Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors
Getty
Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are in a dangerous place with Stephen Curry sidelined because of a knee injury, and head coach Steve Kerr is blaming himself for the struggles of one particular player still in the lineup.
Draymond Green flopped in an 11-point loss to the Boston Celtics Thursday night, February 19, putting up zero points along with two rebounds and three assists in just over a quarter and a half of play (19 minutes).
“I’ve got to do a better job of helping Draymond,” Kerr told media members Friday following a practice session, per Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “The game is so different without [Curry]. Those two guys have built such a rapport for 14 years now. … And for sure, in my 12 [years], the two-man game with those two guys has been our bread and butter.”
Everyone on the Warriors’ roster is negatively impacted by the absence of Curry, who has now missed six games and won’t return before an early March contest against the Los Angeles Clippers — at the soonest.
However, Kerr said it’s Green who suffers the brunt of the blow when his partner in crime is affixed to the sideline.
“When Steph goes out, it really changes everything in terms of how defenses guard us, and it impacts Draymond probably more than anybody,” Kerr continued.
Stephen Curry Out Until at Least Early March With Knee Injury
Steph Curry
GettyStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Curry is currently out with what the team has described as “runner’s knee,” which is mainly a pain issue attached to a bone bruise.
“Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the last five games due to patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising in his right knee, underwent an MRI Wednesday night,” Golden State posted to X Thursday. “The MRI confirmed the injury and showed no structural damage. He will be re-evaluated in 10 days.”
Curry’s re-evaluation timeline doesn’t mean he will be back in 10 days. In fact, that terminology in an injury report and/or statement typically means the player’s absence will be longer.
Golden State is 2-4 since its superstar point guard went down. The Warriors now own a record of 29-27 and the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, 1.5 games up on the aforementioned Clippers.
Warriors Owner Joe Lacob Claims Draymond Green Never Part of Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Talks
Giannis
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kerr’s absolution of Green was part of a trend from the franchise Friday, as owner Joe Lacob shot down the notion that the team ever considered trading the four-time All-Star ahead of the NBA’s mid-season deadline as part of a package to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“He was never discussed in a trade,” Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard.
“He’s a core person in our franchise. You don’t trade a Draymond Green simply or easily,” Lacob continued. “You do it if you have to, and you’re getting tremendous value, and you’re improving your team. Even Draymond has said he understands that. … But his name was never specifically discussed with another team, and that’s the truth.”
Several reports from league insiders leading up to the deadline connected the Warriors with strong attempts to deal for Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP big man who the team has long desired to pair with Curry.
However, league rules require that salaries of traded players need to more or less match up, and Golden State could not have made an offer for Antetokounmpo that would have satisfied NBA regulations without including either the injured Jimmy Butler or Green as part of the player package going back to Milwaukee.