Warriors News: Steve Kerr Gives Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins Injury Updates

The Golden State Warriors start the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, and head coach Steve Kerr made it seem as if the two-time defending champions will be short-handed for some time. 

He talked to reporters Monday and provided updates on Kevin Durant—who suffered a calf strain in Game 5 of the second-round series against the Houston Rockets—and DeMarcus Cousins—who suffered a quad injury in Game 2 of the first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15.

Neither player has participated in live action on the floor since being injured, and Anthony Slater of The Athletic surmised "neither sound too close to returning":

Kerr added that talk of Durant's return “needs to slow down. Kevin hasn’t even stepped on the floor yet," , per Logan Murdock of NBC Sports.

It is a testament to the overwhelming talent on the Warriors roster they are still overwhelming favorites even with Durant, who is arguably the best player in the league, and Cousins, who is a four-time All-Star, battling injuries:

The combination of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green carried Golden State to victories over the Rockets in Games 5 and 6 and are quite familiar with what it takes to thrive at this time of year. The trio won the 2015 NBA Finals and a league-record 73 games during the 2015-16 regular season before either Durant or Cousins arrived.

Even though Kerr’s update was not an optimistic one from the Warriors’ point of view, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported on Saturday Cousins "is on course to make a return" at some point during the Trail Blazers series.

As for Durant, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported he is out for Game 1 and "unlikely" to play in Thursday’s Game 2.

Golden State isn’t the only team with injury issues in the Western Conference Finals. Portland has played the entire playoffs without big man Jusuf Nurkic after he suffered a leg injury, and Enes Kanter is playing through a separated shoulder. Rodney Hood suffered a left knee bone bruise in Sunday’s win over the Denver Nuggets and is questionable for Game 1, per Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.

It still has Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to counter the Warriors’ trio of All-Star caliber players, but beating the two-time defending champions at less than full strength is a daunting task.