OAKLAND – For more than two months last season, Stephen Curry only could watch as the Warriors spiraled downward without him. His ailing right knee forced him to miss 27 games, 18 of which ended in defeat.
Curry, whose workout routine is legendary among NBA players, acknowledged then that there would be a “new normal” because changes were required.
As Golden State prepares for NBA training camp next week in Hawaii, those changes have Curry brimming with optimism after he was diagnosed last February with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly referred to as “runner’s knee,” and forced to the sideline.
“Feeling fantastic,” Curry said Wednesday at an appearance in east Oakland. “There was a very particular and kind of prescriptive plan over the course of the summer of what I could do on court (and) off court to build the foundation back but give my knee some rest. And then slowly build to where when I get to camp on Monday, I’ve got enough reps, enough pickup sessions and court time where I’m able to do everything like I normally do but not overdo it going into camp.”
Curry, 38, realizes he is nearing the end of a career that will earn him first-ballot Hall of Fame status. Always devoted to conditioning – the primary source of his success for 17 seasons – a first-time knee issue left him briefly unsettled.
Even now, the experience lives in the back of his mind.
“I think because I missed so many games last year that that’s going to be like top of mind, and obviously should be,” Curry said. “But anybody at this age and with the number of miles, you’re managing something. So, it’s kind of part of the longevity aspect of this, and I’m not afraid of it.”
Golden State’s medical and training staffs, led by Dr. Rick Celebrini, are considered among the best in the league. Curry will be monitored on a regular basis beginning with the first practice on Sept. 29 at BYU-Hawaii.
The Warriors are, according to league sources, somewhat concerned because Curry long has been the key to their fortunes and “runner’s knee,” which generally affects distance runners, can devolve into a chronic condition.
“It’s at that stage of my career . . . so all of this was just information to design a summer where you’re pacing yourself, getting your reps in, trying to improve the things that I set out to do skill-wise,” Curry said. “But I’m feeling strong and healthy, and I’m pretty sure I’m there.”
The Warriors surely hope so. Either way, this will be a season during which Curry will miss select games, mostly on back-to-back sets, for cautionary purposes.