While Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are at each other's necks about whether the superstar should return, the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Before Curry's return on Sunday, Steve Kerr talked about what it means for the team's superstar to return down the stretch.
"He's the greatest face of a franchise that I've ever seen ... We owe it to our fans to give them the opportunity to watch Stephen Curry play basketball this year. And Steph Curry doesn't think twice about that. That's what he wants. That's what we want. That's what our fans want. So we're going to do that."
Giannis is likely envious that an organization, player, and fanbase can all be on the same page.
Different situations, but that won't matter to Giannis
Now, it has to be noted that, unlike the Bucks, Golden State still has a chance to sneak their way into the postseason. Sitting at 10th in the Western Conference, things don't look great for the Warriors, but they undeniably are still in the hunt. Yet, as Kerr mentioned, even beyond the end result, this is about the fans who want to see Curry.
Giannis knows how much he means to those Milwaukee fans. If he feels like he can play and is sitting on the sidelines instead, it likely weighs on him. He doesn't care if he's suffered several injury scares this season. As long as he's healthy at this very moment, which there are conflicting reports about, the Greek Freak wants to play.
If the Milwaukee Bucks had even a sliver of hope that they could make the postseason, none of this would be happening. He'd be playing. Yet, outside of the fans who paid money to see Giannis and the forward himself for his pride, no one would benefit from him being on the floor. With all of the injuries he's suffered this season, putting Giannis back on the floor could be a nightmare in the making.
There are five games for either side to budge
As he claimed while talking to reporters on Friday, part of the reason Giannis wants to return is to hit the court with Alex Antetokounmpo, his brother, who recently made his Bucks debut. With those two and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks are the first NBA franchise to have three brothers in town. Giannis obviously wants to get out there and share the court with them.
It would be risky, but perhaps the Bucks will look into some sort of compromise down the stretch of the regular season. Maybe they limit him to just 15 minutes per game and give him a couple of stints with his brothers—if he is indeed as healthy as he claims, of course. The Bucks would be holding their breath, but perhaps that would be the best way to quiet this brewing storm.
There's also a world where the Milwaukee Bucks stick to their guns and keep Giannis out to ensure he is fully healthy before bringing him back. Time will tell.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.