McCaw to stay sidelined at least 4 more weeks
NEW ORLEANS — Warriors guard Patrick McCaw will miss at least four more weeks with a lumbar spine contusion, the team announced Thursday afternoon.
McCaw, who sustained the injury on a scary fall in Golden State’s March 31 win over the Kings and momentarily lost feeling in his legs, will be evaluated by a specialist on May 31. That puts his earliest possible return at Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which could begin as soon as May 31.
McCaw, who was evaluated by team doctors Thursday, has been cleared to begin modified on-court shooting and running drills.
“He’s shooting around now,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s moving more freely. He’s feeling better about things. I talked to him two days ago, and yeah, he’s coming along. I’m happy for him.”
With point guard Stephen
Curry back from a sprained left MCL that sidelined him for five-plus weeks, McCaw is the only player listed on the Warriors’ injury report for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals Friday against the Pelicans.
With the Warriors up 86-69 on the Kings in the waning seconds of the third quarter March 31, McCaw caught a pass from Jordan Bell, made a layup and was inadvertently undercut by Sacramento’s Vince Carter. McCaw landed hard on his back, screaming as he writhed on the floor.
McCaw was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where some of his coaches and teammates visited him. It was a major relief when an MRI exam, an X-ray and a CT scan
returned clean.
No one close to McCaw is ready to put a definitive timetable on his return to the court. Shortly after learning he had avoided what many feared could be a career-ending injury, McCaw tweeted: “God definitely is watching over me. I’m blessed beyond measure!”
In 57 games this season, McCaw averaged four points, 1.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds.
Not buying it: A day after Charles Barkley apologized for saying he wanted to punch Warriors forward Draymond Green in the face, two of Green’s teammates weren’t buying it.
“He said what he said,” Kevin Durant said after practice Thursday. “He felt that way. But Barkley ain’t punching nobody, like Draymond said. I don’t think he would’ve done that back in the day, either. I don’t know why he’s so angry all the time at the new generation of basketball. But I guess that’s what it is.”
Added Curry: “When I was growing up, and I said something where I was in the wrong, my mom wanted me to apologize. If I said, ‘I’m sorry, but I still meant it,’ I would’ve gotten slapped in the face. … When it comes to people with microphones, you can’t take that stuff too seriously.”