It’s now 22 straight games. Stephen Curry should’ve been back after the All-Star break. But the Warriors talisman has yet to recover from a runner’s knee fully. There was some positive news. The team announced Curry has been progressing well in his recovery and could join team activities very soon. The only reason the step hasn’t been taken yet is that Kerr is awaiting Dr. Rick Celebrini’s green light.

“Well, the scrimmage was pushed back, and I think the plan is for him to scrimmage this week. And, you know, Rick is really monitoring all of this. He’s in charge, and he just felt that day that we should push him back a couple of days,” Kerr said on Willard and Dibs.

The caution is warranted. Curry, aging into the twilight of his prime, remains a transformative presence on the floor, but he is not invincible. Kerr knows this, and despite the Warriors’ visible struggles in Curry’s absence, the head coach has made clear that no timetable will override medical judgment.

That said, Kerr will not be the one to take a risk or go against medical advice.

“I think today is a good day to, you know, just reassure our listeners that if we don’t feel good about it, then he’s not going to play. I mean, we’re not pushing him into anything if things aren’t really clear. And that’s, Rick has been really adamant about that and very open with that, you know, to me and to Mike here over the last week. And he feels good about it,” Kerr added.

That stance is not just sound medicine. It’s a lesson the Warriors organization learned the hard way.

Cast your mind back to the 2019 NBA Finals. Kevin Durant had missed over a month with a calf strain when Golden State, staring down a 3–1 deficit to Toronto, opted to rush him back for Game 5. Durant played brilliantly — 11 points in his first nine minutes — before his Achilles snapped mid-drive.

He never played another game for the Warriors. What followed was years of rehabilitation and a franchise reset that Golden State has never fully recovered from. Kerr was in the building that night. The memory does not need to be spoken aloud for it to shape every decision he makes about Curry’s return.

Steve Kerr needs Curry more than ever. Aside from the Warriors’ downfall, this could be his final season at the helm. Unfortunately, the seasoned coach hasn’t had a healthy roster for the majority of the season. But Kerr won’t risk Stephen Curry’s career for his own good.

If the issue persists and it’s better to rest for the season, Kerr and the Warriors will follow that with their franchise’s greatest player.

Stephen Curry, Warriors’ chances slip away after latest injury

As much as Steve Kerr is willing to listen to the medical staff, he’s clear about one part of Curry’s return. If the franchise ace returns, winning becomes the immediate priority. It should be considered that Stephen Curry is having one of his best scoring campaigns in the past five years. However, is that a chance Kerr and Curry would want to bank on?

It’s not just Jimmy Butler who is out for the season. For Golden State, the injury picture is broader than just Curry. Moses Moody suffered a serious knee injury in the Warriors’ last game against the Dallas Mavericks, further thinning an already depleted roster.

Kristaps Porzingis, brought in as a frontcourt presence, has been a largely unreliable presence due to his own persistent injury history — hardly the dependable partner Curry would need alongside him upon his return.

From a health perspective, the Warriors are never going to be 100% this season. Of course, Stephen Curry would still be itching to help his teammates out. The Warriors are now 7-15 since the four-time champion’s knee injury.

Curry is the kind of player who wants the ball in crunch time regardless of the scoreboard. But Kerr, burned once by the cost of an ill-timed return, appears determined not to let urgency win out over wisdom.

If the medical staff says no, Curry sits. If the season is functionally over before his knee is sound, the Warriors may choose to look ahead.

There’s a choice to make for the Warriors. And for once, it sounds like Golden State is in no rush to make it.