The Golden State Warriors lost Klay Thompson in the offseason due to another injury, yet they are staying afloat in the Western Conference with a 12-12 record through the first chunk of the season. However, there is a big problem with the Warriors, specifically with the way head coach Steve Kerr has managed Stephen Curry's minutes in certain situations.

Kerr says he's “into the long game,” which makes sense to a degree, but is this the right way to go all the time? The Warriors desperately need Curry to play every game at a high level to have even a chance to make the playoffs, yet Kerr repeatedly limits his minutes in an effort to protect him for the future.

Curry is averaging the second-most points in his career at 29.5 per game, and even after playing in only five games last season, he looks like the Stephen Curry of old and is the biggest reason why the Dubs are anywhere near the top eight in the West.

While Kerr wants to play it safe with Curry's minutes, he needs to be more flexible depending on the situation.

The Warriors lost to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night by a score of 105-100, with Curry playing 37 seconds over the 35-minute mark. Curry had 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field with seven boards and six assists, and Golden State outscored San Antonio by three points with him on the court.

Unfortunately, the Warriors lost the non-Curry minutes by eight, and the six-plus-minute stretch to start the fourth quarter with Curry on the bench cost them the game. A two-point lead was a seven-point deficit by the time Curry came back in, with his late heroics proving futile.

The game before, Golden State lost to the Dallas Mavericks by two on a night when Curry poured in 57 points on 19-of-31 from the field, including 11-of-19 from beyond the arc. Curry played 37 minutes in that game and was a plus-7, so perhaps a few extra minutes would have been the difference.

Kerr's insistence on sticking to the minutes limit could cost the Warriors a spot in the playoffs if this keeps happening, and he needs to lean on his superstar point guard a bit more when the situation calls for it.

For example, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are toward the top of the Western Conference, and head coach Frank Vogel has played James extensive minutes when necessary in order to get them wins, including a combined 88 minutes in the past two overtime games. Oh, and James is 36 years old and just came off a short turnaround after the NBA Finals.

Kerr needs to look at Monday night's game against the Spurs as a lesson, and perhaps they win the game if Curry plays just a few more minutes. Curry turns 33 in March, and although he missed the majority of last season, he looks as good as new and doesn't appear to have any lingering health issues.

Just play the man, let him do his thing and carry the Warriors on his back into the playoffs, and the future will take care of itself. At the very least, change up the rotations so Stephen Curry isn't out for so long during crucial moments. The future is important, but Golden State should be trying to win now.