Monday, March 2, 2009

Durant, Green and Smith all Notably Absent Tonight

Kevin Durant went down with a severely sprained ankle Friday night against the Mavericks. He'll be out a while even though he says he'll be back in a couple days. It would be foolish to rush the franchise back. Jeff Green is has a sore back. I can sympathize as I'm going through this myself. It sucks. It's painful putting on socks and shoes much less dunking and running up and down a hard court. Lastly, Joe Smith was released/bought out, allowing him to go find the greener pasture of his choosing.

I'd like to bid a sincere and fond farewell to Ol' Joe. He is clearly a class act and the type of professional every team covets. He'll have no problems finding a place to land. He's been rumoured to be going to a contender all season. I don't know whether he liked it here but up until Saturday night he was saying the right things and having a good time on the bench.

He was the Thunder's version of the Hornet's P.J. Brown when they were here. Brown and Smith were both respected, savvy veterans who clearly had the ear of younger teammates. Brown went on to win a championship with Boston last year. Here's hoping Smith goes and gets his.

Player's who have paid their dues and who are professionals are given the professional courtesy of freedom. It may not seem like it but this is the Thunder's way of saying thanks.

Now the Thunder have an open roster spot. They could sign a free agent or a D-League prospect to a 10-day contract. I'm wondering if they might activate D.J. White. I hadn't thought of him in a while and he might be done for the year but it'd be interesting to see what he brings if he's ready.