A mighty army with the best arsenal is only as good as its general. The same can be said about Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors, who are faltering in the absence of franchise icon Stephen Curry. The veteran has been sidelined since the end of January with a runner’s knee condition, leaving the Warriors scrambling, testing their depth without their greatest shooter. With just weeks left until the postseason, fans and analysts have been poring over every update on Curry’s condition.

Dubs fans are hoping and praying that the 2x MVP can return in time to spark a late miracle run. NBA trainer and Chef Curry’s performance coach, Brandon Payne, revealed earlier today that his client is just as eager as his fans to get back on the court.

“If he can play, he’s gonna play. He loves competing, he loves to play,” Payne said while appearing on The Line with Dr. Kristine Holmes. “He also understands and values the fact that people wanna see him play, and fans want to come watch him play, and he enjoys that and loves that he has that responsibility to play for the people that love and support him. It’s just been a little bit kind of tricky.”

Stephen Curry was initially supposed to return after the All-Star break. However, additional bone bruising and further complications with his right knee have delayed a swift comeback. But Payne insists this is part of the process, and Curry is aiming for a return in the last stretch of regulation season.

“It’s one of those things where you’ve got to build, put back-to-back days together. I think that, right now, figuring out what the proper loading is for him to get him to that point is still where they kind of are. And they’ll figure it out. I do believe he’ll play again this year. And I think that any time you have Stephen Curry on your team, in a playoff setting, you have a chance to win.

So as long as he’s back and healthy, I’d say probably by the last 6-7 games of the season, where he’s able to build a little bit of momentum heading into the play-in and hopefully the playoffs, of course, they have a chance because they’ve got him on the floor.”

In 39 games, Steph is averaging 27.2 points, with 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists. The Warriors are 23-16 with Curry this campaign, and 10-20 without him. His absence leaves an obvious void, both offensively and in leadership. Yes, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis bring loads of experience, but they cannot compensate for Curry’s gravity.

Steve Kerr awaits Stephen Curry, Al Horford, and Moses Moody’s returns

The Golden State Warriors succumbed to yet another humbling 99-120 loss against the Boston Celtics last night. Their latest loss leaves them at 10th position in the Western Conference standings, with the play-in game their only realistic shot of making it to the conference finals.

Kerr is being pragmatic in his approach to the final stretch of the season, but admits he needs Curry, Al Horford, and Moses Moody if they are to make a deep playoff run.

“We’re going to be in the play-in one way or the other,” Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s loss. “So we have to prepare, we have to be prepared for when we get guys back, for when Steph’s back, and Moses and Al. If we are prepared when they get back, we can do some damage, we can go on a run.

“But we can’t have game-plan mistakes. We have got to build better habits. Boxing out, taking care of the ball in transition, taking care of the ball in transition, that sort of thing.”

Despite his patellofemoral pain condition, Curry has been seen courtside cheering on his teammates as they struggle to go head-to-head with the best without their chief. The Dubs are 2-8 in their last 10.

They take on a Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons tomorrow, followed by a spicy contest against the Atlanta Hawks and former Warrior, Jonathan Kuminga. Kerr hopes they can put together a string of wins before a potential Curry comeback in the first or second week of April.