The Kristaps Porzingis situation just keeps getting weirder and weirder for the Golden State Warriors, who now may be forced to make a tough decision. Porzingis has already spoken out about his injury and mentioned that he is close to returning but was also vague.
Apparently, Golden State is as much in the dark as fans are with ESPN's Anthony Slater mentioning that "his can no longer be described as an excused absence." Porzingis is reportedly recovering from POTS, which is a syndrome that can cause rapid heartbeats and severe fatigue.
If he's handling his recovery separately from team doctors, then there is no telling what he is doing to get back on the court and whether it's the quickest and best way for him to do so.
Latest Kristaps Porzingis injury news may force the Warriors' hand
The Warriors have seemingly allowed him to fill them in on his situation, but thus far, there seems to be no clear timeline for him to play. If he continues to seemingly ghost them, it may become a larger issue, which could include fines or a suspension.
Just the fact that this has gotten this far has been fascinating. In fact, it is eerily reminiscent of the Kawhi Leonard situation back when he was with the San Antonio Spurs. Leonard was reportedly diagnosed with tendinopathy, which is a chronic knee condition, by Spurs doctors.
However, he and his team disagreed with the diagnosis and were given the ability to treat the injury their own way. That disagreement in diagnosis essentially resulted in him ghosting the Spurs. He played just nine games during the 2018-19 season before ultimately forcing his way out of San Antonio.
Obviously, Porzingis isn't nearly as valuable as Kawhi was to the Spurs, but he is still a fairly high-profile player, and the Warriors desperately need him if they want to compete this season.
Latest Kristaps Porzingis injury news may force the Warriors' hand
If he is keeping them in the dark about what's going on regarding his health, then they may end up having to fine or suspend him to force him to communicate with them.
What's so surprising about the situation is that Porzingis hasn't been reported as being unhappy in Golden State and even just signed a two-year extension over the summer to stay with the Warriors. That makes his decision to remain radio silent and keep the Warriors guessing all the more confusing.
Perhaps he is nearing his return, and both sides will soon be on the same page. That would be the best-case scenario for the Warriors, who have gotten off to a poor start this season. On the other hand, if he is charting his own course, health-wise, there's no telling when he will play again.
Hopefully it doesn't get to that point, and he'll return soon, but the latest surrounding Porzingis hasn't been encouraging.
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