After missing the last five games with a tailbone contusion, Steph Curry is eying his return Monday night for the Warriors' game against the Chicago Bulls.
If Curry plays, he'll be ahead of schedule, as he was originally slated to miss Monday's game. But after practicing fully on Sunday, signs were trending positively. Now, it's an even better sign for the Warriors.
"I'm trending that direction," Curry said after shootaround on Monday afternoon. "This is a new injury for me. From two Wednesdays ago to now it's been a roller coaster ride, just in terms of thinking it was going to be a two or three-day thing, testing it out, didn't work, and this last week just trying to make steady gains to even be in a position to thing about playing.
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"I'm happy with where I am. Just got to go through some more checkpoints to be ready to go. But I'm feeling good enough to be ready to go tonight."
As Curry said, the initial thought was that he would miss just a few games. But because a tailbone bruise isn't your typical injury that can be fixed with rehab, it became more of a day-by-day evaluation process.
When his body was ready would be when he could return.
"It's not a lot when you're dealing with a bone like that so it's a lot of ice, a lot of finding the most comfortable chairs and sofas in the house," Curry said. "Just letting the body do its thing no matter how long it takes."
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"It's one of those things, too, where once you get to a point where you're close enough to play, that last little bit, that last 10 percent of healing can potentially take a long time. But that's something you have to get through the comfort or pain so you can go out and do everything you want to do on the court. That's the position I'm in right now."
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The Warriors are desperate for Curry to return. Since he left the game against Houston with the tailbone contusion, Golden State has gone 1-4 and has struggled to find any offensive rhythm or defensive presence.
Curry won't be the problem solver on the defensive end -- the Warriors need Draymond Green to step up on that side of the ball. But on offense, Curry changes the game.
Curry is still listed as questionable on the injury report, and probably won't be officially ruled as active until after he goes through warmups. But if Curry has anything to say about it, he will be out on the court against the Bulls.
"I'm doing everything to get ready mentally and physically to be ready to play, for sure," he said.