After positive tests, Wiseman closer to return than Green
A day after news broke that center James Wiseman and forward Draymond Green are the two Warriors players who tested positive for the coronavirus, Wiseman appears to be ahead of Green in the recovery process.
Wiseman was cleared to watch practice Tuesday from a balcony overlooking the court at Golden State’s facility. Team consultant Zaza Pachulia joined Wiseman to talk him through the various reads and schemes unfolding below them.
However, Green has yet to be cleared to watch practice in person. He remains in selfquarantine at his home.
“We’re following the protocol, as the league and our medical staff is telling us to,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “I don’t know when Draymond will be allowed in. But as soon as we know those guys are allowed, they will be.”
The Warriors announced that two players had tested positive for the coronavirus Dec. 1, but did not identify the players at the time. Per league protocols, Wiseman and Green had to selfquarantine from the team for 1012 days before they could attempt to return the required two negative tests.
It’s unclear whether Wiseman has resumed being tested. The Warriors are bracing to be without both Wiseman and Green for Saturday’s preseason opener against Denver at Chase Center.
Even if both are available, they likely won’t be ready to assume a significant workload. They have watched video of workouts during their selfquarantine and remained in contact with coaches, but they recognize that there’s no replacement for actually playing.
After conceding that the available players looked “rusty” during the first team practice of training camp Monday, Kerr offered a more positive review of Tuesday’s session.
But with only two weeks until the Warriors’ regularseason opener at Brooklyn, Kerr doesn’t anticipate all of his available players being ready for that nationally televised matchup against Kevin Durant’s Nets. Until everyone is in game shape and caught up with what Golden State is trying to accomplish, Kerr will dig deep into his bench, potentially playing doubledigit players in games.
“We’ve got to build a rhythm and an identity with how we play, and it’s going to take more than two weeks,” Kerr said. “But at least we should go into that game with a sense of how we’re going to go out and try to win the game and what we’re trying to accomplish.
“Generally, I think it takes three or four weeks for guys to really feel like they’re ready to go. And that’s in a normal set of circumstances. … We just have to adapt. I doubt in two weeks we’re going to have guys ready to play big minutes, so that probably means we’re going to play a lot of people. Everybody’s got to be ready to roll.”