Chris

Taft

Taft, who played two seasons at Pitt, was the 42nd pick in the draft and will have a backup role on the Warriors.

He’s hoping to be ready for the start of training camp in October.

He’s out of shape due to a back injury he suffered this summer, and with the Warriors stockade of power forwards, he’s likely quickly dropping down the depth chart.

Taft spent Thursday on an exercise bicycle watching his teammates. He averaged 13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game at Pittsburgh last season.

He had been out with a strained groin.

“It’s a lot of pain,” said Taft. “It hurts when I grab the ball. But it feels better.” X-rays revealed there was no fracture. The rookie could be a defensive presence for Golden State later in the season, but dont expect much fantasy value.

He didn’t play yesterday and isn’t expected to play against Boston tonight, but is up and walking again. Taft should be able to make the Warriors roster, but they are hoping his bad back isn’t going to turn into a permanent problem.

The rookie has missed 49 games this season, including the last 32. He initially injured his back during a summer league game. If it’s determined offseason rehab won’t do the trick, Taft may need to have surgery, which became an option after Taft’s visit to a back specialist a couple weeks ago. A team official said the decision on surgery will be made at some point in the next two weeks.

He hasn’t played since Jan. 11 and should be back in camp this Fall.

Dr. Robert Watkins will address the herniated disk that has caused Taft chronic back pain. Taft, the 42nd overall pick in June’s draft, has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season. He played in 17 games and averaged 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.5 minutes.