Golden State Warriors: Why Health is Still the Most Important Priority

December 20, 2011; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after an injury during the second quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Power Balance Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors had a terrific 2012-2013 season, there’s no doubt about that.

Stephen Curry missed a few games, but he always came back strong and was able to lead the Warriors to victory despite the injury. When he wasn’t there, Jarrett Jack stepped into his shoes and the Warriors didn’t even miss Jack.

In the playoffs, however, the bug came back, and this time, it took David Lee, the Warriors’ All-Star. In his first playoff game ever, Lee tore his hip flexor and was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. He did return, but still wasn’t 100%. Still, it’s hard to imagine what could have been if the Warriors had Lee at 100% for all of the playoffs.

Would they be celebrating right now? Would they be having their own parade? Probably not, but hey, you never know.

The Warriors will always have a deep roster, we know this. The health, however, has been an underlying problem for the Warriors in the past coupe of years. From Curry, to Lee, to Andrew Bogut, the Warriors have struggled to have their crucial lineup all together at one time.

Think about it this way: without Bogut in the rotation, Andris Biedrins will have to step into his place and be the great center he once had the potential to be. Festus Ezeli is out with a knee injury, so what are the Warriors’ other options? They have none!

This is how crucial Bogut is to the Warriors rotation. He’s one of the best defending centers in the league, and occasionally has brilliant offensive nights. Biedrins can’t say any of that, because he’s washed up.

David Lee is also very important. He didn’t miss many games in the regular season, but come playoff time, he was immediately injured, just like that!

Imagine how tough it would be for the Warriors to win games if they didn’t have that guy who leads the league in double-doubles. He and Curry complement each other nicely. From the passing to the shooting touch, Curry and Lee will get the job done. Without arguably the best power forward in the league, the Warriors are left to their backup power forward. Normally, Carl Landry would have fit that role, but he just opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.

The most important, obviously, is Curry, who has been bitten by the injury bug plenty of times. Every time he goes down, you feel that feeling in your stomach and think, “Is he going to be okay?”.

Well, now that he’s going to have a whole offseason to recover, he should be fine. Isn’t that what they said last year? Yes, it’s true. No matter how much time you have to rehabilitate, you’ll always be most susceptible in your weak spot.

In the 2013 playoffs, Curry injured his ankle twice against the Nuggets, but played every single game. He was the trooper that his team needed him to be. He’s recovering, but all those injuries have turned his ankle into paper.

If the Warriors have to play extended time without him next season, they’re headed for some trouble.