David Lee Likely to Return to Action Next Week

Lee‘s infection elbow has healed and doctors have cleared him to get back on the court. From the San Fran Chronicle: “Lee was cleared Thursday for light conditioning and will be re-evaluated today – leaving an outside shot of meeting the team for the trip’s finale in Minneapolis on Saturday. The power forward, who has been out with an infection in his left elbow as a result of an injury on Nov. 10, will more likely be cleared to play in home games Tuesday against San Antonio or Thursday against Phoenix. Lee had the stitches removed from his left arm Tuesday and the PICC-line (a peripherally inserted central catheter for IV’s) removed from his right arm Wednesday. He drove to Oakland on Tuesday to send the team off to Houston with some baked goods and well wishes. ‘We can’t wait to get him back because he just brings so much positivity to our team,’ coach Keith Smart said. ‘I’ve been around our team for a long time and the NBA. The guy was not going on a road trip, but he brought two cakes for the team to take on the road … That’s a true teammate that our guys have in David Lee.’ The Warriors have certainly missed Lee, who was averaging 14.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. After a 6-2 start to the season, the Warriors have gone 1-6 since Lee was injured. During that time, the Warriors are averaging 12.1 points and 5.0 rebounds less per game.”