Curry of the Warriors discusses his ‘new normal’ following ‘unpredictable’ knee rehabilitation.
SAN FRANCISCO — In an extensive press conference ahead of his return on Sunday night, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry discussed the ongoing and “unpredictable” right knee injury that has sidelined him for the last 27 games.
“I initially thought I would be out for a week,” Curry stated. “Ten days at most. (However), every time I stepped on the court or attempted to push myself during that first month, there was always a reaction. It became clear that it wasn’t healing as quickly as I had hoped.”
The discomfort and swelling in Curry’s right knee first emerged on January 24 during a workout in Minneapolis. He managed to play through it for a few games before exiting the lineup on January 30.
Curry has since been absent for over two months due to what is referred to as “runner’s knee,” but he progressed to five-on-five scrimmaging this past week and finally received medical clearance to return against the Houston Rockets at home on Sunday night.
He will officially be designated as questionable, but barring any unforeseen setbacks in the next 24 hours, he is anticipated to play.
“Every morning I wake up, the first thing on my mind is how this (knee) is going to feel,” Curry remarked. “That has been a challenge throughout the entire process. Even now. As good as I feel at this moment, I hope it remains that way. It’s just a matter of getting out there and experiencing it.”
During his absence, Curry celebrated his 38th birthday in mid-March. He has one more season remaining on his current contract and has expressed a desire to continue his career beyond that. He was asked if this ongoing knee issue is something he will have to manage for the remainder of his playing days.
“Yes and no,” Curry replied. “There is nothing structurally wrong with my knee. So it’s not as if I’m compromised out there. It is a new normal, though, if that makes sense.”
Curry indicated that this experience differs from any of his previous ankle, knee, or tailbone injuries because there was no specific timeline, and he couldn’t push through it or be on the court while it was still in the later stages of recovery.
Curry mentioned that he initially believed he would return in mid-February after the All-Star break. He later aimed to come back for a March road trip to the East. He also faced a setback a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta when it seemed he was close to returning.
“You’d start running and doing your regular (rehab) workout,” Curry explained, detailing the issue. “(Then) toward the end of however long the session was, you’d begin to feel the pain return, and the next day it would be terrible. I went through that cycle so many times over the past two months.”
Curry reenters a Warriors team that has struggled in his absence, posting a 9-18 record during the 27 games he missed, placing them firmly as the 10th seed in the Western Conference with five games remaining.
As Curry noted, the outcome of the Warriors’ final five regular season games holds little significance. They will be positioned on the lower side of the play-in bracket and will need to secure two elimination victories on the road against a combination of the Blazers, Clippers, and Suns.
If they manage to achieve that, they would advance to the playoffs as the eighth seed and face either the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or the surging San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
“Hopefully win two play-in games,” Curry said. “Then we can have another discussion.”
Curry stated he never seriously contemplated shutting himself down for the season, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr confirmed that the franchise never approached him about it.
“He’s the greatest face of a franchise that I’ve ever seen,” Kerr stated. “We owe it to our fans to provide them the chance to watch Steph Curry play basketball this year. And Steph doesn’t even think twice about that. That’s what he wants. That’s what we want. That’s what our fans want. So we’re going to make that happen.”
