With a 2-0 series lead over the Rockets, should the Warriors continue to rest a hobbled Stephen Curry? And if so, for how long?
David Aldridge, TNT analyst: Yes. Until they lose a game. Simple. No reason to chance Curry figuratively stepping on a banana peel with a sprained ankle/foot/whatever it is and turning an aggravating injury into something chronic or worse. (By the way, Inside the NBA was cold. And, funny. Better hope the Dubs finish up their business, though.)
Steve Aschburner, NBA.com: The Warriors should rest Curry until they lose a game or until the Western Conference semifinals begin, whichever comes first. Both of these options assume that he actually will be capable of playing before one or the other kicks in. A little extra rest for the reigning-slash-presumptive MVP that doesn’t jeopardize Golden State’s quest to repeat as champs can’t possibly be a bad thing. Of course, if Curry remains hobbled, the Warriors should rest him until he’s not. We saw what happened last spring when Kyrie Irving kept trying to play through mid-level injury that became playoff-ending.
Fran Blinebury, NBA.com: Yes. With an eye on the long run to the NBA Finals, I’d sit him out of Game 3, giving Curry at least a full week of rest and rehab. Then only bring him back for Game 4 if he’s 100 percent. It’s about the big picture.
Scott Howard-Cooper, NBA.com: Rest him. Sit him in Game 3 even if the medical staff and Curry all say he is good to go. The closer he gets to 100 percent, the better the Warriors’ chances of a repeat. As strange as it is to say it in the playoffs, get Curry the R&R he, and others on the team, missed late in the regular season as the chase for 73 wins remained a goal. But rest him only Game 3. If Golden State wins Thursday — and, again, if the ankle is doing well — play the MVP as the Warriors go for the sweep. The idea is to get him healthy, not get him out of rhythm. If Curry does not play in 2, 3 or 4 and the series ends then, that could be a very long layoff between getting on the court, depending when the second round would begin.
Shaun Powell, NBA.com: Rest, for as long as necessary. It really isn’t a debate, in my mind, and hopefully not in Steve Kerr‘s mind, either. The dysfunctional Rockets are giving Kerr the luxury of being as careful with Curry as possible. And even if the Warriors were playing the Spurs or Thunder, I’d still be cautious with Curry, given his history, given what he means to the franchise, now and for years to come.
John Schuhmann, NBA.com: None of us can know just how Curry feels, but we do know that ankle injuries aren’t always 100 percent healed when you start feeling better. And until they are 100 percent healed, it takes just the slightest tweak (which can happen with a simple change of direction) for there to be a re-sprain. This was Curry’s issue earlier in his career and the issue with Deron Williams for a couple of years in Brooklyn. So I would keep him out for this entire series, unless the Rockets somehow win a game.
Sekou Smith, NBA.com: Steph should sit for as long as needed, into the next round if need be. The Rockets are no threat, not even with the series shifting to Houston for Games 3 and 4. Steph’s importance to the Warriors now and for the foreseeable future is galactic. There is no reason, none at all, to put him in any sort of danger for the sake of beating up on the Rockets. Steve Kerr knows this and that’s why I’m sure he’ll be as cautious as necessary in his handling of this situation.
Ian Thomsen, NBA.com: Keep it simple. When Curry can play, play him. If there are any doubts, then rest him. A reasonable ambition is to protect Curry’s health for the next three rounds while finishing off the Rockets within five games. Right now there appears to be little cause for anxiety.
Lang Whitaker, NBA.com’s All Ball blog: What’s the rush? I’d sit Curry either until I lost a game or he was 100 percent healthy, whichever happens first. And considering that the Warriors are playing the Rockets, Curry might get to be 100 percent before they lose a game. Still, with Curry you want to play the long game here, especially with his history of ankle injuries. Of course, knock on wood, he’s been pretty healthy for a while, and there’s no need to rush him back and get him on the floor and risk any longer-term injuries. The Warriors are playing for June, not today. Or at least they should be.
