Warriors' Speights won't return for Game 1 of West Finals

The Golden State Warriors still don't know when they'll have Marreese Speights back, they just know it won't be in time for the Western Conference Finals.

The Warriors are awaiting the outcome of Sunday's Game 7 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets to find out their next opponent, giving them plenty of time to rest ahead of Tuesday's Game 1. But the additional rest has not been enough to get Speights back to full health, with head coach Steve Kerr revealing Sunday that Speights won't be back for the start of the series.

Speights is dealing with a right calf strain he suffered May 9, one that turned him into a willing cheerleader for the final three games against the Memphis Grizzlies. His absence meant a bit more time for David Lee, who averaged 15.4 minutes in those three games after totaling just nine in the first seven games of the playoffs.

Depending on which opponent the Warriors draw, the absence of the affable Speights may or may not have an impact. The backup big was averaging 7.3 minutes in the playoffs after averaging 15.9 in the regular season, speaking to both a heavier load for the starters and his reduced utility in certain matchups.

The Rockets employ Dwight Howard, but otherwise use few traditional bigs, and Houston would allow the Warriors to comfortably play smaller more often than the Clippers would. Speights wouldn't figure to play a great deal in either series - and Lee won't, either - but in what figures to be a tight series, every marginal gain can be paramount.