Six days before the season opener, the Golden State Warriors still have no timeline for Kristaps Porziņģis.
The team said Wednesday that the 31-year-old center remains out indefinitely because of the same health-related matter that kept him out of training camp and all five preseason games so far. Porziņģis visited the team's practice facility Tuesday and met with general manager Mike Dunleavy and Dr. Rick Celebrini, the vice president of player health and performance.
The Warriors said the contents of that meeting will stay private, that Porziņģis will now be around the team, and that an update on practice, playing status or a timeline will come "when available and appropriate."
Porziņģis offered his own update on social media. "Honestly, I'm getting better and better. I just have to stay patient, and I believe I'll be feeling great again soon," he wrote, according to The Associated Press. He called it frustrating to deal with "health stuff that you can't exactly pinpoint, on top of injuries throughout my career."
How he got here
Golden State acquired the 7-foot-2 Latvian from Atlanta at the February trade deadline in a deal that sent Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga to the Hawks, then agreed with him on a two-year, $40 million contract in late June, the AP reported.
He played 32 games last season for the two teams, averaging 16.7 points and 5.2 rebounds, and appeared in only 15 for the Warriors.
Dunleavy first said on Sept. 28 that Porziņģis would be out indefinitely, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Asked Monday whether Porziņģis would be ready for the regular season, Steve Kerr said that would be "determined once we get him back here."
The lineup without him
Kerr has already shown his hand. He said Monday he is "leaning toward" opening with Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green, the Chronicle reported. That group puts the 36-year-old Green at center and brings Al Horford off the bench.
The choice is driven by minutes. Horford is 40, and the Warriors plan to hold him to roughly 20 per game. "If a guy's going to play 20, which is probably about the limit or where we'd like him to average, it's just a lot easier to bring him off the bench," Kerr said, according to Hoops Rumors, which cited NBC Sports Bay Area.
He added that staggering Green and Horford would keep one of them on the floor to anchor the defense.
