Warriors: Kevin Durant out at least four weeks, could return in regular season

The initial fears about Kevin Durant’s knee injury might not be realized.

Warriors release:

Injury Update: Kevin Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.

Full details below. pic.twitter.com/t3JkVnMmqa

— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 1, 2017

This intentionally vague update still leaves many questions, the most important of which: How healthy will Durant be for the playoffs?

Durant is so skilled, even hobbled, he probably deserves a spot in the Warriors’ rotation if he can get on the court. But the degree to which he’s healthy could play a large part in whether Golden State wins a championship.

However much time Durant misses in the regular season, the Warriors can get by by leaning more on Andre Iguodala and signing Matt Barnes. Golden State is up four games for the No. 1 seed, a big advantage with a little more than 20 games remaining -- especially considering the Warriors still have Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Plus, there’s a chance Durant returns to get acclimated before the playoffs -- and maybe help Golden State

All in all, this is great news for the Warriors. They might not be the overwhelming favorites they were before Durant got hurt, but they’re still the most likely team to win the 2017 title.

That said, there’s still enough uncertainty about Durant’s recovery to leave the door open for the Cavaliers and a deep pool of Western Conference challengers.