Steph Curry and Steve Kerr are staying coy about the possibility of the Warriors superstar rejoining the starting lineup Wednesday for Game 5 of the first round playoff matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
Warriors general manager Bob Myers also addressed the topic during his bi-weekly appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” Tuesday. Check out the full conversation below, with the Steph chatter beginning at the 7:10 mark:
Myers said he thinks Curry has earned the right to make the decision about his return to the starting five.
“Either way, it’s fine,” Myers told hosts Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky. “But I think Steph will probably decide the answer to that question. He should. Look, if Steph says, ‘I’m good coming off the bench.’ Or Steph says, ‘Look, I think I need to start,’ we’ll do whatever one he wants. And either are fine, really.”
Curry and Kerr spoke to the media later in the day and mostly skirted any questions about it. At this point, it’s pure gamesmanship with Nuggets coach Michael Malone and his staff, as Kerr said Curry has no more physical limitations.
Steph’s playing time bumped up to a series-high 37 minutes as he dropped 33 points in Game 4, his fourth back since missing the final 12 games of the regular season with a sprained left foot.
Curry was asked a two-part question to begin his press conference Tuesday – first about the lack of physical limitations, and second, whether or not he’d be starting.
“It feels good just knowing everything’s moving in the right direction,” Curry said. “Managing the injury and these first four games, it’s obviously been a little different. Trying to make the most of it and it’s gone pretty well. … I’m not worried about it moving forward.”
Curry then paused and said, “What was the other question?” with a wink.
Klay Thompson doesn’t know either.
“That’s up to Steve,” Thompson said. “I don't even know. I'm just ready to hoop and it's going to be a great night.”
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So, we probably won’t know until shortly before tip-off, which is set for 7 p.m. PT at Chase Center on Wednesday. The Warriors have a chance to clinch after foul trouble and sloppy play doomed them in a Game 4 loss.
Kerr recounted a story how San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich once submitted a faux starting five featuring long-retired players like George Gervin, and Kerr joked he might do the same thing Wednesday.
Curry has mostly downplayed the sacrifice, but Myers understands the immense interest, especially with the way Jordan Poole exploded on the scene to begin his postseason career.
“I get why it’s a big deal,” Myers said. “It’s Steph Curry. I think it’s a big deal for this reason – what other superstar would agree to that? Not many. We could all argue what a big deal it is to start or not – we all know who finishes is what’s important. But starting is a big deal. It’s not nothing.”
Myers said it goes back to what Andre Iguodala did in 2014-5, coming off the bench for 77 games in the regular season before becoming Finals MVP.
“That to me is what we’re letting slide a little bit – sportswise, now – is that sacrifice part of a team,” Myers said. “We celebrate these individuals a lot, which is cool. Individual players should be celebrated. But any time we can remind ourselves that the team is first, is great. And Steph kinda does that every day. But this is an example of that that everyone can see.”
Once he returns to the starting five, Curry said he doesn’t feel compelled to pull aside the benched player -- whether it's Poole, Kevon Looney or Andrew Wiggins -- for a conversation.
“It’s the essence of who we are,” Curry said. “It’s the essence of how we do things. … You just have to make the right call in what’s in the spirit of winning and giving yourself the best shot of winning. Everything should line up to that.”
