The Warriors entered Thursday’s game in Houston having gone 23-16 with Stephen Curry available and just 8-14 in games he has missed. However, the shorthanded club, playing without Curry for a 12th straight game due to his knee injury, pulled out a surprising overtime win over the Rockets, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater writes, after the two-time MVP texted Draymond Green some words of encouragement before the game.
“Keep going,” Curry told his teammate, according to Green. “I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.”
Head coach Steve Kerr referred to it as the “best game of the season” for Brandin Podziemski, who scored a team-high 26 points and grabbed five offensive rebounds in 40 minutes of action, and said Golden State got a “vintage” performance from Green. Two-way player LJ Cryer, who had played eight total minutes in three games and had been out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury, also came up big with 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench, Nick Friedell of The Athletic notes.
While Curry’s return still isn’t imminent and there’s no specific timeline for when he’ll be back, Green said he knows the star guard is doing everything he can to play again in the coming weeks.
“My confidence level is high, ultimately, because I know (Curry)’s going to put in all the work and do everything he can to get back,” Green said. “If his body allows him to get back, I know he will come back. He’s not wanting to just shut it down. For us, just got to stay afloat. Nobody’s expecting us to go on a 10-game win streak, but you just got to stay afloat. Tonight’s a big step towards that.”
We have more on the Warriors:
- Kristaps Porzingis has been able to do more on the court in recent days and the Warriors are hopeful that will trend will continue, Friedell writes for The Athletic. Porzingis is on Golden State’s three-game road trip and told The Athletic he’s feeling better after missing the last six games due to an illness, but Kerr was noncommittal on a timeline for the big man. “He’s gonna get a workout today, and we’ll just take it day by day from there,” Kerr said. ESPN’s Slater and Ramona Shelburne took a more in-depth look at the “mysterious” illness that has affected Porzingis over the past year and limited him to one appearance since the Warriors acquired him from Atlanta last month.
- Within that story on Porzingis, Slater and Shelburne cite league sources who say the Warriors were among the teams to inquire on Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard prior to last month’s deadline. Leonard ultimately stayed in Los Angeles even though L.A. traded James Harden and Ivica Zubac.
- Fifth-year Warriors wing Moses Moody sat out on Thursday due to a right wrist sprain, but he shouldn’t require an extended absence. Kerr referred to Moody last night as day-to-day, tweets Slater.
- During a radio appearance this week on 95.7 The Game, Kerr responded to criticism about the way the Warriors have developed young players in recent years, as Florito Maniego of NBC Sports Bay Area relays. “I think we’ve really addressed that over the last four or five years,” Kerr said. “We felt like there were some improvements we could make, and we changed some things organizationally. We brought in a couple of people to put them in charge of player development. I think we’ve done a pretty good job with that over the last few years. … I think part of the frustration of our fans probably stems from the fact that we have the three lottery picks coming at a time when we were winning a championship. And it’s just hard to play 19-year-olds on championship teams. The development that comes is going to be different than it would come on a team that’s in the lottery, where you just put a guy out there for 35 minutes and let him make his mistakes.”
Odd that last statement. Sounds like nobody was on the same page with Kuminga and Wiseman. Turn the page Kerr.
Kerr will never admit he screwed up. Kerr is still playing his favorites over players that should be playing.
Arc who should be playing right now? Who? Because EVERYONE on the roster is playing now. So who’s the favorite? Kerr is literally the only coach that doesn’t sit the end of bench guys for days on end. Everyone gets a crack. With every other coach, players 13-15 will never see light of day, unless massive injuries.
So who, Arc, should the Warriors replace Kerr with? Please. Which coach will come to GS and do better than Kerr? I mean lottery level squad right now he’s keeping competitive. Seriously
Spencer should not be playing up but a mop up role. If you watch the team on defense the other teams targets Spencer. They do a switch and Spencer can’t guard anyone over 6-4
I am glad Cryer is healthy he looks like somebody who should get extended minutes especially with Moody out. Leon plays good defense.
Warriors need to replace Kerr with a coach that can do a rebuild. There are certain coaches are good at rebuilds and other that are good with vets. Kerr is a vets coach. Rocket game is just 1 game they won in the last 12 that wasn’t a rebuild team.
After next season. Kerr is the guy for the job through 26/27.
@JBS Kerr will coach for as long as Steph plays. Pretty sure when he’s done, Kerr will move on. Then, it’s time for the rebuild. Unless they get lucky in the draft?
Well…um…The rebuild is starting after next season. They have one player signed. So, they will have to rebuild. There is no way around it.
This is all excellent. It seems that you have changed. :)
Inhave been saying all along for few yrs that the best option is rebuild and playing the youngsters. Unfortunately, Warriors have delayed the process and even guys like Podz, Moody dont fit the timeline.
That is entirely the point of a head coach. To play his favorites. Fire him if you don’t like it.
GS is a washed up lotto team. Time to move on.
Good idea. You should move on.
When they drafted Kuminga and Wiseman, they had no expectations that they could win a championship in 22. They lost half their core. They declared a rebuild. The winning the title forced them to defend it. They couldn’t just tank. Look how the league is acting now about tanking now. To develop players, you need to play them. Playing raw rookies like Kuminga and Wiseman leads to mistakes and losses. Their bench struggled heavily in 23. It was really bad. That is why they traded for GPII. Kuminga’s agent admitted he would have gotten more playing time if were not for the title.
What? They’ve always been a team trying to contend and compete. Regardless of these draft picks. No rebuild. What world are you living in. They thought they could do a two timeline thing. It didn’t work. Their priority for the past 12 years has been and still is to win
Delusional Dubs fan will keep being delulu as he cant see anything wrong being done by their perfect franchise. Theyll never admit that Wiseman was a bad pick and instead will keep on the narrative that it takes years for big men to develop. Its year what of Wiseman still developing? Dem homer Dubs fans still wearing their rose colored glasses.
As much as your right, I’m a total dubs fan through and through been so my entire life. I absolutely agree the hubris of the franchises success led to them thinking they could take projects like Wiseman and JK and create another decade of dominance. However, I don’t believe it’s fully on the franchise if a player doesn’t develop. Wiseman was completely mismanaged by his team/group/agents and absolutely should have stayed in college. But you not wrong man, these bandwagon dubs fan making me lose my mind
So, you believe that every High Schooler could step into the starting lineup of any NBA team and be a starter. I guess you also believe that the Nuggets screwed up when they chose not to bring Jokic over for a year after they drafted him? It was a wasted year in Serbia for the Joker.
Myers and Kerr didn’t think they could contend.
Turn the page??? Are you freaking kidding me. These guys have short term memories. It’s the talking heads, media freaks and casuals that keep bringing this up. I mean goodness people, please go follow another team. The bandwagon Warriors fans are sickening.
At least we agree on this
Nah, I don’t agree with you on anything buddy. You might agree with me, but I don’t with you. I don’t align with you at all
WAGONEERS ………. They don’t know or care about Wiseman or Kuminga. That should be crystal clear now.
Waive Seth Curry and sign James Wiseman
This is another quote from the same interview:
“I remember when I got to Chicago, we had a couple of drafts and I was in my 10th year [or] 9th year and I asked Phil Jackson what he thought of the guys we drafted. He said, ‘Well, it won’t matter for a few years.’ And I said, ‘How come?’ He said, ‘Well, because grown-ups win championships.’ And it’s true. It’s true.”
18 year olds aren’t ready.
Am I the only one that thinks it’s ridiculous that they traded Kuminga for an injured player and didn’t attempt to reverse the trade like the Lakers did for that Center last year?
Kerr owns Lacob’s and MDJ’s balls. Both are powerless to him. They can draft anyone they want, but Kerr will idiotically not play them. It’s not just Kuminga, he tried to destroy Moody’s career too. Moody had a 30 point game at age 19. Kerr proceeded to bench him for outright scrubs. Kerr long been the issue here.
Dunleavy had his medical records. He went to the Warriors medical. They said they can work with him.
Where’s the blog’s resident Podz hater Davey J?
MIA…
He is on one of his Dub homer profile/identity, Giants74
Funny guy
@NBAisOK, I share DaveyJ’s disdain for Kerr’s “player development”.
But unlike Davey, I believe that Kerr has also mismanaged Podz, who would be farther along if Kerr weren’t jerking him around. Like any young player, Podz would be better with a firm commitment to a starting role and more tolerance for mistakes.
Exactly. They broke him down so much that he lost his swag that he had the last 2 yrs.
Y’all nitpick everything. How has Podz been mismanaged and jerked around by Kerr?
Of the young draftees, he’s gotten the most playing time from Kerr, starting in his rookie season. But he hasn’t been given a consistent role, for example he started 7 of the 1st 11 games (the 1st 2, the 4th, 7th, and 9th-11th and then coming off the bench in games 12-16. By game 20, he’d started 8 and played 12 off the bench, with his minutes ranging from a high of over 35 to a low of less than 18.
That’s what Kerr does, and all the young players have to learn to deal with it.
Thats great for Kerr but it doesnt help Podz’s extension this offseason. Kerr and FO are the ones who talked him up the first 2 yrs, and them they give him same dose as Kiminga this yr just beforenthe extension. That’s deflating to say the least. Additionally the fellow young players start to treat him as just another player and not a high pick potential star. Hierarchy has always been the issue with Kerr’s system with young players. They might be talking up Santos lately but only offers him 3 yr $15m. That’s peanut money for 4th yr player.
Why would you trade for a Mysterious Illness …..
Kerr was noncommittal on a timeline for the big man. “He’s gonna get a workout today, and we’ll just take it day by day from there,” Kerr said. ESPN’s Slater and Ramona Shelburne took a more in-depth look at the “mysterious” illness that has affected Porzingis over the past year and limited him to one appearance since the Warriors acquired him from Atlanta last month.
link to espn.com
Porzingis has sat out 110 games combined the past 2½ seasons.
Why would you give up JK for this. Total FAILURE …
Last time I looked, Kerr is not a doctor. Dunleavy, the guy who actually made the trade, trusts his medical staff. They feel they can work with them.
JK for KP was a bad trade from the get go. They did not even get a player that could help them next year!? The last season with the Geezer Gang. They’ll use the cap space to sign someone sure, but… Al is right about a lot of what went wrong with JK. But it’s done. Time to look to next season. If they get very lucky (with injuries) and add the right pieces they’ll compete.
Imagine actually thinking the Warriors are ever going to rebuild while Curry is active and also Curry will retire within the next 2-5 years. Imagine thinking all that cap space opening up will not be used and not for…a Joker offer? If Draymond and Jimmy and Kristaps are gone, do you think they will be replaced by nobodies?
Yall are just…delusional. You don’t know ball. GSW could win the title -this- season. Runner’s knee is -never- a career-ender. It’s just general pain and then it goes away. Thing is, no team is super scary and unbeatable this year.
In his 40’s Curry will move back to on-ball and also not play full games as he gets older. Al Horford cooking at age 39 right now btw…yall are so dumb at this its sad. I simply have to post here to educate you all.
Here’s a good move: make Podz play off-ball and run marathons every game and move Steph on-ball, replacing Draymond. Lets see that.