Golden State Warriors

MRI results 'inconclusive' for Golden State Warriors center

Published Jan. 31, 2016 4:58 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Golden State Warriors are one of the best and deepest teams in the NBA, but take out any one of their main contributors and their championship chances will take a hit.

Backup center Festus Ezeli isn't one of Golden State's four best players, but he provides a necessary jolt of athleticism and competence off the bench. And with starting center Andrew Bogut getting up there in age (he's an injury-prone 31 years old), Ezeli's value is high and real.

But a knee injury may keep him out of Golden State's lineup for the foreseeable future, and that's really bad news for the defending champs (via the San Francisco Chronicle):

Warriors backup center Festus Ezeli missed his second straight game Saturday because of a sore left knee. The 6-foot-11, 265-pounder tweaked his knee during a 10-minute stretch Monday against San Antonio, and he had an MRI exam Tuesday. The results of the exam were inconclusive, so the Warriors’ doctors are conferring. Ezeli is on the trip with the Warriors, and he’ll be listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game at New York and Wednesday’s game at Washington.

When Ezeli and Andre Iguodala join Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Golden State absolutely crushes its opposition.

The 26-year-old missed the entire 2013-14 season after undergoing knee surgery, and is currently averaging 15.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per 36 minutes.

He's in a contract year, too, which means any long-term absence could hurt Ezeli's wallet as much as it does Golden State's depth.