The clock is running out on the Golden State Warriors and no amount of late stretch heroics can save them. The worst part for Dub Nation is that the team is starting to realize that. Their cautious approach with Stephen Curry’s injury has only intensified. He’s missed over 20 games and is slated to miss more. And if Steve Kerr, the guy who admitted has no part in the decision about Steph’s return, is to be believed, they’re no longer waiting for Curry.

Ahead of the team’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, the head coach poured cold water on any hope that Curry would return in these last few games or in the Play-In Tournament. “If he’s healthy, he’s going to play. If he’s not healthy or if there’s any risk at all, then he won’t play.”

The team has been without Curry since January 30 and his void has been hard to fill fo the team that’s struggled to keep its play-in spot. Regardless of how much they want him back, Kerr admitted the general sentiment of the team is, “we’re not going to take any chances.”

Amid calls to shut down for the rest of the season, the players and Steve Kerr himself are pushing to keep their postseason chances alive. If that’s without the 38-year-old, they have to accept it. “We want to see him, you know, we’re not bringing him back like for the play-in game… he needs to play some games and we need to give him a runway if this is going to work. And we are running out of games.”

Coming from the guy who wants to shorten the NBA season, the bleak circumstance of not having enough games to reconfigure the big void in the roster is grim. It’s a stark shift from simply patching holes in the lineup. Without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, and with Al Horford’s and Kristaps Porzingis’ availability questionable, the team is moving past a constant adjustment phase.

Stephen Curry’s return poses a contradictory dilemma for the Warriors

The Golden State lineup has constantly changed during the eight weeks Steph Curry has been absent to adjust with the mounting injuries. It certainly has not been a favorable setup that has dropped them as low as the 10th spot in the West.

While Kerr kept the token optimism saying, “He’s [Curry] still working, and Rick [Celebrini] is working with them with the mindset that he will be back,” Steph’s return doesn’t necessarily present the chance to winning.

Throwing the veteran guard straight into a high-stakes play-in or playoff environment without a rhythm is not the preferred strategy. That’s why Kerr said they’re not pushing for his return any time soon despite the confidence he brings to the team.

He stops just short of confirming that they might consider shutting the 4x champion down for the season. Instead, Rick Celebrini is working on getting Curry the conditioning needed for a real NBA game, intensified scrimmages, and adjustment with a lineup that’s played two months without hm.