The sigh of relief from Warriors fans, when news that Kevin Durant’s knee injury wasn’t devastating, was strong enough to blow the fog off the Bay.
Still, there is angst with that relief. The Warriors have experience with this situation, so the optimism is stunted. But let me explain why the Durant news was good on multiple levels.
The MRI results on Durant’s left knee revealed a grade 2 sprain of his medial collateral ligament, along with a bone bruise. He will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
That news is definitely better news than what was feared when Zaza Pachulia crashed into Durant’s left leg early in Tuesday’s loss to Washington.
“Dodged a missile,” Draymond Green said via text.
Best-case scenario: Durant could return before the end of the regular season, which ends April 12. He could get some time to get in rhythm and game shape before the playoffs.
A less optimistic scenario: The injury takes at least six weeks and maybe keeps Durant out of the first round.
The scenario that keeps Warriors faithful from celebrating the news: Durant’s season may not be over, but his dominance might be.
This whole situation feels like last May, when millions of Warriors supporters were relieved when the MRI on Stephen Curry’s right knee revealed his season would continue. But he was never the same the rest of the postseason.
That experience leaves a lump in the throat of Warriors faithful. If Durant doesn’t return to the MVP-caliber of play he’s put up this season, does that doom the Warriors chance at a championship? Will an untimely injury cost the Warriors again?
Even in the worst-case scenario, the Warriors have three All-Stars to lean on, which is why they went and got Durant. Plus, the Warriors have time on their side. There is six weeks of regular season left.
And if Durant comes back at 80 percent of himself, they could wind up better in the long run if they play this right.
They handled step one perfectly. The injury forced the Warriors to add Matt Barnes and bring some needed balance to the roster. The Durant injury exposed that home at small forward and prompted them to change their plans on signing point guard Jose Calderon.
With Barnes, who is 36 and in his 15th season, the Warriors have a versatile option for the wing. He fits their style of defense because he is 6-foot-7 with long arms and has experience defending multiple positions. He can also pass and handle the ball some, and though his 3-point shooting has tapered off the last two years he can knock down open shots.
They needed that more than the shooting Calderon provided, especially considering his defensive limitations.
Matt Barnes is the new Brandon Rush, whom the Warriors didn’t replace. They don’t have to burn Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup and lose their sixth man. And they don’t have to put rookie Patrick McCaw in a spot over his head as a starter. Both are a bit undersized for small forward anyway.
Barnes gives them experience, toughness and some skill. He’s no Durant, but he figures to be as good as any available option to fill in.
Another silver lining: the Warriors have no choice but to turn the offense over to Curry full throttle.
After going on a tear in January, Curry has slowly reverted back playing off the ball and in a more passive role. Coach Steve Kerr continues to prioritize using Curry’s gravity to create openings instead of attacking with Curry.
His usage rate dropped to 26.3 in December, lowlighted by that 11-point performance on Christmas Day. In January, it jumped to 32.4 percent as Curry took back control of the offense: he averaged 27.8 points on 47.8 percent shooting with 6.9 assists.
For February? He dropped back down to 29.6 and drifted in and out of dominance. Since Curry feeds on rhythm and flow, playing off the ball works against him many times.
And the Warriors are simply better, especially in crunch time, when Curry is aggressive. The vision was for Durant to be an upgrade over Harrison Barnes. But if he is in essence replacing Curry, the results aren’t as spectacular.
With Durant out of the lineup for at least a month, the Warriors have no choice but to feature Curry. That’s a month to get Curry into one of those grooves. It’s back to how it was last year, with Pachulia in place of Andrew Bogut and Matt instead of Harrison.
That should mean more pick-and-rolls with Green and Klay Thompson. More of the best playmaker on the team with the ball in his hands.
If this stretch without Durant gets the Warriors to own that offensive concept as a principle — since Durant has shown he can fold right in and flourish — then it will have paid dividends.
Another silver lining: the Warriors have something to keep their focus for these last 22 games. Losing Durant should help them become engaged and sharp to avoid slippage. It could also mean more close games, which they need.
These silver linings will really have impact should Durant return in time to regain his form. They could have a better bench, Curry in rhythm, and get a timely turbo boost with the return of a healthy Durant in the postseason.
That’s pretty good news if you’re a Warriors fan.
