Warriors Are Taking a Totally Unnecessary Risk Bringing Steph Curry Back This Weekend

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has been one of the NBA's most prominent absentees for much of this season, as a hand injury has kept him off the court since October. His absence has helped to sink the once-dynastic Warriors to the basement of the NBA, and given fans nothing and (nearly) no one to watch at the newly opened Chase Center in downtown San Francisco.

The team's thirst to get Curry back on the court has led them to a push for a return this Sunday against the Washington Wizards. It's a pushy return that leaves Golden State with much more to lose than to gain, unfortunately.

At a dismal 12-45, the Dubs have surely accepted the reality of a lost season for quite a while now, and there's nothing a Curry return can do to change that. They will not be in the playoffs, and the one silver lining that may come out of this failed season -- equal lottery odds with three other teams at the first pick in the draft -- could be in danger if Curry starts cooking at his typical level.

Steph sparking a late winning streak to tarnish Golden State's draft lottery stock is a preventable side effect of this rushed return, and more importantly, the risk of reinjury is always present if he's forced to put a weak team on his back and be a one-man show night after night.

The stakes were much higher when the Warriors trotted an injured Kevin Durant onto the court for Game 5 of the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors, a move that cost the superstar an entire year of his career. Now, with seemingly zero stakes at all in the back end of a hard-luck season, the Warriors are choosing once again to roll the dice.

Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers famously cried at the podium after Durant's Achilles tendon injury last June knowing that things could have played out differently. That major blow hasn't led to any change in philosophy, it would appear, and the team could suffer anew as a result.