MCW a foot away from playing

AS MUCH FUN and notoriety as would be awaiting Michael Carter-Williams at the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend in New York, the decision of whether he will participate comes down to the feeling in his ailing right foot.

Carter-Williams missed his third straight game last night with the injury, which he said involves a muscle "like the bottom of my foot alongside where my big toe is, toward the middle of my foot, almost where my arch is."

Plainly put, his foot hurts. And whether he could/should participate in the Skills Competition and the Rising Stars game will be a big decision for him and the Sixers.

"Only if he's healthy enough," coach Brett Brown said when asked if MCW would participate. "And the good thing is with Michael, he understands that we're going to go overboard on [treating the injury out of town during the All-Star break]. He'll be leaving [today] to take a little bit of a break, so we're really going to have to zoom in on how we pay attention to that and then as a staff, myself and Sam [Hinkie, general manager] and the medical staff and Michael will come up with a decision how to handle All-Star Weekend."

The second-year point guard gets that.

"I'm getting better each day, it's just unfortunate that it's not good enough to play," MCW said. "I'm bummed. I would like to be out there with the team. I'm just trying to do what's best for myself and the team. To play [last night] isn't the best thing for me or my teammates."

It is an event wherever the Golden State Warriors are playing these days, with the dynamic backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the league's best record - 41-9 after their 89-84 win over the Sixers last night. They are No. 1 in field goal percentage both on offense and defense. There are few holes, if any, and first-year coach Steve Kerr seems to be doing everything right to keep the machine running.

"Every day is enjoyable," Kerr said. "It helps to win, but they are very good guys. They are fun to be around, they get along well, they pull for each other. We have great energy off the bench. Whoever is scoring or doing something out on the court, you've got seven guys on the bench jumping up and down. It doesn't always happen. We have great chemistry and it's a result of having just really good guys."

The part of having great players contributes a little, too.

"I look at their second team and I think you can make a strong argument that that group could be in contention for an Eastern Conference playoff team," Brett Brown said. "Then you go to the people that have 50 in a game or 37 in a period and All-Stars and gold medalists and all that. I'm aware, intimately, of Andrew Bogut's ability to change a game. They cover all bases, from the three-point line. They are among, if not the best in the NBA defensively. How many times at this stage of the year would you look at the rankings and say they're No. 1 in defense and No. 1 in offense?"

It all starts with Curry and Thompson.

"I've seen some really good backcourts," said teammate Andre Iguodala, the former Sixer. "The potential is there for those guys because they are still young, especially Klay. He's locked in on both ends. I haven't seen it quite like him. And then Steph's in a league of his own. With more time, they'll continue to get better and feed off each other, they'll be up there [among the best ever]. But as far as playing with a two-guard tandem like that, they are probably the best."