aggressive in their push to break their lengthy playoff drought.

Stephen Curry To Be Reevaluated In Two Weeks

December 24th, 2022 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry, who was diagnosed earlier this month with a left shoulder subluxation, is “making good progress” in his recovery, the team announced today in a brief press release (Twitter link).

The Warriors declined to offer any specifics on Curry’s rehab process, simply stating that he’ll be reevaluated in two weeks.

That means the former MVP will remain sidelined through at least January 7, making him unavailable for the team’s next seven games. In all likelihood, Curry will miss more games beyond that, since he’s unlikely to be cleared to return immediately after being reevaluated.

The Warriors’ update doesn’t come as a surprise, since reports around the time of Curry’s diagnosis on December 15 suggested he was expected to remain on the shelf for at least three or four weeks and could potentially miss a month or more.

Golden State has struggled without Curry, dropping three of its last four games. All three of those losses were by double digits, including a 38-point shellacking in New York on Tuesday, followed by a 30-point blowout in Brooklyn on Wednesday. After three days off, the Warriors will be back in action on Christmas Day, hosting the ascendant Grizzlies.

Warriors Notes: Curry Injury, Wiggins, Wiseman

December 17th, 2022 at 5:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

A left shoulder subluxation will sideline Warriors guard Stephen Curry for multiple weeks, but he’s relieved that it won’t require surgery, writes Kevin Cooney of The Associated Press. Curry, who suffered the injury on a collision Wednesday night, met with reporters before Friday’s game at Philadelphia.

“Knowing that it wasn’t going to need surgery or anything like that was great news,” he said. “Now, you just have to trust the process — no pun intended from where we are. We’re just trying to figure out how to get pain-free quickly, get your strength back and then work your way back into it appropriately.”

Curry underwent an MRI on Thursday that revealed the damage. The Warriors haven’t issued a timeline on a possible return, but the general feeling is that he might miss three to four weeks, which provides another obstacle as the defending champions try to climb above .500.

“It was what we were looking for and it really is the best-case scenario,” coach Steve Kerr said of the MRI results. “So now, we try to tread water and try to keep it together until he gets back.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Pain control and resting the soft tissue around Curry’s shoulder will be the focus of the first stage of his recovery, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nirav Pandya told C.J. Holmes of The San Francisco Chronicle. Curry’s pain levels will also determine if surgery might become necessary during the offseason or later in his career. “It’s hard to say just because this is the first time I’ve done it,” Curry responded when asked how much time he expects to miss. “A couple of guys I think had it, more severe cases, other timelines. You kind of do your guesswork. I’ve tried to stay away from it, even me mentally, trying to predict how long it’s going to be just because it’ll let me know.”
Andrew Wiggins will miss at least one more game with right adductor tightness, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. There had been hope that Wiggins might return Sunday at Toronto, but the team confirmed he’ll sit out his seventh straight game.
Kerr stated that center James Wiseman will remain with the Warriors through their current road trip, which wraps up Wednesday (video link from Slater). Wiseman played 11 minutes Friday night, his highest total in more than a month. “He’s gotten a lot better,” Kerr said. “He’s really picked up a lot over the last few weeks with all the practicing (with the G League affiliate) in Santa Cruz, and the game action, the reps.”

And-Ones: MVP Poll, 2023 Draft, Female Coaches, Wade

December 16th, 2022 at 9:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum narrowly edged Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first edition of this season’s MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

Tatum appeared on 98 of 100 ballots cast by media members, receiving 47 first-place votes in the process en route to 759 points, according to Bontemps. Antetokounmpo was on 93 of 100 ballots and received 36 first-place votes for a total of 687 points, the second-closest margin between first and second place since Bontemps began conducting the MVP polls in 2016/17.

Rounding out the top five were Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (392 points), Warriors guard Stephen Curry (250 points) and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (195 points). Antetokounmpo and Jokic each won back-to-back MVPs over the past four years, while Curry, who is out for multiple weeks with a shoulder injury, did the same from 2014-16. Tatum and Doncic would be first-time winners.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated lists his early big board risers and fallers for the 2023 draft. Among Woo’s risers are Arkansas guard Anthony Black and Michigan guard Jett Howard, while Duke center Dereck Lively and Eastern Michigan forward Emoni Bates are among the players who have seen their stocks fall.
Commissioner Adam Silver says the NBA’s first female head coach is long overdue, per Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. “I would be hugely disappointed if certainly in five years we haven’t seen our first female head coach in the NBA,” Silver said on a podcast with journalist Bonnie Bernstein. The NBA commissioner has long been a proponent of adding more female coaches to the league.
In a lengthy interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Jazz part owner and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade discussed Utah’s strong start, his departure from TNT, and several other topics. Wade says he’s thrilled with new head coach Will Hardy and thinks “the future looks bright,” adding that he loves watching the current group and the energy surrounding the team.

Pacific Notes: Wiggins, Curry, Warriors, Lakers, M. Brown, Clippers

December 16th, 2022 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, who has missed the last five games due to a right adductor strain, was cleared on Thursday to resume participating in practices and shootarounds, according to the team (Twitter link).

However, Wiggins will be unavailable for a sixth consecutive game when the Warriors visit Philadelphia on Friday and Draymond Green (right quad contusion) will be out as well, per the NBA’s latest official injury report. Klay Thompson is listed as questionable due to left knee soreness, so Golden State is at risk of being without four starters — Stephen Curry, of course, is expected to miss multiple weeks as a result of a shoulder injury.

As Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter video link) relays, Curry spoke to reporters today about his shoulder and expressed relief that he won’t have to undergo surgery, which might’ve forced him to miss several months. Asked if surgery is a possibility after the season, the Warriors star didn’t rule it out, but said that’s not the plan for now (Twitter links via Slater).

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

With several regulars battling injuries, the Warriors recalled center James Wiseman and rookie guard Ryan Rollins from the G League, the team announced on Thursday in a press release. Neither player has seen much action at the NBA level so far this season, with Wiseman appearing in just one game over the last month while Rollins has played only 43 total minutes since opening night.
The Lakers are unlikely to make a trade during the next two-to-four weeks, Jovan Buha of The Athletic reports within his look at the team’s approach to the deadline. Although the club would like to get a deal done sooner rather than later, it makes sense for Los Angeles to wait out the market in case more sellers emerge.
Kings head coach Mike Brown has been fined $25K by the NBA for “aggressively pursuing and directing profane language” toward a referee, the league announced in a press release. The incident, which resulted in Brown’s ejection, occurred during the third quarter of Sacramento’s win in Toronto on Wednesday.
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Reggie Jackson, and Luke Kennard were among the Clippers who missed Thursday’s game, but the team is optimistic they’ll all be back soon, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link), who says their absences on Thursday were more about managing prior injuries than dealing with new ones.

Stephen Curry Will Miss Multiple Weeks With Shoulder Injury

December 15th, 2022 at 4:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

4:50pm: Curry has been officially diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation, the Warriors announced (via Twitter). The team hasn’t provided an official return timeline yet, but Charania said on The Rally (Twitter video link) that Curry is not expected to need surgery and will likely miss around a month with the injury.

Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the “prevailing sense” is that Curry will miss around three-to-four weeks, noting that the Warriors play 10-to-12 games during that period of time.

4:00pm: Imaging has revealed that Curry suffered a labral left shoulder injury, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). Charania reveals that his status will be reassessed in two weeks.

2:51pm: Warriors All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry will be sidelined for at least a couple weeks with a left shoulder injury, sources inform Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Curry injured the shoulder against the Pacers on Wednesday during the third quarter of a 125-119 loss, and was set to undergo imaging on Thursday. The Warriors are in Philadelphia tonight ahead of a Friday matchup against the Sixers. Per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter), Curry will be getting an MRI today and the team is set to announce further information on the exact nature of the ailment by tomorrow morning.

Golden State, the defending league champion, has gotten off to a relatively lackluster 14-15 start thus far in 2022/23. Without its best player, the 2022 NBA Finals MVP, for multiple weeks, the team will need further offensive output from key backcourt players like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole to stay afloat.

As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer notes (via Twitter), the Warriors sport a stellar 118.9 offensive rating and a +7 net rating with Curry on the court, while those numbers fall to a 99.9 offensive rating and a -11.1 net rating without him. Six of the Warriors’ next 10 games come against teams with winning records, though a majority of them will be home matchups. Golden State boasts a 12-2 record at Chase Center, but of course most of those wins have come with a healthy Curry.

Stephen Curry Suffers Left Shoulder Injury

December 14th, 2022 at 8:50pm CST by Rory Maher

8:50pm: Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters, including ESPN’s Kendra Andrews (Twitter link), that Curry will undergo an MRI on Thursday. Kerr added that the veteran guard was “in good spirits” after the game.

8:16pm: Warriors star Stephen Curry suffered a left shoulder injury during Wednesday’s game in Indiana and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Curry went to the locker room late in the third quarter after trying to strip the ball away from Pacers big man Jalen Smith (Twitter video link via Warriors on NBC Sports Bay Area). Curry was carrying the team on his back prior to getting injured, recording 38 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and one block in 30 minutes.

As Slater notes (via Twitter), Golden State’s fourth quarter rally came up short. Having lost by a score of 125-119, the Warriors are now 14-15, including 2-13 on the road, and face the Sixers in Philadelphia on Friday.

The two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP is having one of his finest seasons at 34 years old, averaging 29.6 points, a career-high 6.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.0 steal on .497/.432/.911 shooting through 25 games (34.6 minutes). If Curry misses additional time, look for players like Donte DiVincenzo and Moses Moody to receive more minutes, while Jordan Poole and Draymond Green handle added play-making responsibilities.