Should Warriors shut Stephen Curry down for the season?

Is a play-in game worth Stephen Curry returning to action?

Curry hasn’t played since January and will miss at least 25 games this season since his injury. It doesn’t seem like he is coming back anytime soon. There will be an update from the organization on his status soon after a reexamination later this week. 

Curry’s injury update could impact the direction of the franchise for the remainder of the season and its offseason plans as well. 

In a season riddled with injuries to key players including Jimmy Butler and Curry, and now with Moses Moody gone for the season with a ruptured left patella tendon, it doesn’t seem likely that Golden State will be a major factor in the play-in or playoffs. 

With all the adversity the Warriors have faced this year, they should consider shutting down Curry for the rest of the season. The risk-reward factor for bringing him back doesn’t seem logical to try to get a better seeding in the play-in tournament.

Warriors risk/reward analysis  

In a season that will more than likely end in a play-in game, is the risk factor for Curry coming back before or during the play-in game worth the reward? 

Best-case scenario, Curry comes back before the play-in game, gets some in-game reps with Kristaps Porzingis, and they go on a magical run to the playoffs and win a title. 

Worst case scenario is he comes back before the play-in game and re-aggravates his injury or has a worse one that keeps him out significant time next season. 

The scenario of winning a championship seems highly unlikely with everything that has happened this year for Golden State, and it doesn't seem like the risk would be worth bringing Curry back to action for a long-shot chance.

There has been talk within the organization that it wants to see Curry and Porzingis on the floor at the same time to see how it goes in live-game action, but that's not as important as keeping Curry’s health a priority for another season that will already be hampered with Butler and Moody expected to miss significant time.

With all the adversity the organization has been through this season, it should not jeopardize next season for the slim chance of trying to catch lightning in a bottle to win a championship with a depleted team. It would be wise for the organization to shut Curry down for the season and prepare for the next one.