Kevin Durant missed 55 games last season and basically was absent from high level basketball for eight months. He was just rounding back into form when this minor hamstring strain occurred in the last minute of the first half against the Wizards. This hurts because Durant and this team are all in the process of learning their new roles under Billy Donovan.
Even more to the point, the 9-0 Golden State Warriors have come out of the gate as a defending champion with an obvious focus on not only repeating, but maybe setting their sights on a 70 win regular season. They won 67 regular season games a year ago enroute to their championship–so I don’t think it’s crazy talk, especially considering Memphis and New Orleans don’t appear to be what many of us thought they might be this year–namely two tough, grinding teams in the West. The Pelicans under first year coach Alvin Gentry have been horrible. How can you have a player like Anthony Davis and be 1-7? They never should have fired Monty Williams. In Memphis—there’s talk of moving Zach Randolph and owner Robert Pera possibly considering removing Dave Joerger as head coach. So–in essence the West may not be as tough asmost thought it might be this season beyond the top five teams in Golden State, San Antonio, OKC, LA Clippers and Houston. The young Timberwolves will come back to earth as the marathon season unwinds.
From what I’ve read–Durant’s strain is the most minor degree of a hamstring strain. With rest—the hope is he’ll be back on Nov. 22 when the Thunder host the Dallas Mavericks.
The interim five games are against my pathetic Philly 76’ers (more on the idiot Sam Hinkie tomorrow), Boston Celtics, Robert Pera’s Grizzlies, the NBA’s most disappointing team in the Pelicans and the NY Knicks. Combined these five teams are 11-25 into this young season. So there’s that working for the Thunder in the next ten days or so.
Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter have all been solid offensively as of late. This trend will need to continue during Durant’s absence–however long that turns out to be. Role players like Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, DJ Augustin, Nick Collison, Mitch McGary, Kyle Singler and Anthony Morrow need to do fill their roles. Be professionals. Especially Singler and Morrow in that they’re basically small forwards and need to help fill the Durant vaccum at small forward or call it finesse forward if you will. If I’m Donovan—I’m challenging both of these guys in private to show me who wants to play rotational minutes once Durant returns.
Westbrook has been spectacular offensively this season, defensively not so much. But Westbrook will have to be the guy and while being the guy not suffocate the progress Ibaka, Waiters and Kanter have made in recent games.
Good thing they start with my former favorite team in the Philly 76’ers who for some reason have used all their tanking to date to draft a defensive zone only player in Noels, a big man with chronic foot problems in Joel Embiid who will miss his second straight season since being drafted by the analytics savant Sam Hinkie, and of course, Jahil Okafor from Duke in the recent NBA draft. Okafor can actually score the ball from within six feet, but can’t make free throws and couldn’t defend Byron Mullins, but at least he can make some baskets.
So take heart Thunder fans–it could be way worse. You could be a Philadelphia 76’er fan and been forced to watch Sam Hinkie’s bullshit for three years running. I’m sure Tramel will have his Annual Sam Hinkie Progress Report at newsok. Can’t wait. First F bomb on my blog…f–k Sam Hinkie.
More on Bain Capital’s Sam Hinkie tomorrow.
Mike Jackson