Durant Out Up To Two Weeks
Thunder forward Kevin Durant will miss up to two weeks with a Grade II ankle sprain, according to a team source.
Durant is expected to miss seven to 14 days after rolling his right ankle in Friday’s game at Dallas when he stepped on the foot of Mavs forward Josh Howard while driving to the basket with 7:13 left in the first quarter. He remained in the game for about three minutes before walking off the court with a limp.
Team officials said X-rays taken on Durant’s foot were negative, but Durant wore a protective boot on his right foot and walked with the aid of crutches following the Thunder’s 110-108 overtime loss.
Grade II sprains can include damage or tearing of ligaments or a joint capsule and are characterized by swelling, extensive bruising, pain and difficulty bearing weight.
Durant is the NBA’s fourth leading scorer at 26.0 points per game and is averaging 30.6 points in February. Durant had missed only one game this season, a Nov. 12 home game against Orlando because of a sprained left ankle.
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Durant on UT honor: “It was one of the best days of my life”
Kevin Durant had his No. 35 jersey retired last night at the University of Texas and called it an “unbelievable” experience.
You can see a photo gallery here.
“It’s an honor and a big accomplishment,” Durant said. “I just thank God for the position he always put me in. He always put me in the right place to succeed. I’m just so happy I went to the university and I’m glad they retired my number.”
In only one season at UT, Durant became the only freshman in NCAA history to be named the National College Player of the Year. He recorded 20 double-doubles, 11 30-point games and averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds in 35 games.
Durant got a little emotional at the halftime ceremony, wiping away tears after seeing his jersey raised to the rafters.
“I told myself I wasn’t going to cry,” Durant said. ”But once they played a video of highlights from when I was there and then unveiled the jersey I got real emotional. It was one of the best days of my life. I’ve come a long way. A lot of people doubted me when I was growing up. A lot of people doubted me and said I wasn’t going to be anything when I went to Texas. So it feels good to prove all those people wrong and shine some light on the university and also Oklahoma City. So I was excited and it was a great time for me and my family.”
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Kevin Durant Getting Two The Easy Way
Kevin Durant began working on the newest addition to his offensive arsenal back on Oct. 11 during a preseason game at Golden State.
Only now is he coming close to perfecting it.
Durant is now baiting defenders into fouls and getting an easy trip to the free throw line at least once a game by sweeping the ball through his defender’s arms. It’s a move that San Antonio forward Tim Duncan has patented and players like Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Dwight Howard routinely use to get easy points at the foul line.
“It’s a good move if the defender has an extended arm that’s not vertically raised,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “Guys have to guard him close and squeeze up on him because he has such a nice (shooting) stroke. So when guys do that it gives him the ability to draw those fouls.”
Durant pulled the move against Golden State guard Stephen Jackson in the second half of the Thunder’s loss at Golden State last Saturday. He got Los Angeles Lakers forward Trevor Ariza with the move with 3:48 remaining Tuesday at the Ford Center.
“I’ve been watching guys hands and arms to see how close they are to my body, and if they’re all the way off that’s when I’ve got an opportunity to shoot my shot,” Durant said. ”If they’re on me too close, I sweep it through and try to get some free throws. I think that kind of gets me going a little bit.”
Durant credited Desmond Mason for teaching him the move back in the fall. Mason said he used the technique a ton during his time in Milwaukee.
“I just told him that if a guy sticks his hands in there just kind of sweep under because he’s blocking your path of shooting,” Mason said. “He turned it over a few times at first and I thought, ‘OK, well this ain’t working.’ But he stuck with it and he just kind of got it down. I think when he saw it started working he just continued to do it and got consistent at it. Now he’s pretty good at it. It just makes him even harder to guard.”
Durant said he still needs to get better at it. Brooks said he sometimes looks to go to the move too often.
“But he’s becoming a smart offensive player,” Brooks said. “One of the things I like about Kevin offensively is he’s setting his man up better. He’s getting better shots. He understands that he’s able to get easier shots by setting his man up and not just going isolation one-on-one and taking a tough shot.”
The swing through move has helped Durant boost his free-throw attempts from 5.9 per game in November to 8.7 per game in both January and February. It’s helped his efficiency and has become one of the reasons he has increased his scoring average each month and is currently pouring in a career-high 33.1 points per game this month.
Durant said the next step is to get strong enough to sweep all the way through the contact and make the shot instead of losing the ball on the way up.
“Sometimes I misread it and I’m not able to get that call,” Durant said. ”I’ve just got to continue to work on it. Hopefully I start to get that call more and more and start to get to the free throw line.”
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Lakers 107, Thunder 93
Observations, news and notes from Tuesday’s game………..
* It always amazes me that everyone in the building knows Kobe Bryant will try to take over the game in the fourth quarter if it’s close and yet nobody wearing an opposing jersey can ever stop him. True greatness.
* Thabo Sefolosha, Kyle Weaver and Kevin Durant defended Bryant about as well as you can. Bryant just made tough shots. That trio did leave their feet a couple of times on pump fakes but all in all they did a decent job.
* Thunder coach Scott Brooks gave Sefolosha the start at shooting guard after telling the media he’d stick with Weaver. Brooks said after the game, though, that the move is not permanent and he’s at the point in the season where he’s playing mix and match with his lineup at the shooting guard and center positions to see how different lineups play together.
* Brooks stepped into his post-game press conference and his first words were, “Our defense improved from over the weekend.” My first thought was, ”Well, that didn’t take much.” My second thought was, “Really? 107 points. 52.6 percent shooting.” But toss aside the final numbers and it was obvious the Thunder did play a more solid defensive game. Guys contested shots. They rotated well. They protected the rim. They got back in transition. And the missed assignments were few and far between.
* I thought the Thunder’s most impressive defensive aspect was its rebounding. OKC out-rebounded the Lakers 45-30 and 12-3 on the offensive end. Only two weeks earlier, the Lakers out-rebounded the Thunder 56-46 and 16-10 on the offensive end. Lamar Odom had 18 boards in the first meeting and Pau Gasol had 14. Both finished with eight tonight.
* A close second in the defense department was the Lakers’ 30 points in the paint. OKC allowed 54 the first time around with these Lakers, and 30 is an acceptable number for a team featuring Gasol and Odom and a host of wing players who can get to the basket and finish.
* The key stat tonight was OKC’s six fourth-quarter turnovers that led to eight Lakers points and L.A.’s one fourth-quarter giveaway that the Thunder did not score off of. Combine those figures with Bryant balling in the fourth and that’s your ball game.
* At about 4 p.m. I was having a little fun with a co-worker and made a prediction on Durant’s final stat line. I said 33 points on 12 of 23 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists. Durant finished with 32 points on 11-for-20 shooting with 10 rebounds and six assists. I write this not for any kind of personal kudos for coming close to nailing his stat line but to point out that Durant has arrived as a consistent and efficient all-around performer. He’s reached the point where you know exactly what you’re going to get from him. Pretty incredible for a 20-year-old in only his second season.
* How on Earth does Durant take only one shot in the fourth quarter?
* Russell Westbrook had an off night offensively. But I’m not going to waste time going into his struggles scoring the ball. It happens. What stood out to me were his two assists. At some point young fella’s got to learn to make his teammates better, especially on nights like this when his shots aren’t falling and he’s struggling to get it going offensively. Westbrook is a rookie and he’ll learn to become a better playmaker in time. I’m not one of those who say he’s not a point guard. I think he is now and will be a very good one in time. But right now it doesn’t even look like he’s making an effort to develop his passing skills. And Brooks seems content letting him jack up shots and learn on the fly rather than reining him in and forcing him to learn the position. I’m not saying Brooks is wrong for that. I don’t think there is a right or wrong philosophy. But it’s an interesting argument: Let a player run loose and hope he learns as he goes, or utilize restraint and force feed fundamentals while risking a loss of confidence and comfort on the court?
* It would be easy to point to Weaver’s 16 points off the bench and say he had a good night. I’m not. The rook had a good night because he played 24 minutes, many of them head-up with Bryant, and finished with zero turnovers.
* Nenad Krstic bounced back well from his worst game of the season, finishing with five points, 11 rebounds and a blocked shot. He struggled with his shot, going 2-for-8 but his continued effort on the glass is what stands out. He grabbed his 10th board with 4:32 remaining in the third. Only knock on him tonight is he should have had more than one board in the fourth after playing all 12 minutes. But it was the second time in four games that Krstic had at least 10 rebounds. He’s finished in double figures rebounding only one other time this season.
* Durant is headed to Austin after practice Wednesday to have his jersey retired at Texas during halftime of the Texas Tech game.
* Desmond Mason will be cleared to lose his crutches next week and will begin rehabbing his injured knee.
* Joe Smith did not play for the fifth straight game. He’s no longer injured. His lack of playing time is Brooks’ decision at this point, and it’s making me think the Thunder will indeed come to terms on a buyout with Smith before week’s end.
Jeff Green was nowhere to be found after the game. I saw his clothes still in his locker so he could have been in the training room getting treatment to any number of injuries. He took a few hard shots against L.A. and was already battling several nicks and knacks.
* For those interested in these kinds of things, Sefolosha took Mo Sene’s old locker, which is in between Westbrook’s and Earl Watson’s. Malik Rose is in Damien Wilkins’ old locker. Wilkins has moved over one to take Chris Wilcox’s former locker.
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Warriors 133, Thunder 120
Observations, news and notes from Saturday’s game……
* The two-on-one fastbreak with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that ended in a botched alley-oop dunk is not only an example of what’s wrong with this team, it’s the epitome of all that has plagued the Thunder. With a chance to cut the lead to six with 1:16 remaining, two 20-year-olds went for the highlight play instead of the heady one. A few Golden State writers were going nuts at the botched breakaway. I could only shake my head after seeing simple mistakes like that burn this team for 56 games now. One of the Warriors writers put it best when he said of the play, ”Man, that was stupid. But they’re young and they’re fun to watch.”
* OKC is now a league-worst 3-24 on the road. The Thunder is tied with Memphis for road wins but has three more road losses than the Grizzlies.
* Warriors forward Stephen Jackson dominated the fourth quarter, scoring seven points with four assists, two rebounds and two steals. There have been more gaudy stat lines in a quarter, but whenever Golden State needed a play Jackson answered the call.
* I just wish Jackson didn’t whine on every single play. He’s officially got my vote for biggest whiner in the NBA.
* Jeff Green could quickly be establishing himself as the most underrated player in the NBA. He had 27 points, 15 rebounds and six assists tonight, continuing his season-long steady improvement. What’s crazy is nobody has any idea how banged up he is right now because he doesn’t talk about it. I saw one of Green’s left toes covered in some splint-type protection before the game, and after the game he was in the training room getting treatment on his back area. Add those to an elbow injury and getting elbowed in the face and who knows what else and it’s amazing the guy is on the court, let alone performing the way he is.
* The Thunder’s 28 assists were a positive tonight. The 23 turnovers, leading to 30 Golden State points, were deadly.
* Nenad Krstic didn’t have such a good go of it in his second straight start. He picked up two fouls in 34 seconds in the second quarter, and that’s all the time he received in the period. He finished with two points, zero rebounds and four fouls in 13 minutes. Better luck next time.
* Collison picked up the slack for Krstic, making great hustle plays and hitting the boards hard. Guess Brooks was right about knowing what you’re going to get out of him whether he’s a starter or reserve. Collison finished with six points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes.
* Thabo Sefolosha struggled in his Thunder debut — zero points, one rebound, zero assists, two steals, one turnover and five fouls while going 0-for-3 in 18 minutes. He was OK defensively, but Jamal Crawford was attacking him relentlessly and lighting him up.
* I thought the Thunder’s lineup of Russell Westbrook, Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Green and Collison looked dangerously long and athletic. In time, that lineup will create a lot of problems for opponents on both ends. I couldn’t help but think about how much more effective it would be with Tyson Chandler in the middle instead of Collison. Oh well. Time to move on.
* This was Don Nelson’s 1,300th win as a head coach.
* Kyle Weaver had a career-high 19 points.
* The Thunder outscored the Warriors 10-0 in second-chance points in the first half. The Warriors outscored the Thunder 9-2 in second-chance points in the second half.
* Durant hit the deck hard for the second time in as many nights when he went up for a lob pass with 5:41 left in the first quarter. This one was worse than Shaquille O’Neal’s foul on him Friday night in Phoenix. All of Oracle Arena gasped at the sound of the thump his lanky 6-foot-9 frame made when it hit the hardwood. Durant got up and shook it off with no problem.
* When Green hit a 3-pointer off the glass from just right of the top of the key, he shared a laugh with Durant as they backpedaled down court. The (lucky) shot was reminiscent of the game-winner Green made in this building on Jan. 21.
* Brooks threw out an odd lineup of Earl Watson, Kyle Weaver, Sefolosha, Durant and Collison to start the second.
* Watson fell in love with his jumper in the second quarter. The stats say he took only two shots in the second period but it felt like so much more. Maybe because both were such bad shots, one in transition with 20 seconds on the shot clock, the other a desperation 3 with four seconds left on the shot clock.
* Just when I thought Watson needed to start passing the ball he goes and throws the thing off the backboard to Westbrook for a highlight dunk. Westbrook and Watson walked over to Brian Davis and Grant Long immediately after coming out of the ensuing timeout to check out the replay.
* Westbrook continues to make me look bad for insisting he would hit the rookie wall. Any stats against the Warriors must be taken with a grain of salt. But the rookie had 16 points and 10 assists in the first half for crying out loud. On a very efficient 7-for-11 shooting no less. He finished with 31 points, 11 assists and five rebounds. For the first time, I looked at Westbrook and wondered if his ceiling is a guy named Dwyane Wade.
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Suns 140, Thunder 118
Observations, news and notes from Friday’s game……
* Coach Scott Brooks labeled Nenad Krstic and Nick Collison as the only positives in tonight’s game. Krstic scored 16 points with six rebounds. Collison had 14 points with eight rebounds. “I liked (Krstic’s) effort,” Brooks said. ”You could tell he was trying to bring it on the defensive end…I thought he was the bright spot in tonight’s ball game. Him and Nick played with good energy and good effort.”
* Brooks on naming Krstic the starting center, “It’s nothing against Nick. Nick has been playing very well for us. It just gives us a different look. Both are going to play good minutes, and we want them both to play well. Nenad is going to get an opportunity. I don’t know if it’s permanent. I don’t know how long it’s going to be.”
* Yes, it’s against the high-octane Suns, but it’s become truly amazing that Kevin Durant can dump in 35 points and be an afterthought at best and marginal at worst. His 12 of 23 shooting characterized the efficiency with which his points have come but his five turnovers and average defense also told a story of his season. The franchise, however, is the first to look in the mirror following his team’s awful defensive effort. “We’ve got to have a better defensive effort,” Durant said. “It starts with me. I’ve got to get the guys going.”
* You know what the Suns are going to do and you still can’t stop it. Incredible. That’s not a knock on the Thunder. It’s amazing that few teams are able to.
* Mark this down, though. The Suns have restored excitement in Phoenix but have given fans a false sense of hope. They’ll win more games down the stretch and score all these points under new coach Alvin Gentry. But when the playoffs roll around they’ll be ousted just like they were before.
* 140 points is still amazing.
* The Suns sound like the Thunder players sounded when P.J. Carlesimo was fired back in November, not wanting to say anything negative about the old coach’s style but rejoicing over the methods of the new guy. Said Steve Nash of the running offense, “It suits our team, getting out in the open court and utilizing slashing and shooting ability and quickness. It really suits our team. It opens the floor up and allows us to play to our strengths.” Said Leandro Barbosa, “I love to play running up and down. I think everyone does. So I’m very happy to be doing that.” But I’m sure Terry Porter was a great guy.
* Back to the Thunder, its 23 turnovers hurt as much as anything. OKC could have lived with the one pass and jump shot. But in the final 9:30, turnovers coupled with poor shot selection buried the Thunder.
* I’m not about to look it up right now, but I’ll go out on a (lazy) limb and say the Thunder’s 96 shot attempts were a season-high even for an overtime game.
* All those shots and Jeff Green took only nine? Go figure.
* Russell Westbrook and I have been going back and forth for about two weeks about whether he’ll hit the rookie wall. Tonight, I admitted to him I was wrong. He hasn’t hit it and likely won’t.
* Kyle Weaver better have a better showing Saturday against the Warriors. Thabo Sefolosha is licking his chops for more three-points, five-assist, four-turnover performances.
* I like Nick Collison coming off the bench. He brings good energy and effort to that second unit. Brooks likes him in any capacity. “Nick, we know what he does,” Brooks said. ”He’s an energy guy that gives us good effort no matter if he starts or comes off the bench. And that’s a good luxury to have as a coach, knowing that Nick can do just about anything you ask.”
* Shaquille O’Neal nearly broke Durant in two with his flagrant foul in the first half. I didn’t think it was flagrant. Durant is just light as a feather and Shaq is heavy as a house.
* Durant did as good a job as I’ve seen all season setting up his teammates. He finished with five assists tonight.
* Sefolosha and Malik Rose are expected to join the team at Golden State on Saturday night. I’m told Sefolosha (whose last name I’m already sick of typing and is a typo waiting to happen) will wear No. 2. Rose will wear No. 9. Brooks said he isn’t likely to play either.
* Joe Smith squashes buyout rumors. Why does I feel it’ll still happen?
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Krstic To Start Against Suns
PHOENIX – Thunder center Nenad Krstic will make his second start of the season tonight against the Phoenix Suns.
Krstic will replace Nick Collison in the starting lineup, as Thunder coach Scott Brooks attempts to adjust his lineup to better match up with Suns center Shaquille O’Neal.
The move, however, is expected to be for more than just a single game.
“We’re just going to change it up and give him an opportunity to start,” Brooks said. “It’s nothing against Nick. Nick’s been playing very well for us. It just gives us a different look. They both are going to play good minutes. We want them to both play well. We don’t know if it’s permanent. We don’t know how long it’s going to be.”
Since signing a free agent contract with the Thunder on Dec. 30, Krstic has averaged 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 23.3 minutes in 18 games. Krstic made his only other start of the season against Detroit on Jan. 16.
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Presti & Brooks Comment On Deadline Deals
Here are some comments from Thunder coach Scott Brooks and GM Sam Presti on yesterday’s trade deadline activity. It’s fairly lengthy so I’ll let you get to it……
SCOTT BROOKS
Q: What is your reaction to the trades for Malik Rose and Thabo Sefolosha?
A: We’re excited to have them both. We’re looking forward to bringing them in and have them fit in and work with us. And we will be able to tell more after a few practices and shootarounds with them. But we like Malik’s veteran leadership and his experience and his toughness. And with Thabo, we like his defensive mindset. It’s something that we’re building this team on. Both guys we’re looking forward to having with us.
Q: What do you know about Thabo and how do you envision using him?
A: I only know him from a distance and watching him while I’ve scouted my teams as an assistant coach. I love what he brings to the team. He seems like he does the defensive work that successful teams need to have on their team. I don’t know really other than that until we see him with our guys where he’s going to match up at and where he’s going to fit in on the court. But I like what I’ve seen on video. He’s going to bring a defensive toughness to our team. We’re building our team on defense and we have to get better at that area.
Q: Will he immediately compete with Kyle Weaver for the starting shooting guard spot?
A: Right now that remains to be seen. I’m looking forward to having our guys compete against each other. I think it’s important for not only young teams but all teams to have a very competitive spirit in practices. Having another important piece to our team is going to help each of them get better. But he’s definitely going to compete for minutes, and that’s what we want all of our guys to do, compete for minutes. But we’re looking forward to having them both here.
SAM PRESTI
Q: Does Thabo Sefolosha fill the void on the wing that you attempted to remedy with the attempted signing of C.J. Miles?
A: I think adding Thabo gives us another defensive-minded perimeter player, someone that can guard multiple positions. He has excellent athleticism and we feel like he’s another player that we can add to the team that fits well with the group that we have now. And we feel like he has a chance to continue to grow as a player.
Q: What kind of defender is Thabo?
A: I think that obviously his athleticism benefits him greatly on that end of the floor with his length. I think that he does a nice job off the ball. He’s pretty focused. I wouldn’t categorize him as one way or the other, other than someone that understands that end of the floor. I think he’s someone that’s going to help us continue to get better defensively because that’s an area that we want to try to address.
Q: How long have you targeted him?
A: We’re always tracking different players, and he’s somebody that has made a name for himself with his versatility and his ability to defend multiple positions. And those are guys that have value around the league. So we’re just always looking for players that we feel like can fit with our group as they grow.
Q: What did you like in Malik Rose?
A: Malik is someone that brings a lot of experience and a veteran presence. I think he’ll be very good for our team and the culture. I think he’s someone that’s going to add depth to the frontcourt for us. I’ve known him since his days in San Antonio and I think he’s going to be a definite positive addition for our ball club.
Q: How much can Rose’s championship experience help this team?
A: I think Malik has seen a lot of different things in his career. Coming up the way that he did and earning everything, I think all of his experiences will help our younger guys. He’s someone that has tremendous respect from around the NBA and he’s a true professional. Those are important qualities that we want to continue to feed into our program.
Q: Did you feel like you had to trade Chris Wilcox?
A: No, not necessarily. Obviously when we’re making deals we’re looking at several different factors. His opportunities here from a playing standpoint were limited. So we took this deal when it surfaced. Obviously having Malik involved in it and the additional compensation, those are things that you weigh when you’re looking to make deals. But it wasn’t necessarily an urgency from our standpoint.
Q: How would you evaluate the day?
A: I think you always have to take a step back and look at what your objectives were, look at what you’re trying to accomplish for your team in the short term and the long term. I like what we did. We were looking for opportunities just like every other team and found a few that we thought would help us as an organization…We’re pleased with what we were able to accomplish.
Q: How did the rescinded trade impact what the moves you make?
A: We certainly didn’t make any decisions based on reaction to that situation. That’s something that we tried to be thorough with in our process. We have to make the intelligent decisions for our organization and take the information that we have and do what we think is in the best interest of the team. We did not alter our process. We just continue to make the best decisions that we can with the information that we have at hand. That’s the way we try to approach each situation.
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Chandler Reacts To Rescinded Trade
I’m about to hop on a plane to Phoenix for tonight’s Thunder-Suns game but wanted to quickly post New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler’s reaction to failing his physical on Wednesday.
In today’s Times-Picayune Chandler says, “I don’t understand that. I haven’t missed a game because of (the toe) in the last three years after I had the surgery. I think had it been anywhere else or anything else it would not have been a problem or issue.”
Chandler of course is referring to having the injury while he played in Oklahoma City as a member of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. He missed the final eight games of that 2006-07 season with the injury to his left big toe, and the same doctor, Dr. Carlen Yates, is the doctor who performed the surgery two days after the final game that season and the one who examined Chandler on Wednesday for the Thunder.
Said Hornets GM Jeff Bower, “I’m not going to comment on (the Thunder’s) medical opinions. But we know the reasons for missed games by Tyson over the last three years while he played for us.”
Check back later this afternoon for more reaction on the acquisitions of Thabo Sefolosha and Malik Rose from Thunder players and coaches. I’ll post some comments from Scott Brooks and GM Sam Presti when I land and get settled and get some reaction from the players before tonight’s game.
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Q&A With Thabo Sefolosha
Reached by phone at his home in Chicago, newly acquired Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha said he looks forward to joining the team and promised to do whatever he can on the court to help Oklahoma City win.
Sefolosha, 24, is regarded as a exceptional defensive player who can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end but is an inconsistent shooter. He was stuck in a jammed backcourt in Chicago and never really got a chance with the Bulls after they selected him 13th overall in 2006. But because of his youth, professionalism and all-around skills, the Thunder think he has the potential to be a mainstay in Oklahoma City. Here’s what he had to say about the trade and joining a new team for the first time in his career.
DM: What was your reaction to today’s trade?
TS: I welcome the trade. I think it’s going to be a good situation for me. I’m happy to come and play with some very good young players. It’s a lot of talent on this team so I hope I’m going to be able to help the team and showcase my talent.
DM: Do you expect to start right away? What has the Thunder coaching staff and front office told you about what they expect from you?
TS: I haven’t talked to the coach yet. I’m just ready to come and work hard and hopefully get a spot in the starting five. But I just want to come and play hard and bring with the team whatever the coach asks me to and play with passion and intensity.
DM: You haven’t received much playing time in your three years in Chicago despite being drafted 13th overall in 2006. Do you look at this trade as a new beginning?
TS: Yeah. That’s how I look at it. Obviously the backcourt here in Chicago was a little bit crowded so I understand this trade on the Chicago Bulls part. So I see it as a fresh start, coming into a young team where I really think I can fit in and I’m really excited about that.
DM: What do you know about the Thunder?
TS: I heard it’s really good management over there. They’ve got some very good draft picks. So it’s a good situation, I’m sure.
DM: How would you describe your game? What can fans expect to see?
TS: They can expect to see me playing hard every night, playing defense and doing whatever I can on offense. Just trying to help the team whatever way I can.
DM: What are your travel plans? Will you come to Oklahoma City or will you join the team on the current road trip?
TS: I don’t know. I haven’t talked to the GM or the coach yet so I don’t know exactly what the plan’s going to be.
DM: How did you find out about the trade?
TS: It’s funny because I didn’t have my phone with me. I was just at home relaxing and my brother came back from school and said, ‘Oh, I heard you got traded.’ And I was at practice earlier today. And when he came and told me that I went and checked my phone and called John Paxson. That’s how I found out.
DM: What were your emotions after you found out?
TS: It was mixed because I’ve got my family here. I’ve got my brother going to school here and everything. So I was happy as far as basketball. But it’s my first time going through a trade like these and having to trade cities during the season. So I’m just a little bit anxious about that, but as far as basketball I’m sure it’s going to be a great situation.
DM: Can this situation with the Thunder be what you need to take the next step in your career?
TS: I hope so. That’s how I should look at it because they have a spot for me over there. Even if it’s not in the starting five I really hope to bring something to this team.
DM: Anything you want the fans to know about you?
TS: Not much. Just that I’m excited to come to Oklahoma. That’s about it.
-DM-
