The Golden State Warriors seem to have a very realistic shot at a historical season, as they are 46-4 and on pace to break the Bulls' record of 72 wins in a season. One of the biggest keys to breaking that record will be keeping their key guys relatively healthy. Festus Ezeli has already sort of ruined that, as he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will miss at least a month and a half of action, according to Golden State Warriors Stats.
Ezeli had previously missed the Warriors last five games with the knee injury before deciding to undergo the procedure. The surgery was done to clean debris out of the knee, and the hope is that this will get Ezeli back to form for the postseason.
The Warriors believe that Ezeli will be able to return during the regular season, but that is not a guarantee. The plan is for the 26-year-old center to rest the surgically repaired knee for six weeks and then be re-evaluated, according to Yahoo! Sports, at which point they will determine when he can get back on the court.
The best-case scenario for Ezeli and the Warriors here is that he is fully healed by the time of the re-evaluation and can get back on the court around the end of March. In that scenario Ezeli would have a couple of weeks left in the regular season to get back into form. If Ezeli takes a little longer to heal and isn't ready after the re-evaluation, it remains a very real possibility that he could not play another regular season game this year. The good news for Warriors fans is that they are extremely confident that he will be available for the postseason as long as he doesn't suffer a setback.
Ezeli was a big part of the Warriors' championship run last season and should play a big role in this postseason as well. As the backup center behind Andrew Bogut, Ezeli has averaged 7.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 40 games so far this season.
