» THOMPSON EXPECTS TO BE BACK WITH WARRIORS
OAKLAND — The moments left Mychal Thompson feeling sleepless. It did not tamper his optimism, though.
His son, Klay, tore an ACL in his left knee and walked out of the arena on crutches. Then, the Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, hardly the ending they envisioned in their final game at Oracle Arena after winning three NBA titles in the past four years.
That only leads to two questions.
First, how will this affect Klay Thompson when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 30?
“You have to ask Joe Lacob that one,” Mychal Thompson said about the Warriors’ majority owner. “That’s up to the Warriors. But Klay will be back. It’s unfortunate, but it’s kind of a routine injury. Nobody wants it. Guys are able to come back fully recovered from this injury.”
Second, did this mark the end of the Warriors’ dynasty? Not only do the Warriors have questions about Thompson. Kevin Durant is recovering from a surgically repaired right Achilles tendon. The Warriors otherwise have limited purchasing power and a No. 28 pick to bolster their team. Nonetheless, Thompson said that “Klay and Kevin will both be back to wreak havoc among the league.” Thompson also added “the Warriors are far from done.” As for Durant’s free agency?
“I always have faith he’ll stay. This is the second-best organization you can play for. Of course, you know what the best one is,” said Mychal Thompson, who played for the Showtime Lakers and remains a radio analyst for the team’s flagship station. “Why leave a great situation like Golden State? These guys are still going to be championship contenders for years to come.”
The Warriors did not look like championship contenders against Toronto partly because of their injuries.
First, Durant ruptured his right Achilles tendon in Game 5 after scoring 11 points in 12 minutes. That had marked his return after missing the previous nine games with a strained right calf. Then Thompson injured his left knee after drawing a foul at the rim and landing awkwardly with 2:22 left in the third quarter of Game 6. The Warriors sorely missed Thompson, who had scored 30 points while going 8 of 12 from the field, 4 of 6 from 3 and 10 of 10 from the freethrow line.
“Worst possible way to end the season,” Mychal Thompson said.
Still, Mychal Thompson also left the game feeling encouraged.
Moments after Jonas Jerebko and Jordan Bell helped Klay back to the locker room, he walked back onto the court on his own and made two free throws. The moment reminded Mychal Thompson of Kobe Bryant, who had made two free throws and walked off the floor without any assistance after injuring his left Achilles tendon in the 2012-13 season. Thompson noted that “Kobe’s was more serious, of course, because he could barely walk.
“You can walk on it normally for a few minutes. That’s why he’s able to come back and shoot those free throws,” Thompson said. “After the minutes go by, the pain starts settling in. You realize this might be more serious than original thought.”
The Warriors have not offered a timetable on Klay’s expected return. Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson returned from an ACL injury in eight months and won the NFL’s comeback player of the year award in 2012. If Klay adheres to that timetable, he would remain sidelined until February 2020. Mychal Thompson stressed, though, that “everybody comes back on different timetables.”
Before Klay received an MRI, he went to the locker room to ice his knee. Then, Durant connected with Klay via FaceTime from New York, where he is rehabbing his surgically repaired left tendon. Since then, Klay’s teammates have texted and visited him.
“It was nice of Kevin to reach out to him. It means everything,” Thompson said. “It means a lot that your teammates and extended family is there for you and with you. It’s a lot for a player.”
So even if Thompson had a rough Thursday evening, he sounded more upbeat on Friday morning.
“Klay and Kevin, that’s the attitude they’ll both have,” Thompson said. “They’ll work hard and get back and get themselves ready for net season sometime. All you can do is keep your spirits up and keep a positive attitude and do the work you have to do.”