Warriors' Patrick McCaw Aiming to Return from Spine Injury Before End of Season

The Golden State Warriors are almost fully healthy now that point guard Stephen Curry has returned from injury in their second-round matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. Guard Patrick McCaw is the lone rotation piece missing, having suffered a scary spinal injury that's holding him out indefinitely.

McCaw told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated his return could come sooner than expected.

"That is a goal, definitely. I definitely want to be back this season. That is my main goal," McCaw said.

In a March 31 win over the Sacramento Kings, McCaw was undercut by Vince Carter and crashed hard to the floor. He was motionless for an extended period and had to be taken off the floor on a stretcher.

The Warriors announced last week that McCaw had been cleared for "modified" shooting and running drills.

"I just started rehab a couple weeks ago," McCaw said. "I started in the pool, walking on the treadmill and getting my movement back. [Last] week I started in the weight room trying to get my body back right."

McCaw said the injury scare has made him more thankful and appreciative of his NBA journey:

"It was definitely a life-changing moment for me. It is so much bigger than basketball to say that I can stand on my own two feet again and be able to walk again. It made everything so much bigger than what I had been seeing it for. You really take so much for granted being young and thinking you'll be able to get it back if you make a mistake."

The Warriors are up 3-1 in their second-round series against the Pelicans. It's unclear when McCaw might return or if the Warriors would be comfortable using him as a regular part of the rotation in a likely Western Conference Finals matchup against the Houston Rockets.

But the fact that a return this season is within reach is promising given how scary things looked when McCaw went down.