Kristaps Porzingis will miss his 6th straight game with a mysterious illness

Golden State Warriors‘ Kristaps Porzingis will miss his sixth straight gamewith disease continuing to plague the center.

After trading Jonathan Cumminga and Buddy Hield to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline, the Warriors got just one game from Porzingis, a guy they envisioned as a perfect fit alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green because of his unique combination of size, defense and shooting.

But apparently, things went wrong for the big man. Not long after his debut against the Boston Celtics, in which he scored 12 points in limited 17 minutes, Porzingis fell ill and has not returned since.

And details about what Porzingis is going through have been scarce. Except when coach Steve Kerr told reporters before the Denver Nuggets game that Porzingis was too sick to leave his hotel room, the team was mum on his condition.

“It’s a little mysterious,” Kerr he told reporters earlier this week. “Obviously we’re working with him and hopefully he can get some clarity, and he can kind of break through and get to a point where he’s consistently healthy. But that’s something that the medical staff is working hard on with him, and, yeah, I’m not even going to put forth any more theories, any medical theories.”

As for whether Porzingis made it to practice at all, Kerr said he was a full participant in last Friday’s practice. However, in Monday’s pregame game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Porzingis did not participate as the illness appeared to continue to hamper him.

When will Porzingis be back?

It’s just a confusing situation all around, one that the Warriors have somehow contributed to, albeit unintentionally. Steve Kerr had to drop some comments gave a radio interview in which he said Porzingis’ POTS diagnosis was “misinformation” amid speculation that his current illness is due to that specific condition.

Porzingis’ apparent history with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome has cost him games in the past. But the Warriors have not confirmed whether this current illness is related to the condition.

If there’s one encouraging development for the big man, it’s that he’s hitting the road with the team. Earlier, Porzingis stayed in the Bay for the Dubs’ two-game road trip last week. Glass half full, this seems to indicate that he is healthy enough to travel.

But beyond that little sliver of positivity, Porzingis remains uncapped. And what’s happening right now is the downside of the risk they took by trading for him. But the Warriors realized it was a possibility when they made the deal; Kerr and GM Mike Dunleavy showed confidence they could keep him healthy when asked specifically about his health concerns.

“I don’t think we would have made the trade if we didn’t think he could be healthy and consistent in terms of being in the lineup,” Kerr said after the deadline.

But while the trade has gone awry so far, the Warriors don’t think their process has been flawed. In an interview with Warriors insider Tim Kawakami, Dunleavy he expressed no regrets in their process of gathering information about Porzingis’ health. Dunleavy told Kawakami he felt “good” about the information they had and their doctor’s assessment.

Regardless, the Warriors will be without Porzingis for the foreseeable future as they try to tread water in the West.

Other dignitaries

• Moses Moody will not play against Houston with a sprained right wrist suffered in the loss to the Clippers. Another significant injury to an already injured team. Over the past six weeks, Moody’s has averaged 15.4 points on 42.1% from three. He was one of their most consistent players, especially with Curry and Jimmy Butler. It doesn’t look like a major injury, but they will certainly feel his absence.
• Will Richard remains out with a sprained right ankle. He’s currently walking around in a boot, but Kerr described his condition as day-to-day. Richard averaged 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 54 games this season. Novak was a good find in the second round, and Kerr trusted him in the rotation.
• Expect two-way players Nate Williams and Malevi Leons to get some run on this road with all the injuries. The Warriors have found production from those slots in the past, thanks to the scouting and development of their G-League affiliate Santa Cruz. Guy Santos, Pat Spencer and Ti Jerome are some of the famous names that came out of there. And just the other night, Williams scored 18 points in 22 minutes against the Clippers.