Warriors: Stephen Curry 'Isn't Anywhere Close To Playing', Coach Kerr Says

The Golden State Warriors begin their playoff campaign against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and will be without Stephen Curry, who is sidelined with a grade two MCL sprain to his left knee.

The point guard suffered the injury on March 23 during their 106-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Curry’s involvement was limited to just 25 minutes in the Warriors’ last 17 games and coach Steve Kerr revealed Thursday he "isn’t anywhere close to playing."

The reigning NBA champions are struggling without their star point guard and have a dismal 7-10 record without Curry in the lineup. They suffered their biggest loss of the season in their final game of the regular season going down 119-79 to the Utah Jazz.

Coach Kerr ruled out Curry for the first round of the playoffs, and his recent assessment does not make for good reading. The two-time MVP’s injured knee is expected to be re-evaluated on Saturday after which the doctors could provide a timeline for his return.

The Warriors coach indicated an earlier than expected return was out of the question as his side prepare to take on the Spurs in their first playoff game on Saturday. Curry’s absence has dented their hopes of making a fourth straight NBA final, with reports suggesting other Western Conference coaches were eager to play the Warriors in the first round owing to the guard’s absence.

“He’s not practicing yet or anything,” Kerr said Thursday during his weekly appearance on KNBR Radio. “I think three weeks (from his injury) is Saturday. I think that’s when we said the doctors would reevaluate him. He isn’t anywhere close to playing, I can say that.”

The only positive for the Warriors during the final weeks of the regular season was the emergence of Quinn Cook. The point guard has been playing regularly in recent weeks owing to Curry’s injury and has put in some impressive performances.

Cook averaged 17.1 points, 4.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and shot 50.7 percent from three-point range in the Warriors’ final 14 games of the regular season. The 25-year-old’s recent performances also earned him a multi-year deal, which he described "as a dream come true."

Kerr believes the former New Orleans Pelicans player’s recent upturn in performance is aided by the encouragement from the two-time MVP, who has been advising him from the sidelines.

“(Curry) has already helped (Cook) over the last month,” Kerr said. “I thought Steph was the guy who really talked Quinn through it. The first few games, Quinn was sort of tentative, and then Steph helped him realize, we want you to shoot. We want you to shoot 20 times. I thought one of the reasons Quinn played so well is having Steph in his ear.”

Curry denied claims about him suffering a setback in his recovery from the MCL sprain and indicted he was in the rehabilitation phase of his recovery process. The initial timeframe for his return was set at 4-6 weeks, which gives him another one or two weeks before he gets back on court.