(Photo: LetsGoWarriors.com Instagram account)
WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — Maybe #DubNation shouldn’t be reading into things, but there were signs today at media availability after the Golden State Warriors had shootaround (they do not practice on game days) that Andre Iguodala may be returning to the lineup tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans (our preview).
Iguodala had suffered a strained left hamstring injury on November 22, 2013, late in the game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
LetsGoWarriors.com had predicted a return of this Saturday, December 21, against the very same Los Angeles Lakers that Iguodala had gotten hurt against.
Before entering the practice facility today, I asked Warriors PR personnel if Iguodala had practiced with the team. They replied by saying that, because they had not issued a hard copy of which players did not practice since the last time they did so, that should be construed as an indication that nothing has changed since the last time.
The last time they issued a hard copy, about a week ago or more, Iguodala was listed as “did not practice”. The same with Jermaine O’Neal, Ognjen Kuzmic, and Festus Ezeli, all of whom are on the shelf indefinitely.
When we walked into the practice facility, however, Iguodala was dribbling around at a walking pace:
He was also not wearing a leg warmer on his injured left leg, as we’ve seen most of the time since he has appeared at shootaround while injured. Example:
I also noticed that he was wearing a blue practice jersey, usually an indication of being on the first string (starting five) for scrimmages in practice or walk-throughs at shootaround. Harrison Barnes, conversely, had his reversible jersey on with the white side showing, usually an indication of the second string reserves.
Then, when David Lee sat down to talk to media, he said this when answering the expected question of how the Warriors intend to bounce back from their recent woes:
Today we were focused in shootaround. All we can do is go out there and play the next one, hopefully get Andre back tonight. That should help as we continue to get healthy as a team. Once again we’re gonna have to go out there and take care of business here at home.
Lee wasn’t asked to elaborate on Iguodala and coach Mark Jackson does not usually make himself available after shootarounds, as he will have pre-game press conference responsibilities at the arena during game days, but the signs are there that Iguodala may be back tonight.
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