OAKLAND – Upon hearing Monday that Stephen Curry was diagnosed with a Grade 1 sprain of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee and would miss at least two weeks, Warriors general manager Bob Myers felt mostly relief.
The same apparently applies to Curry.
“I was with him at the MRI (test) and he was pleased at the outcome,” Myers said of Curry. “He’s focused on getting back as soon as he can.”
Though Myers said Curry’s knee is scheduled to undergo re-evaluation in two weeks, the GM added that more information could be ascertained over the next week as the reigning MVP goes through treatments.
Moreover, Myers added that such an injury typically requires a recovery period of two to three weeks, thus the Warriors made “an educated guess” on how long Curry will be out.
“From our perspective, (it’s) relatively good news,” he said. “Clearly we don’t want to be here getting MRIs at this point of the season, especially with someone of Steph’s stature.”
[POOLE: Steph Curry sustains Grade 1 MCL sprain in right knee]
Curry sustained the injury late in the second quarter of the Warriors' 121-94 victory in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Rockets in Houston. Curry slipped on a wet spot, fell awkwardly and limped off. He did not return.
The Warriors hold a 3-1 lead and can close it out with a victory in Game 5 Wednesday night. The Warriors would next face the winner of the Clippers-Trail Blazers series.
The question is how long before Curry is able to return. He will not play before May 9, Myers indicated, which means he would miss at least the first two games of the next round.
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“His body will dictate what he’s capable of doing,” Myers said of Curry. “But the good thing is he’s not unstable. He’s mechanically sound, so we’re able to explore different things and see how his body reacts. But we’re not going to throw him into environments that he’s uncomfortable in.”
Curry missed Games 2 and 3 against the Rockets after tweaking his ankle in Game 1. Shaun Livingston, who started Games 2 and 3, would return to the starting lineup for Game 5.
“It’s unfortunate,” Myers said of Curry’s injury. “But we’ve got a game in two days, and we’ll focus on that. We’ll move forward the best we can.”
