Warriors Face Curry Decision
Golden State Warriors are debating whether to shut down Steph Curry until the play-in tournament, with the team locked in as the eighth seed for nearly three months. Curry remains sidelined with injury concerns, and the Warriors must decide if resting him now is the best move for a postseason push. The team's play-in fate appears inevitable given their current position.
Stephen Curry is sidelined with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly known as "runner's knee," an injury that has kept him off the court since January 30th. The team announced on March 2nd that he will be re-evaluated in another 10 days, meaning he will miss at least five more games. The Warriors have felt his absence, posting a 4-6 record in the last 10 games Curry has missed. Overall this season, the team's record is a stark contrast with and without their star player: 23-16 when he plays, and 7-11 when he does not. Golden State sits as the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a 31-29 record. Their position seems relatively stable, with a significant 7.5-game lead over the 11th-place Memphis Grizzlies but a 4.5-game deficit behind the sixth-seeded Lakers, making a play-in tournament appearance likely. Despite the temptation to rest him for a potential play-in scenario, head coach Steve Kerr has indicated the team has no intention of shutting Curry down for the remainder of the regular season. Curry himself has described the injury as "unpredictable" but has noted he is making daily progress since the All-Star break. The injury also means Curry will not meet the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for end-of-season awards. Before being sidelined, he was averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. This cautious approach is influenced by the nature of the injury, which involves lingering soreness. An MRI revealed no structural damage, but the team is prioritizing his full recovery to avoid aggravating the issue.
