The Golden State Warriors have been without their superstar in Stephen Curry for over six weeks now as he deals with lingering knee soreness that popped up before the All-Star Break.
The hope was initially that Curry would be ready to go once action resumed after the All-Star Game, but it's been a frustrating month of setbacks for the Warriors' only hope at relevancy.
In Curry's absence, things have been dismal. Golden State has gone 6-11 and has slipped to the ninth seed in the Western Conference. With their loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night, they now have just half a game separating them from the Portland Trail Blazers, who currently reside in the 10th seed in the West.
Although not all hope is lost if the Warriors fall into the bottom half of the Play-In Tournament, the definitely need Curry back as soon as possible if they want to increase their chances of breaking into the first round of the playoffs.
Thankfully, as Curry travels with them on this lengthy road trip, his return seems closer than ever.
Stephen Curry seems prepared to jump in for the Warriors sometime in the next week
To be clear, we have yet to receive an official update on Curry's injury status since we were informed on March 11 that he would miss at least 10 more days. He will be re-evaluated on Friday, putting him out for at least Golden State's matchups against the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics. The matchup on Friday against the Detroit Pistons also feels unlikely, since it will be the first half of a back-to-back.
But last night against the New York Knicks, Curry was seen on the bench throughout the game, even conducting an interview with the broadcasters at NBC Sports. The team is on a six-game road trip, so Curry being present with them is not a massive surprise given his pending re-evaluation.
It is, however, a highly encouraging sign that he could return before the end of their East-Coast sojourn.
Their matchup with Atlanta on Saturday will be followed by a game against the Dallas Mavericks to wrap up the road trip before a pair of games at home against the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards. A series of games against tanking teams could be the perfect time to allow Curry to ramp back up and find his form.
It seems as though the stars might be aligning, therefore, for Curry's desperately-awaited return.