Will the Warriors be OK without Stephen Curry?

Will the Warriors be OK without Stephen Curry?

Stephen Curry injured his left knee in the Warriors' 106-94 win over the Hawks and will be sidelined at least six weeks.

Stephen Curry injured his left knee in the Warriors' 106-94 win over the Hawks and will be sidelined at least six weeks.

The arena known as "Roaracle" was far from being loud in the third quarter of the Warriors-Hawks game on Friday night. In fact, it was silent. Dead silent.

JaVale McGee had just jumped for a block and when he landed he fell backward, onto Stephen Curry's left leg. Curry limped gingerly around trying to limp it off, but he was soon taken out of the game and examined by head athletic trainer Chelsea Lane. He left the bench and went into the locker room. Up to that point, Curry tallied 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting to carry the offensive load without the three other all-stars sidelined by injuries.

On Saturday afternoon, the MRI results came in from Curry's left MCL sprain and it's a Grade 2, which means he will be out at least three weeks and then re-evaluated. The NBA playoffs start in three weeks. Curry could be back in time for round 1 of the playoffs, but the healing process will most likely be longer. How much longer? It depends how well Curry's body is able to respond to the rehab and treatment done on his knee. According to head coach Steve Kerr on Sunday before the Warriors played the Jazz, he said there's no way Curry would play in the first round. 

Additionally, it depends how the playoff picture in the West plays out.

As of right now, Golden State would have to play Minnesota in the first round. It could be a tough matchup depending if Jimmy Butler is healthy enough to come back. However, if Butler does not come back in time for the first, then the Timberwolves will be like the team they've faced in years past with a solid pairing of Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Minnesota does have an upgrade at the point guard spot in Jeff Teague and have bolstered their bench with the off-season additions of Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson.

Another possible opponent the Warriors could face in the first round are the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are always dangerous with Gregg Popovich at the helm. They would be even more dangerous if star Kawhi Leonard decides to come back and play this season in the playoffs. Leonard elevates the Spurs to a whole new level with LaMarcus Aldridge in the post. Depending if Leonard comes back will determine if there is a need to rush Curry back after the three-week period.

New Orleans is another possible opponent the Warriors could face in the first round of the playoffs. DeMarcus Cousins might be out for the season, but Anthony Davis is alive and well. Davis is one of the most unguardable forces in the league. His ability to score on the low block with an array of shots and his knockdown jumper should be able to give any of the Warriors defenders trouble. However, the Pelicans won't be able to score as much as the Warriors, so Curry could rest the first round if Golden State chooses to do so.

The Utah Jazz are another potential first-round foe Golden State could match up with. The Jazz would be difficult because they're well-coached with Quin Snyder and a defensive presence in Rudy Gobert. They also possess one of the most dynamic rookies in the league in Donovan Mitchell. This would be a matchup, Golden State could bring Curry back, but would not be necessary for the Warriors to take down the Jazz in the first round.

These kinds of knee injuries take time to heal. Kevin Durant's knee injury from a year ago took about six weeks to heal and for him to get back on the court. Although his injury was worse, the team would be smart to be cautious with Curry's health. As great as Durant is, Curry is the player, who elevates the Warriors to "historically great" from just "great." I'm not saying that Durant doesn't make the Warriors 'great', he does, but Curry transforms the team, where they're nearly untouchable with his ability to stretch defenses to their limits.

Durant, is the Warrior who benefits the most from Curry's absence, as he averages 29.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 5.5 apg. His averages are slightly down with Curry in the lineup at 25.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.3 apg. He takes on the responsibility to not only score the ball more, but also lock in defensively without the captain in the lineup. It prepares him for when Curry does come back and he can go onto one of those big Durant scoring runs he's known to do on. Durant will have to do much the same for the last three weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs like he did so in December when Curry went down with an ankle injury.

Perhaps, the player who will be most impacted by Curry's absence is guard Quinn Cook. Curry's mentorship to Cook has helped Cook gain confidence playing on the team. Since he is on a two-way contract going back-and-forth from the Santa Cruz Warriors to the Golden State Warriors, he has not had many opportunities until players started to go down with injuries. Cook has played well in the stead of Curry, who has averaged 8.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 0.9 apg compared to just 2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 0.9 apg when the two-time MVP is in the lineup. However, the number that spikes up are the minutes per game. Cook plays 21 mpg when Curry isn't in the lineup, whereas 8.6 mpg when Curry is on the floor.

Defense will be a focal point for the Warriors without their most dangerous weapon out of the lineup. Having Curry out of the lineup forces Golden State to focus more on the defensive side of the floor because they might not be able to outscore the other team, without having one of the most impactful players in Curry.

Durant and defense will be the keys to surviving without Curry for three-plus weeks. If those two combinations can work themselves out when the playoffs roll around, potentially resting Curry for the first round would make it much easier on the team and their hopes of a championship push. Survive without Curry for three-plus weeks and hope that he can come back and make the push for another parade in downtown Oakland.

The arena known as "Roaracle" was far from being loud in the third quarter of the Warriors-Hawks game on Friday night. In fact, it was silent. Dead silent.

JaVale McGee had just jumped for a block and when he landed he fell backward, onto Stephen Curry's left leg. Curry limped gingerly around trying to limp it off, but he was soon taken out of the game and examined by head athletic trainer Chelsea Lane. He left the bench and went into the locker room. Up to that point, Curry tallied 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting to carry the offensive load without the three other all-stars sidelined by injuries.

On Saturday afternoon, the MRI results came in from Curry's left MCL sprain and it's a Grade 2, which means he will be out at least three weeks and then re-evaluated. The NBA playoffs start in three weeks. Curry could be back in time for round 1 of the playoffs, but the healing process will most likely be longer. How much longer? It depends how well Curry's body is able to respond to the rehab and treatment done on his knee. According to head coach Steve Kerr on Sunday before the Warriors played the Jazz, he said there's no way Curry would play in the first round. 

Additionally, it depends how the playoff picture in the West plays out.

As of right now, Golden State would have to play Minnesota in the first round. It could be a tough matchup depending if Jimmy Butler is healthy enough to come back. However, if Butler does not come back in time for the first, then the Timberwolves will be like the team they've faced in years past with a solid pairing of Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Minnesota does have an upgrade at the point guard spot in Jeff Teague and have bolstered their bench with the off-season additions of Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson.

Another possible opponent the Warriors could face in the first round are the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are always dangerous with Gregg Popovich at the helm. They would be even more dangerous if star Kawhi Leonard decides to come back and play this season in the playoffs. Leonard elevates the Spurs to a whole new level with LaMarcus Aldridge in the post. Depending if Leonard comes back will determine if there is a need to rush Curry back after the three-week period.

New Orleans is another possible opponent the Warriors could face in the first round of the playoffs. DeMarcus Cousins might be out for the season, but Anthony Davis is alive and well. Davis is one of the most unguardable forces in the league. His ability to score on the low block with an array of shots and his knockdown jumper should be able to give any of the Warriors defenders trouble. However, the Pelicans won't be able to score as much as the Warriors, so Curry could rest the first round if Golden State chooses to do so.

The Utah Jazz are another potential first-round foe Golden State could match up with. The Jazz would be difficult because they're well-coached with Quin Snyder and a defensive presence in Rudy Gobert. They also possess one of the most dynamic rookies in the league in Donovan Mitchell. This would be a matchup, Golden State could bring Curry back, but would not be necessary for the Warriors to take down the Jazz in the first round.

These kinds of knee injuries take time to heal. Kevin Durant's knee injury from a year ago took about six weeks to heal and for him to get back on the court. Although his injury was worse, the team would be smart to be cautious with Curry's health. As great as Durant is, Curry is the player, who elevates the Warriors to "historically great" from just "great." I'm not saying that Durant doesn't make the Warriors 'great', he does, but Curry transforms the team, where they're nearly untouchable with his ability to stretch defenses to their limits.

Durant, is the Warrior who benefits the most from Curry's absence, as he averages 29.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 5.5 apg. His averages are slightly down with Curry in the lineup at 25.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg and 5.3 apg. He takes on the responsibility to not only score the ball more, but also lock in defensively without the captain in the lineup. It prepares him for when Curry does come back and he can go onto one of those big Durant scoring runs he's known to do on. Durant will have to do much the same for the last three weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs like he did so in December when Curry went down with an ankle injury.

Perhaps, the player who will be most impacted by Curry's absence is guard Quinn Cook. Curry's mentorship to Cook has helped Cook gain confidence playing on the team. Since he is on a two-way contract going back-and-forth from the Santa Cruz Warriors to the Golden State Warriors, he has not had many opportunities until players started to go down with injuries. Cook has played well in the stead of Curry, who has averaged 8.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 0.9 apg compared to just 2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 0.9 apg when the two-time MVP is in the lineup. However, the number that spikes up are the minutes per game. Cook plays 21 mpg when Curry isn't in the lineup, whereas 8.6 mpg when Curry is on the floor.

Defense will be a focal point for the Warriors without their most dangerous weapon out of the lineup. Having Curry out of the lineup forces Golden State to focus more on the defensive side of the floor because they might not be able to outscore the other team, without having one of the most impactful players in Curry.

Durant and defense will be the keys to surviving without Curry for three-plus weeks. If those two combinations can work themselves out when the playoffs roll around, potentially resting Curry for the first round would make it much easier on the team and their hopes of a championship push. Survive without Curry for three-plus weeks and hope that he can come back and make the push for another parade in downtown Oakland.

Premium Yahoo, ESPN & Fantrax Tools

Unlock our premium Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax league tools with an active Patreon subscription for $2/mo and get access to the following tools using data from Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax leagues:

  • Premium Schedule Grid
  • Waiver Wire Rankings
  • Draft Tracker
  • Matchup Planner
  • Trade Machine
  • Waiver Machine
  • League Scouting Report
  • Team Scouting Report
  • Beast Mode

Learn about our premium tools