Warriors Injury Update: Green Out For Road Trip, Cousins Joins Full Practice

The Golden State Warriors are facing a minor injury crisis with coach Steve Kerr confirming Draymond Green will not return to action during the reigning champions’ five-game road trip of which they have lost their first two games.

Green has missed the last eight games with a sprained toe on his right foot and is certain to miss at least another three matches before he returns to the court. The Warriors do need size on the court especially since they have now lost center Damian Jones for the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle injury.

The Warriors lost their first games on the road against the Toronto Raptors and then to the Pistons. They have games against the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Milwaukee Bucks before returning home and Kerr confirmed after Sunday’s practice that Green will not be available for their next three away games.

"Draymond, it's just slow going," Kerr said after Warriors practice at the University of Detroit Mercy. As quoted on ESPN. "I think it's unlikely now that he will come back by the end of this trip. He's doing some straight-line movement and got some shots up today. He's feeling better, but it's just a really hard injury to heal.”

Green last played on Nov. 15 against the Houston Rockets, which was his first game after his one game suspension following an altercation with teammate Kevon Durant. The Warriors power forward is not keen to rush his return, but admitted that he is pushing hard to make a return sooner rather than later.

"I don't want to just get thrown back into a game, that is a little different pressure on the toe," Green said. "Just really ramping up now as opposed to hopping back in it. Just stick with the process and then try to jump some steps and then be back out."

However, there was some positive news on center DeMarcus Cousins, who is yet to make his debut for the Warriors since joining them on a one-year deal in the summer. He has been out with an Achilles injury he picked up at the start of the year.

Recent reports suggested that Cousins could return to action after the Christmas day game against the Los Angeles Lakers and Kerr confirmed the progress by revealing that he will take part in all the team practice sessions during the upcoming week on the road.

"DeMarcus is making some strides," Kerr said. "He's looked a lot better to me the last couple of days. The intensity of his workouts -- we didn't do any scrimmage or anything today -- but he took part in every aspect of our practice.”

"I do know he will fully take part in every practice that we have this week,” the Warriors coach added.