With the news that Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes will miss the team’s first two games, it looks like third-year shooting guard Klay Thompson will be a part of the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.
Marcus Thompson reported eatlier today that Head coach Mark Jackson ruled Barnes out for Wednesday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Laker as well as the following night at the Los Angeles Clippers:
Second-year forward Harrison Barnes will miss at least the first two games of the season, coach Mark Jackson announced after Tuesday’s practice.
The left foot inflammation that has kept Barnes out of the last three weeks is still bothering him. Jackson said he’s made progress, but not enough to play.
“He’s doing things now without pain,” Jackson said. “But we want to get closer to when he was 100 percent healthy — practicing, running with no issues. There are some restrictions right now and, because of that, it makes no sense to throw him out there tomorrow night.”
Information on Barnes’ injury has been slow to surface and consistently vague. Warriors beat writers aren’t even sure of the specific injury, and it’s unclear how long Barnes might be forced to sit.
With so little to go on, many have begun to wonder what’s causing the inflammation in the rising star’s left foot:
Tuesday, Barnes could be seen smiling, shooting free throws and walking around without a limp. Jackson said Barnes, who missed just one game last season as a rookie, is making progress but some movements still cause him pain.
The longer this drags out, the worse speculation will likely become. Whether it’s by choice of Barnes or the team to keep the handling of the injury quiet, sooner or later it will need addressed. Hopefully he’s just a few days away from getting back on the court, but he’s now been out three weeks without much change to his status.
With the Warriors now having to fill his minutes off the bench with a unit that didn’t look particularly effective without him in the preseason, concern for his possible return date could increase rapidly. The Warriors will need Barnes back so he can develop chemistry with those players and give the team a viable lead scorer off the bench.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
