What Curry's injury means for the Warriors

Earlier this month, NBA legend Micheal Jordan made headlines after saying that Stephen Curry isn't a Hall of Famer yet in an interview with the Today Show.

Curry-- who's already a two time MVP, the first unanimous MVP at that-- simply responded to the situation saying, "I think I'm good, but then I'm never complacent. I know I have more to prove to myself. When you hear a guy like that who's the greatest of all time, it's kind of funny. Since we've been on this stage, we've heard a lot of retired guys chiming in on this generation of basketball player and evaluating talent and saying their generation was better and all that. It's a great conversation for the fans to get in on. I know I'm in good shape for that, but I still have a lot to prove to myself."

Despite MJ or Curry's words, the Warriors' superstar doesn't have much to prove. The former lottery pick is a six-time all-star, two time MVP, three-time champion, and is heavily regarded as the greatest shooter in the league's history-- never mind on the planet.

Stephen Curry saw his lumps early in his career, battling injuries throughout his first few seasons with the Warriors. The three-time champion then developed into one of the leagues' premier points guards, carrying multiple Warriors teams to playoff appearances-- supporting casts that included Festus Ezeli, Jarett Jack, Jordan Crawford, and a near-retirement Jermaine O'Neal.

Curry has been the Dubs most valuable player since the 2012-13 NBA season. With Curry on the floor, the Dubs have shot 41% from three, had an offensive efficiency of 117.2, and a net efficiency of +16.1-- compared to their 35% three-point shooting, 104.2 offensive efficiency, and -0.1 net efficiency without Curry.

Needless to say, the Dubs' success is dependent on the play of Stephen Curry. So when the 2019-20 season rolled around, Golden State knew that their superstar would have to have a historical season to be competitive. This year's roster lacks experience, as half of the roster is either G-Leaguers, rookies, or young players trying to find their place in the league. For this team to succeed, Curry would have to carry like no star has had to in recent memory.

That was the plan until the Warriors' star left the court with an apparent injury Wednesday night against the Suns. This was a game that featured a historical first-quarter lead, and the Warriors were not on the right side of that history. Things got worse in the third quarter when Phoenix Suns big man Aaron Banes, accidentally fell on Curry's arm. Curry immediately went to the locker room and was diagnosed with a broken hand.

The following days included more updates, which revealed that the star suffered a second metacarpal break. There was a lot of speculation on whether or not Curry would need surgery, considering this was his second injury to his left hand.

Curry did, in fact, need surgery, and to many people's surprise, Curry is now sidelined for three months… minimum.

A team source told The Chronicle that Golden State is following the orders of Dr. Steven Shin, who performed Curry's surgery on Friday morning at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. Maya Spaeth — a hand surgeon and founder of the California Center for Hand Reconstruction in Riverside — said that Curry's initial three-month timetable isn't as unusual as it might appear.

Often, surgery on the second metacarpal requires eight weeks for the bone to heal and an additional four weeks for the patient to rebuild strength in the hand. Spaeth said that recovery could take longer if the fracture involves a joint or soft tissue, the details of which aren't publicly available in Curry's case.

As long as Curry's fracture isn't along a joint, Spaeth added, he should be able to return close to 100% after roughly three months. But if it involved a joint, Curry could have to deal with arthritis or instability in that hand.

With all of this happening so sudden, amid a rough start to the season, the Dubs’ season of uncertainty has taken a turn and found some certainty-- but not in the way the Warriors hoped. The Dubs lack of depth was evident in their first few games. With Curry out, the road ahead has more paths to the lottery than it does to the playoffs.

In 1997, the San Antonio Spurs had an eerily similar situation. The Spurs lost their best player, David Robinson, for basically the entire season. This allowed the Spurs to draft the number one pick that year, who just happened to be Tim Duncan.

Now the draft odds have changed since then, with the bottom three teams having an equal chance (14%) to win the number one pick-- but the Warriors, if they take the path of lotto, will be in a position to get a lottery pick regardless if it's the first pick. Adding a possible combo guard to the backcourt of Curry and Klay Thompson can create another run for the Dubs. The idea of the Warriors in the lottery have cause analyst and fans to wonder if the Warriors will tank this season.

Warriors owner, Joe Lacob, put that idea to rest quick, saying that tanking is against everything he stands for.

"We will fight like hell. Develop our young guys. Learn to win," Lacob continued. "You don't get better by trying to lose. Our entire organization is about winning. And we will win. Some bumps in the road, perhaps. But we will never accept losing."

So we know the Dubs will try to compete, and head coach Steve Kerr will do his best to put whoever can suit up in the best position to compete. But the odds of that fight and development being able to happen now lies in the hands of a 23-year-old named D'Angelo Russell.

While Russell is still trying to develop into a fully grown star in the league, it is clear that the offense will have to run through Russell. With that said, the familiar motion offensive will have to shift into a pick and roll based set for Russell to flourish-- at least until next season. The Dubs have to control tempo, spreading the game up while limiting fast break points.

With more questions than answers, Steve Kerr will have his hands full. Hopefully, for Golden State, the young guys will step up, and that fight that Joe Lacob was talking about will shine through.