OAKLAND, Calif. _ For a few fleeting moments Saturday morning, there was a Kevin Durant sighting at the Warriors shoot-around.
The injured superstar was hoisting a few shots alongside Stephen Curry when practice opened to the media, another small step in Durant's rehabilitation from a knee injury. Durant sustained a Grade 2 MCL strain during a Feb. 28 game and the team hopes to get him back by the end of the regular season.
While Warriors players were happy to see him doing something other than, say, riding a stationary bike, there were no changes to the official timetable. The team has said only that Durant will be "re-evaluated" in a little more than a week.
"You just try to let a guy rehab and do what he wants to do at his own pace," forward Draymond Green said. "I feel like when you start talking to a guy _ 'Hey, man, how you doing?' _ then all of a sudden they want to rush back.
"No, man, take your time. Get right. When he's ready, obviously, we want him back out there."
After Saturday night's home game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors travel to Oklahoma City for a game Monday. Obviously, Durant won't play against his old team. But to Green, that's good enough for now.
"He had the itch Day 4. 'Oh, man, I feel better. I think I'll be back soon,"' Green said. "I'm like, 'No, dude. Go do your rehab.' He's a competitor ... He's always going to have that itch, but at the end of the day it's about being smart and letting it get all the way right."
