No reason to rush Curry, Thompson
OAKLAND >> Stephen Curry’s big day left him pleasantly surprised and whimsical. His wife, Ayesha, threw a surprise party for his 30th birthday on Monday that featured plenty of his friends, dancing and a plate full of ribs.
Curry then nursed a hangover the next day, and the reasons went beyond anything related to the party. Curry also felt uneasy because of some news.
After Curry tweaked his right ankle last Thursday against San Antonio and subsequently missed two road losses in Portland and Minnesota, the Warriors determined that Curry would stay sidelined for four games, including Wednesday’s contest against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Honestly, it sucks. It is my ankle, and I’ve been through this countless times,” said Curry, referring to the ankle injuries he has had throughout his NBA career. “But I feel very confident with the approach we’re taking to get it close to 100 percent as possible.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had the same thought process about Klay Thompson, who also missed Wednesday’s game and will sit for at least three more because of a fractured right thumb.
“I look at this as a positive. I think it’s going to be really productive in the long haul,” Kerr said. “It’s not fun to deal with. But for a couple of weeks, he can get away from the game a little bit. Being able to recharge the batteries is probably a good thing.”
Thompson sustained the injury on Sunday in Minnesota, an injury that initially was considered a sprain before being diagnosed with a fracture. But with Thompson playing 530 out of a possible 543 games in the middle of his seventh NBA season, Kerr said Thompson would have needed to take time off before the NBA playoffs start in mid-April.
“The guy is a machine,” Kerr said. “Even without the thumb (injury), I thought we were considering giving him a game or two off down the stretch. He looked more spent recently.”
After already missing two games after tweaking his right ankle last week in San Antonio, Curry said his latest injury has “no rollover effect” fromhis three previous ankle injuries this season.
Curry said he still needs to receive medical clearance to participate in five-on-five drills. Curry did not share specifics, but he offered that his rehab will center on this objective: “I have to do whatever I can to lower the probability of putting myself in that situation again, especially at this point in the season.”
“It’s about getting strong and giving my ankle the best chance to be 100 percent before the playoffs,” Curry said. “You don’t want too much time to pass because you obviously want to get your rhythm and make sure we as a team build the right chemistry and mojo going into the playoffs and keeping that in mind. But I’m not worried about where it’s going to be, come next week.”
The Warriors also monitored other injuries.
Draymond Green sat out because of a sore right shoulder that has bothered him all season. David West missed his fifth consecutive game because of a right arm cyst, though Kerr said he will likely play on Friday against Sacramento. Patrick McCaw has been sidelined with a fractured left wrist for the past month, though he began practicing without wearing a brace.