The Golden State Warriors fate for the season is all but sealed. With six games separating them from the sixth-seed Los Angeles Lakers and 7.5 games separating them from the tanking Memphis Grizzlies, it's safe to say they'll wind up in the play-in no matter how the remainder of the regular season goes.
On one hand, this provides a sense of assurance. The Warriors can continue to experiment with their rotations and give young players extended opportunities without worrying about their final standing in the Western Conference. Of course their seeding matters, but it's not of the utmost importance currently.
On the other hand, this scenario presents an impossible question to answer. Stephen Curry has been out since Feb. 3 with lingering knee soreness, and a recent set-back leaves no definitive timetable for his return.
Although there's no chance Golden State shuts down Curry for the remainder of the campaign, is it wise to bring him back before the conclusion of the regular season? Would it be worth the risk of him re-aggravating this injury?
The Warriors must consider a painful Stephen Curry reality as he attempts to make his return
Even prior to Curry's injury, this season was essentially lost for the Warriors. With Jimmy Butler gone for the season with a torn ACL, their ceiling is at most a first-round exit. They simply don't have enough juice to make an impact against any of the higher-seeded teams in the Western Conference.
But Curry was also playing absolutely spectacularly in spite of this. Through 39 games this season, he's averaged 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while knocking down 39.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Curry is only under contract through next season. We could rapidly be approaching the end of his playing career. He deserves, at the very least, a shot at making a playoff run this season.
Dalton Johnson at NBC Sports Bay Area put the question succinctly in his recent piece on Curry's injury:
"So, should the Warriors keep him on ice until the play-in tournament? It’s not in his character to extend the boundaries of caution. Yet the Warriors have to preach the importance of next season being the bigger priority while staying present in the moment and being the bare minimum of a competitive team that Curry suits up for."Dalton Johsnon
If they were to bring him back for a series of relatively pointless regular season games and he were to re-aggravate his injury, they would be almost guaranteed to be without him for the play-in tournament. This would be absolutely disastrous.
At the same time, Curry is a natural-born competitor. There's no way he'll be willing to sit on the sidelines while his team grinds out the remainder of the regular season without him.
Yet Golden State must ultimately do what's best for the organization's long-term chances of winning a championship. Resting Curry is a painful possibility that the Warriors must, at the very least, consider as his absence continues to be extended..