Curry’s return likely in March
SAN FRANCISCO » Warriors guard Stephen Curry is on track to play again this season.
Curry, who underwent surgery after breaking his left hand in an Oct. 30 loss to the Suns, will be re- evaluated in February and will most likely return in March.
He has recently been ramping up his shooting over the last three days, participating in drills without a cast or bandages on his hand. On Yahoo Sports’ “Posted Up” podcast on Thursday, coach Steve Kerr said, “I think there’s an excellent chance he comes back sometime in March.”
On Thursday af ternoon, Curry was seen going through shooting drills at the Warriors’ practice facility with assistant coach Bruce Fraser and team consultant Zaza Pachulia for at least an hour.
In December, Curry returned to Golden State’s bench after spending time in Los Angeles as he recovered from a planned procedure to remove pins from his surgically repaired left hand. He could be cleared to play as early as Feb. 1, though the organization wants to make sure he is fully recovered before he returns.
Curry’s hand injury is not considered as serious as the ACL tear Klay Thompson suffered in June’s NBA Finals, and Thompson remains less likely to play this season.
“They’re both dying to play, and we’re dying to have them back,” Kerr said. “We’ll just keep staying the course.”
For those concerned the Warriors’ injury- riddled season would be highlighted too frequently on national television, it appears the NBA is liberally using its solution.
• ESPN has removed the Warriors’ Jan. 22 matchup with the Utah Jazz from its schedule, tossing the broadcast rights back to NBC Sports Bay Area.
Instead, the network will show the Denver Nuggets facing the Houston Rockets. That Warriors- Jazz game was slated for a 7 p.m. tipoff and may slide back to the Dubs’ usual 7:30 tip time now that it’s back on local TV.
The Jazz matchup is the fifth Warriors game to move off national television this season as the team has plummeted to the bottom of the Western Conference.
• The Warriors, whose interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo is the subject of much speculation, laid it on pretty thick when the Milwaukee Bucks star and soon-to-be free agent came to town.
It just happened to be “Greek Night” at the Chase Center on Wednesday night.
“It was awesome,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “I had a chance a little bit at the half to see the kids out there dancing and playing Greek music. It was nice. It was nice to have Greek fans out there supporting the Bucks, supporting me and my brother.”
Living up to his nickname (The “Greek Freak”), the 7-foot, 25-year- old hybrid guard-forward- center had 30 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Bucks to a 107-98 victory. His brother, Thanasis, a 6-foot- 6 rookie forward, did not play in the game.
After the final buzzer, cameras caught Steph Curry talking with Antetokounmpo. Lip- readers, studying the video, say Curry told Antetokounmpo: “C’mon man, let’s do this.”
Curry offered an explanation, telling Yahoo reporter Chris Haynes that he was giving Antetokounmpo his gamer tag, so they could play PlayerUnknown’s Battleground and “do some damage” together.
• With Marquese Chriss having departed, Omari Spellman spent the night backing up center Willie Cauley- Stein, a role he should continue to play.
Kerr likes Spellman’s ability to space the floor, and frequently put him in pick- and- pop situations. Spellman scored 11 points and went 3 for 5 from beyond the arc.
Last Saturday, he went 4 for 4 on 3-pointers against the Pistons.
“I believe in my ability to shoot the basketball and they do, too,” said Spellman, who has worked with player development coach Aaron Miles to refine his jumper. “Feels good that it’s finally starting to fall.”
Kerr frequently compares Cauley- Stein to JaVale McGee, and Spellman to Marreese Speights. The two centers never played together in Golden State, but Cauley-Stein and Spellman have the potential to be a versatile duo.