The Golden State Warriors have been optimistic about the looming return of forward Kevin Durant and center DeMarcus Cousins. Unfortunately, there seems to be growing concern about the KD's current health.

Durant has spent the Western Conference Finals nursing a strained right calf which he suffered in Game 5 of the second round against the Houston Rockets. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the Warriors' optimism about Durant's NBA Finals return ‘has cooled.'

In Durant’s case, much of the uncertainty stems from the fact that the Warriors have not disclosed the severity of the calf strain he suffered in Game 5 of the Houston series. Although a nine-day break before the N.B.A. finals start presumably has to help both of them, Golden State’s initial optimism has cooled when it comes to Durant’s ability to make an expeditious recovery from what at first looked like a scary injury.

This is certainly an intriguing development on Durant. The Warriors have been vocal about his return at some point in the near future. However, it appears they may have to wait a bit longer.

Although the Dubs have proven to be formidable without Durant –sweeping the Blazers in the conference finals — there is no question that the Warriors would feel much more comfortable with Durant in the lineup.

Regardless, it seems he may be taking a rather cautious approach when it comes to his recovery. He is set to cash in on free agency this offseason and would ideally like to be as healthy as possible when he does. It will be interesting to see if he is ultimately forced to miss any games moving forward.