Green to rest sore knee, won’t play against Suns
OAKLAND >> Draymond Green will not play in the Warriors’ preseason game tonight against Phoenix.
The three-time All-Star, who missed the first two preseason games, was seen briefly during the open practice during player introductions on Sunday. However, Green did participate in a solo workout during the team’s closed session Sunday afternoon.
While Green won’t play today, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the forward will participate in today’s shootaround and Tuesday’s practice and hopes Green will play Wednesday in Las Vegas against the Lakers.
Green began experiencing soreness in his left knee Monday following a team scrimmage, causing him to miss Friday’s 122-94 win over the Kings. During Friday’s game in Seattle, Green rode a stationary bike outside the Warriors’ locker room. Green, who’s entering his sixth year, dealt with a myriad of injuries last season, including his shoulder, ankle and knee.
• Stephen Curry missed Friday’s matchup with the Kings for what the team deemed “personal reasons.” Turns out, according to Ayesha Curry’s Instagram story, Stephen sat out to be with his wife, who underwent surgery Friday morning to remove her thyroid. Following the surgery, Ayesha posted a picture on the social media site with the caption, “Had my thyroid and cyst removal this am. All went well. God is good. Thank you for your prayers.”
“Everything is good,” Curry when asked Sunday about his wife’s status.
Ayesha Curry’s surgery is the latest health issue the entrepreneur has dealt with this year. In April, she revealed that she’d been
hospitalized five times in the calendar year while she was pregnant with the couple’s third child Canon. She also revealed that she was diagnosed with Hyperemesis, a condition characterized by nausea, vomiting and weight loss, during pregnancy.
• In what started as a three-way battle for the starting center position between Jordan Bell, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones may now be predicated on opposing matchups.
“I would say we’re playing center by committee for a while,” Kerr said.
Kerr’s setup is similar to last season, when he started three different centers over the last 24 games, picking between Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee and Looney. Now, with All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins out until midseason with a torn Achilles, Kerr has elected to allocate minutes evenly to Bell and Looney, while starting Jones.
“We have a lot of confidence in everybody and they all give us different looks,” Kerr said. “DJ has great size and power. I thought he was fantastic the other night (against the Kings). Jordan and (Looney) are rock solid; we know what they can do.”
• As the Warriors wait on restricted free agent Patrick McCaw’s decision on a contract, the team may have a decision to make with the roster.
The Warriors hope to carry 14 players on the active roster this season and are currently keeping a spot open in case McCaw shows up. However, with McCaw turning down a two-year, $5.2 million offer last week, that spot could go to someone else with the regular season just over a week away.
“Well you just look at it and you think ‘what do we need?’ and who would fill that role the best,” Kerr said Sunday. “Simple as that.”
If McCaw doesn’t decide to join the roster, Kerr has said he’d look for another wing to round out the roster. An intriguing prospect for the role would be Danual House Jr., who averaged 6.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 23 games as a two-way player with the Phoenix Suns.
In any event, Kerr said the team will look to ramp up the starters’ minutes as the season approaches.
• Just before the Warriors participated in a halfcourt shootout, DeMarcus Cousins spotted an identical set of twins wearing white Curry jerseys. Cousins brought both men out on the court to participate in the shootout.
Despite possessing similar physical features as the Warriors’ star, they didn’t match his shooting prowess, missing both of their attempts.
“All I could do is laugh,” Curry said. “It was pretty good eyesight from DeMarcus on the court to spot those guys in the stands. I was hoping one of them could make a shot but it didn’t happen.”
Following the shootout, members of the team took pictures and videos with the twins.