Barber: Has Andre Iguodala played his last game for the Warriors?

OAKLAND - Will Andre Iguodala play for the Warriors?

That is to say, will Iguodala play Sunday in Game 2 of the NBA Finals? Will he play at all in this series against the Cleveland Cavaliers? And will he ever play again for the Golden State Warriors?

As overdramatic as LeBron James after a foul call? I'm not so sure.

To answer one question: Iguodala is unlikely to play in Game 2. He is listed as doubtful on the injury report, and he didn't practice Saturday while the court was open to reporters. If the veteran is unable to go, it will be the sixth consecutive game he has missed.

I think it's safe to say Iguodala's medical issue is more serious than just about anyone imagined when he knocked knees with Houston's James Harden during the NBA Western Conference final series on May 20. The official diagnosis is “left lateral leg contusion.” Iguodala has a bone bruise, and his return to the Finals, at any point, seems like a coin flip now.

Thus continues the strangest and perhaps most frustrating season of Iguodala's 14-year NBA career. After averaging 25.3 minutes and 6 points per game (both career lows), connecting on 28.2 percent of his 3-point tries (career low) and 46.3 percent overall from the field (his worst since signing with Golden State in 2013) in the regular season, Iguodala found a miracle cure when the postseason began, moved into the starting lineup and stayed there even after Stephen Curry returned from a knee injury.

Then came the contusion. Iguodala has been “day to day” ever since. And week to week. And maybe year to year. ESPN reported Tuesday that Iguodala got a second opinion on the knee. That opinion, presumably, was not, “It's fine, now get out there and play.”

It's fair to say the Warriors have struggled to find consistency without Iguodala. They are 3-2 in his absence, but have not led at halftime of any of those games. Coach Steve Kerr calls Iguodala his babysitter, and it's true that the team has been inconsistent, and occasionally directionless, without him.

Shaun Livingston, the backup Warriors guard, explained that Iguodala, in addition to being a calming presence, is one of the players who can take away easy buckets, thus helping to tax the opponent by lengthening its possessions.

“Andre, he can guard maybe multiple positions in a possession,” Livingston said. “It's huge, because taking away a possession maybe might take away a guy's confidence, or if he gets a score - like (Kyle) Korver if he gets an open 3, then obviously the game's a lot easier. So that's where his value is definitely appreciated.”

And it's never more appreciated than when the Warriors are playing the Cavaliers, because Iguodala is usually the sacrificial lamb sent most often to guard the un-guardable James. He does a better job of it than most, as evidenced by the NBA Finals MVP trophy that Iguodala earned against Cleveland in 2015.

When Iguodala doesn't play, the defensive assignments against James trickle down to other people. In Game 1 that was mostly Kevin Durant, who looked pooped in the home stretch. Durant didn't make a single field goal in the fourth quarter or overtime on Thursday.

Livingston praised “Andre's savviness and his IQ, and then his athletic ability to be able to kind of withstand some of those hits that LeBron is giving when he's driving. Again, it's another body to throw at him, somebody that understands the game, has history competing and playing against him. So I think it makes it easier for some of the other guys to settle into their roles and maybe (be) more comfortable guarding some of the other guys as opposed to maybe switching on to him. It's definitely a big blow to us, but we've got to still find a way.”

The Warriors did that in Game 1. They probably will throughout this series against the overmatched Cavs. If so, the team will be faced with an interesting decision on Iguodala this offseason.

Last summer, the two parties signed a three-year, $48 million deal to keep him with the Warriors through 2020. It didn't take long for people to howl about the commitment.

Iguodala has been a key element in Golden State's four-year run of dominance, and in 2016-17 was clearly the fifth-best player on the team despite his status as a reserve. But the disappearance of his shooting touch at the age of 34 spooked everyone as the Warriors sleepwalked through the 2017-18 campaign.

With more than $33 million of cap hit remaining on the contract, it's not like the Warriors would simply cut Iguodala. But they might consider trading him.

Somewhere out there, you'd think, is an NBA team that values a revered veteran swingman and former All-Star who can play lock-down defense and still run the floor with some bounce (though perhaps not every night) in his mid-thirties. Iguodala is one of the few players for whom the title “coach on the floor” is not a trite exaggeration. He would be an asset to any young, building team.

This season was a trying one for the Warriors - a strange thing to say as they stand three victories short of another NBA championship. It was, though. They haven't always played with energy, let alone joy, even in the playoffs. You figure there will be some sort of shakeup this offseason.

Specifically, the bench figures to look a lot different in 2018-19. And Iguodala could be among the casualties.

Consider the scene if the Warriors close out the Cavaliers in the next three games, and Iguodala fails to play in any of them. Everyone will talk about how much the team missed his presence.

But the fact will remain: The Warriors just won a championship without him. Beat LeBron James without him. It would make severing the tie that much easier.

I'm sure Iguodala knows this. It's one more reason he'd really love to get onto the floor in the next few games, and will remain supremely frustrated if he can't.

As for the Warriors, their shape has shifted a little every year, just like every NBA team. But parting ways with Andre Iguodala would feel a little different. It would be the starkest reminder yet that even a “dynasty” - it's at least a week too early to employ that term - is permeable, and ultimately mortal.

You can reach columnist Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.