Warriors GM: Durant 'will fully recover long term'

The Golden State Warriors' latest chapter of dominance over an NBA regular season had a monkey wrench thrown into it Tuesday night with Kevin Durant's left MCL sprain. Out at least four weeks, the good news is nobody expects any long-term issues.

"He's in a position where he'll fully recover long term," Warriors general manager Bob Myers said Wednesday, according to the Bay Area News Group's Anthony Slater. "In the short term, we'll see how his body responds."

Asked if the diagnosis wasn't bad, all things considered, Myers added: "In light of what it might have been, yes."

He conceded, however, that there was serious concern.

"There was a moment where there was a potential different diagnosis, but that didn't last too long," he said.

Durant was expected to head back to the Bay Area from Washington on Wednesday to begin rehab, while the Warriors continued on to Chicago for a game against the Bulls on Thursday.

"I know that nobody on the team is happy right now because they care about Kevin, and they want to see him on the court," Myers added.

The 50-10 Warriors are four games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the Western Conference's top spot as of Wednesday, something Durant's injury will serve to enlarge the target on their backs.

"We will do our best to keep the (playoff) positioning we have now," Myers said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Connor Letourneau. "But it's not going to be easy."