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00:00On the line is Odyssey Sports NBA insider Nick Friedle.
00:04Insider calls are brought to you by Hyundai and the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
00:09Up to the minute.
00:10Okay, Nick, what's going on?
00:12Has this 5-on-5 scrimmage already happened, or what's going on?
00:16I'm waiting to hear from Steve, just like you guys are.
00:19But, Mark, what the key is, and Lucas and I were just talking during the break,
00:24I'm curious as to what Steve says.
00:27He's got to know the question is coming, and everybody's kind of waiting with bated breath
00:31to see how Steph is feeling.
00:33The real question is, how does he feel tomorrow morning?
00:36How does he come through after going through the scrimmage,
00:40and how does that knee look, and how does everything feel?
00:43The guess, the educated guess at this point is,
00:47if he goes through this scrimmage and he's feeling good tomorrow morning,
00:52they're going to give him another scrimmage in the next couple days.
00:55They're going to continue to try to ramp him up in practice.
00:59They got a bunch of days off, which is shocking,
01:01given the way the NBA schedule lines up in these last couple months
01:06between the second game of the back-to-back against Cleveland
01:11and then on Sunday against Houston.
01:14In theory, if he comes back against Houston on Sunday,
01:18that would allow for at least four games of being out there,
01:24getting 20 minutes or so in the fold and trying to catch a rhythm
01:28because, guys, he's not going to play both sides of a back-to-back
01:31after being off two months.
01:33So the signs at least seem to point to Sunday,
01:38but that's all contingent on how does he feel after getting up and down the floor again
01:44after being off for so long.
01:46And have you gotten any sense that at any of these steps
01:49that he's had, quote-unquote, setbacks?
01:51Because it seems like the timeline has gone on longer
01:54than what we would have thought,
01:55but I haven't heard anything about him sustaining any setbacks.
02:00Mr. Dibbs, the setback, it came originally right after the All-Star break.
02:06Nobody ever termed it that officially, but that's when it happened
02:10because I can remember being in L.A. right before the break
02:15and I saw Steph for a couple minutes.
02:17They had one of those informal workouts on the day in between.
02:20It was actually the day before that Laker game
02:23when Dunleavy was out there and Porzingis was introduced to the media
02:27and you thought, all right, Steph's right there.
02:30He came back off the All-Star break
02:32and he wasn't able to go through five-on-five.
02:37I mean, that really is the marker.
02:38That's why today is so big because it's been so long
02:41since he's been able to scrimmage.
02:43But when he didn't go through that and right after the break,
02:48you went, oh, well, something's going on with the knee.
02:50That was the setback.
02:51Exactly what it was and what happened,
02:54I don't think anybody still knows for sure
02:57and certainly hasn't said publicly.
02:59The feel was that he was going to do this, the five-on-five,
03:04and go through a scrimmage in Atlanta last week.
03:06The Warriors made it very clear there was not a setback.
03:10Rick Celebrini just didn't feel like he was ready to take that next step.
03:15That gets backed up by the fact that he's out there either right now
03:19or has just completed his first five-on-five.
03:22So as far as the dynamics of when and how all this came to be,
03:26there absolutely was a setback after the All-Star break
03:30that he wasn't able to be into the rehab process the way they thought
03:36because everybody thought that after the break,
03:38going back to that Celtics game when Porzingis debuted,
03:41that Steph would be out there too.
03:43It does feel like we're getting closer.
03:45And guys, I've been telling you for three or four weeks,
03:47the reason that this is happening is because of Steph.
03:50Steph did not want to sit from the end of January
03:54until the mid-part of October and not playing an NBA game.
03:58He wants to be back.
04:00He's been pushing to be back.
04:02If Rick Celebrini clears him, he will be back very soon, it sounds like.
04:07But we've got to wait a few more days and see how that knee responds.
04:11Nick Friedle with us.
04:12I want to hear you speak a little bit further about what you just said.
04:17He wants to play sometime between, you know, January and October.
04:22In your mind, based on your conversations,
04:26why is that so important to him?
04:30Mark, I know the answer because I talk to him.
04:32And the answer is because he knows he doesn't have a lot of shots left
04:37to play in games that matter.
04:39That is what this boils down to.
04:41I know I listen to you guys all the time.
04:43I know people call in and say, oh, I would shut Steph down.
04:47It's not worth the risk.
04:49Steph Curry wants to be out there because he understands that his career
04:53is not going to go on forever and ever.
04:55He wants to be in the play-in.
04:57He wants to try and deliver them into the playoffs
05:01and at least get into a series and see what happened.
05:05Because, Mark, he knows he doesn't have a lot of years left.
05:09I mean, he understands that part.
05:10On top of the fact, guys, that I think this has gotten lost
05:13in the conversation a little bit, certainly in the last couple weeks.
05:17But I think Steph wants to be out there, not just for him.
05:20I think he wants to remind everybody, hey, I'm still the baddest dude on the block.
05:25And there's so much speculation.
05:27And I look forward to talking to you guys throughout the summer.
05:30But is it Kawhi?
05:32Is it LeBron?
05:33Is it the Giannis sweepstakes that they could potentially get back into?
05:37The best thing that the Warriors could do to make anybody feel like, hey,
05:43this is still a great place to be and you'll still have a chance,
05:47is for Steph Curry to be out there doing Steph Curry things.
05:51He can't do that if he's sitting on the sidelines.
05:54So that's why for all the people that call in and say, oh, it's just not worth it,
05:59you're forgetting one very crucial part of the equation here.
06:03Steph wants to be out there.
06:06Nobody is telling Steph Curry he can't play as long as he's cleared.
06:11That's what we're all waiting for.
06:13Does the medical staff come in and say, Steph, you look good.
06:16Everything looks right.
06:18We'll see you on the floor.
06:19He wants to be the one still making the decisions and still dominating because he knows,
06:26Mark, that there's just not a lot of time left for him to be out there on that platform
06:31in the biggest of games.
06:32And I think that is the part that has gotten lost in the conversation.
06:36He hears all the stuff.
06:38I mean, he knows people want him to shut it down.
06:40But when we started talking about it a couple of weeks ago, he just looked at me like, come
06:44on now, I'm going to be out there.
06:47I want to get the chance to have a few regular season games under my belt before the play-in.
06:52But I want to still deliver when I can because I know there's only so much time left.
06:57Is part of this, too, the whole idea of maybe it's not recruiting Chris Stapps, Porzingis,
07:02but also, you know, letting Chris Stapps know that, hey, Steph Curry, he wants to play
07:07and you and he are going to be great together.
07:09Is this another kind of secondary piece of just why Steph wants to return?
07:13A hundred percent.
07:15And, Mr. Dibbs, both Chris Stapps and Steph, they all know that the only way to make sure
07:23that it works is for both guys to be out there at the same time.
07:27I would tell you from a distance, it sure feels like Porzingis loves the Warriors.
07:33He has developed a quick relationship that seems like it's pretty solid with not only the coaching
07:40staff and some of his teammates, but with Celebrini and the training staff.
07:44And when you've gone through what Porzingis has gone through the last couple of years
07:47with the POTS diagnosis, with the ups and downs of whether or not he's going to be on the floor,
07:52that kind of stuff is important.
07:54So I think that is a huge part of why Steph is pushing because he wants to see how it
08:00looks,
08:00just like Porzingis wants to see how it looks.
08:03Guys, I know that fans don't certainly want the Warriors to get older
08:09and they don't want to add guys who have health concerns.
08:13All I would tell you is, given their cap situation, Porzingis fits.
08:17How much he'd be able to play next year and how he'd be able to stay on the floor,
08:23only time will tell.
08:25But he absolutely would fit with Steph Curry because, like so many other guys,
08:30it's not that difficult to play with a guy who can shoot it like that.
08:35And I actually think that Guy Santos had a great line today after practice.
08:39He said, it's great having Steph back because he draws two guys everywhere he goes.
08:44It's more space for me.
08:46I mean, Guy's had a hell of a year, but he doesn't have the track record that Porzingis does.
08:51So there are a lot of reasons to like the pairing.
08:54But, Dibs, to your point, both guys want to see how that pairing looks in real life.
08:59Talking with Nick Fridell and Insider Calls are brought to you by Hyundai
09:02and by the all-new Hyundai Palisade Hybrid.
09:05Learn how it makes everyday epic at HyundaiUSA.com.
09:10Okay, Nick, so when you said no one is telling a healthy Steph Curry that he can't go out there,
09:17I get that.
09:18Is there anybody that wants to?
09:20Do you sense any hesitancy from anyone in the organization about this?
09:26I don't sense it from Steve Kerr.
09:29I don't sense it from Mike Dunleavy.
09:32Mark, I can't speak directly to Joe Lacob because I haven't seen him in a few weeks
09:37and have been able to ask him myself.
09:40But I think at this point, what I would tell you is that the organization as a whole
09:47feels like Steph has earned the right to do whatever he'd like to do.
09:50And, again, if he's cleared and he's feeling fine, I don't think anybody's going to sit there
09:57and say, no, no, Steph, it's just not worth it.
10:00He's gone through every rehab process that there could be over the last couple months.
10:05He's sat out.
10:07And I actually believe, at least as it pertains to Kerr and Dunleavy, they think it's a good thing.
10:14Steph wants to be out there.
10:15We still want to play.
10:16We want to do the best we can to close the year.
10:18Let's see what happens.
10:20I don't think anybody is under the illusion that Steph's going to lead them through the
10:24Western Conference playoffs, guys, and they're going to knock off the Thunder or whomever else
10:30may be in their way.
10:31I absolutely do think that with Steph back feeling good, they think they can get out of
10:37the play-in.
10:38That's two games.
10:39And we'll see if that's able to happen.
10:42But, again, if you're trying to line up the summer and you're trying to say to whomever it
10:46may be, come to the Warriors.
10:49This is the place for you.
10:50The best way you can do that and the best recruiting pitch this team is ever going to
10:55have is having Steph out there on the floor.
10:58So he wants to be out there for himself.
11:00He wants to be out there for Porzingis and the group that's been fighting without him for
11:06months at this point.
11:08And he knows what he represents.
11:10And with him out there, I don't think there is a single person from Lake up on down that's
11:15going to stand in his way.
11:17They've got seven left to go.
11:18And the next two are tomorrow and Thursday back-to-backs.
11:21He won't play in those most likely, almost assuredly.
11:24And after that, you've got five games, including a back-to-back.
11:27What do you think is the best case scenario for Steph Curry in that final five?
11:31How many games do you think that he likely could play?
11:35Dibs, it's four because he's not going to play on both sides of that last back-to-back.
11:40So it's four games.
11:41If he comes back Sunday, it sets up where he can go 20 minutes and build up from there,
11:4725 into 30 maybe in that last game in L.A.
11:52But it's a solid number.
11:55And again, I go back to the conversation I had with him at the Garden a couple weeks ago.
11:59Back then, it was, A, ideally six to eight games, and you're feeling good about where
12:05you're at going into the play-in, but you have found a rhythm.
12:09The window's a little tighter now.
12:11The runway is such that it's probably only going to be four games in a best-case scenario.
12:16But that's four more games than just dropping him in the play-in and say,
12:21hey, Steph, do what you can, man.
12:23They're just not going to do this.
12:25I mean, guys, I think the other part to this is, depending on how things go today
12:29and, again, how he's feeling the next couple days, I think Sunday is essentially it.
12:35If we don't see him back Sunday to start this process that we're all discussing,
12:41I think the plug's going to get pulled because you also don't want him to play
12:45two or three games and then go, hey, go give us 30 in the play-in
12:50in a much more intense atmosphere.
12:53So Sunday really looks like it's lining up for what could be,
12:59and if it doesn't happen by that Rockets game, Dibs,
13:03I think the conversation is going to shift in a hurry.
13:06You think Pods will pass him the ball?
13:09I think there's one guy that you can always count on Pods passing the ball to,
13:14and it's Steph because Pods knows the rule, and the rule is,
13:19at least with this team, you get Steph the ball when you get the chance.
13:23I love that you took my question seriously.
13:25That was very sweet of you.
13:29Hey, you never know which direction it could go with Pods.
13:32I know that we've talked about him seemingly every day all year.
13:38I would tell you, though, Mark, for all the people that can't stay in Pods,
13:42and I know they're out there, that dude's playing pretty well.
13:44And the consistency that has eluded his game at times throughout this season,
13:50it's there pretty well right now.
13:53I know there were moments in that game in Denver the other night.
13:56I remember one specifically where Porzingis wanted him to pass it.
14:00It didn't happen.
14:02He's got to work on that, Pods does.
14:04But on the whole, anybody who has been hating on Pods,
14:09they're just not watching these last few weeks because he's certainly taken a step.
14:13Yeah, so, you know, it's all kind of been brought to light.
14:18We've had an opportunity to talk to him about it.
14:21He's had an opportunity to talk about it.
14:23He is keenly aware of all of the talk that's all over social media.
14:29What do you see in terms of how he's handling it?
14:33I think for him to broach it, Mark, is a great sign.
14:38For him to be open about it.
14:40He talked to you guys about it.
14:41He's talked to us about it now in the last few days.
14:46I wasn't here in the beginning of when Pods arrived,
14:50so I can't speak to what he used to be as far as his dealings with the media.
14:55But I don't think there's any question after the vitriol that came his way on social media,
15:01he just kind of went into a shell publicly.
15:05He didn't want to say anything.
15:06It was rare where he went to the podium.
15:09It was rare when he gave an answer that you thought was illuminating in any kind of way
15:16because I think he just didn't want to deal with the backlash.
15:19I don't blame it, man.
15:20I mean, that's a human response, but for him to discuss it and for him to say,
15:25look, there's some stuff that I wish I could take back,
15:28and for Curtis, a part of growing up in the NBA is learning how to deal with the media,
15:33I think that's all solid growth for his future.
15:37And it leads me again, and I know we talked about it last week,
15:40but it leads me back to if you were betting on is Pods going to end up staying with this
15:46team long term or not,
15:47I would put the money on yes right now.
15:49I think the money will be worked out at some point, whether it happens this summer or beyond.
15:55I just think he likes it here.
15:58I know that the social media chatter has been something that nobody could have expected
16:03and the fervor that has come his way with some of those comments,
16:08but I think he likes it.
16:10I think the coaching staff still believes in him.
16:13And to what we've been saying, I think he's taken another step in his own game.
16:18Now, what kind of player he can become fully in time, we'll see.
16:22But there is no question that he's playing better and more consistently, guys, right now than he was to start
16:29the year.
16:30No doubt, especially over the last four games where they've won three of the four,
16:33and the Warriors put out a little bit of the PR campaign on Pods' behalf, as they should,
16:38because I'm with you, Nick.
16:40He's actually playing much better.
16:42Tomorrow, you get Victor Wenbanyama in town, and he's making a little bit, I guess, of a late MVP bid.
16:49I don't think he's going to quite get there, but how excited are you,
16:53and how excited should fans be to actually watch this guy get out there and play?
16:57I think, Dibs, you know how much I enjoy still watching Steph, not only for what I do as a
17:04job,
17:04but I've been a fan of the game my whole life.
17:06I mean, it's an experience that nobody else can replicate.
17:11Nobody else can shoot the way he can over and over and knock down shots from all over
17:16and show that kind of dominance.
17:20I say that because when you watch Victor Wenbanyama play, and you go to the gym,
17:25and you see what he can do, he does stuff that I've never seen before.
17:30He's one of the few guys that at this stage, I'm like 20 years into covering the league,
17:35that I would spend my money on to go pay for a ticket had I not been lucky enough
17:42to do what I'm doing in covering these games.
17:44Those games in San Antonio when Steph went crazy and was scoring 45
17:49and shooting the lights out in November, the other parts that I remember,
17:54like Victor sticking out his arm and dunking over Draymond,
17:58and all the writers are looking at each other like, what the bleep is this?
18:04I didn't want to go Casey Schmidt here.
18:08I just, I'm watching Wemby and I'm going, this is a dude that people should come out to see.
18:16And Dibbs, the part to me that I appreciate the most about Wemby, he cares.
18:21He wants to go out every night and perform.
18:25And that is not something we're used to seeing, especially in the younger generation.
18:29I cannot tell you how many times, and this goes way deeper than just the Warriors,
18:33but you're watching games and you're looking at guys on the floor and you're like,
18:37this has the intensity of an all-star game.
18:40You know, there is just not much feel for what's going on.
18:44Guys just running up and down the court shooting jumpers.
18:47You don't sense that with Wemby.
18:49You sense a guy who knows what he represents
18:52and knows that he's continuing to improve in his own game.
18:56And when you watch somebody like that,
18:58who has the personality that people would want to follow day to day,
19:02I think that is very, very important for the NBA on a whole.
19:07Nick, great stuff.
19:08And we will happily give you that next five-on-five update here in about an hour and 20 minutes.
19:15I'll be right next to my radio listening.
19:18And I just, I'm curious to see how, not just Steve plays it in the response,
19:27but what happens in the next couple days, guys?
19:29Because, Dibs, this goes back to your question about setbacks.
19:32If Steph comes out and he feels good and Steve gives you all a good update here soon
19:38and the Warriors say, all right, he's going to scrimmage again in another couple days,
19:42it feels like all systems go.
19:44If, for whatever reason, there is some sort of issue here between now
19:50and, let's say, Wednesday or Thursday, again, I think the plug could get pulled
19:54because they're running out of time.
19:56So either it all works the way they hope it will
19:59or we're going to be talking next week that they probably shut Steph down
20:03for the rest of the year.
20:04All right.
20:05Exciting stuff, my friend.
20:07Thank you, as always, and we'll talk to you again next week.
20:10You got it.
20:10See you guys.
20:11There we go.
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