Kristaps Porzingis Is Out Indefinitely and Sending the Warriors Out-of-Office Replies

Kristaps Porzingis being out indefinitely is basically an annual NBA tradition at this point, but the latest update has a weirdly corporate twist.

According to Anthony Slater, Porzingis is dealing with an unspecified "health issue," remains out indefinitely, and isn't even with the Golden State Warriors right now.

"Porzingis has been in 'consistent contact' with the team's front office."

The team noted that he is in "consistent contact" with the front office. That sounds less like a basketball injury update and more like an out-of-office auto-reply from a guy who just took a sudden leave of absence from a mid-sized accounting firm.

For anyone trying to figure out the Warriors' rotation or looking at early-season futures, this is a massive headache. You cannot accurately price a team's ceiling when their starting center is not currently in the building and has no timeline to return.

Golden State has been navigating the schedule without him, recently beating the Sacramento Kings 111-106 and splitting a pair of matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. But regular-season basketball requires actual big men, and right now, the Warriors are missing their most important piece of frontcourt size.

The Warriors head back to Los Angeles to play the Lakers again on October 14. Until we get a real medical update instead of a vague status report, expect Golden State's frontcourt rotation to be a nightly guessing game.