Looney set to return on East Coast trip
BOSTON — Warriors center Kevon Looney is on track to return from left abdominal soreness at some point during the team’s current East Coast swing.
Looney, who has missed the past 17 games, fully practiced for the third time in a week Wednesday. Though head coach Steve Kerr said he needs to get an update on Looney’s progress from director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini, he hopes Looney will come back Saturday in Cleveland, Monday in Washington, D.C., or Wednesday in Brooklyn.
The big question is how Looney will look when he finally returns. He impressed the Warriors enough to sign a threeyear, $15 million contract last summer, only for this season to be derailed by injuries.
Abdominal soreness and a neuropathic condition have limited Looney to10 games. In 10.5 minutes, he has averaged 2.6 points on 34.4% shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 0.4 assists.
With Looney out and Willie CauleyStein recently traded to Dallas, the Warriors’ center rotation consists largely of Marquese Chriss and Omari Spellman. Chriss, who has started since CauleyStein was dealt last week, sat out of practice Wednesday so the day wouldn’t count against the limit with the NBA club allotted under his twoway contract.
Per the Warriors, Chriss has 18 days left with Golden State before he’d have to sit out or head to the G League. The Warriors could move him into the 15man roster spot that opened after the CauleyStein trade, but Kerr said general manager Bob Myers is still figuring out what they’re going to do. Number change: Guard Alec Burks will switch his jersey number from 8 to 20 to honor the late Kobe Bryant, a league source has confirmed with The Chronicle.
Yahoo Sports was first to report the news.
Burks wore No. 10 in college at Colorado, as well as with the Jazz and Cavaliers. He switched to No. 13 with the Kings last season, then to No. 8 when he signed with the Warriors last summer.
Bryant wore No. 8 during the first decade of his career before switching to No. 24 during the 200607 season. Burks’ decision is the latest in a string of numbers switches made to honor Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas (Los Angeles County).
Brooklyn guard Spencer Dinwiddie and Orlando guard Terrence Ross, among others, have announced that they’ll no longer wear No. 8. According to the Athletic, Lakers guard Quinn Cook — a former Warrior — is changing his jersey number from No. 2 to No. 28 in honor of Bryant and Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, who also died in the helicopter crash. Gianna wore No. 2, which combines with Bryant’s No. 8 to make 28.