Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant underwent successful bone graft surgery on Tuesday morning for his ailing right foot, and the timetable of 4-to-6 months for his return to basketball activities remains in place.
From the team’s official release:
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant underwent successful bone graft surgery today for the fifth metatarsal of his right foot, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley with Thunder medical personnel present at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Durant will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season and is expected to return to full basketball activities in the next four to six months.
Durant initially had surgery on his right foot during the preseason, but he was continued to experience soreness as the year moved forward. Durant played in just 27 games this season, with his finale coming February 19 vs. Dallas in the first game following the All-Star break. The Thunder won the game with ease, but Durant noticeably limped throughout the second half and ultimately never returned to the team.
Durant is only 26 years old, but having three medical procedures on the same foot within seven months is worrisome. The initial injury and subsequent procedures are reminiscent of Yao Ming’s foot problems in the late 2000s, which essentially ended his career when he was just 28.
On the other hand, Durant — at roughly 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds — certainly does not expose his feet to the same continual pounding and stress that the 7-foot-5 Yao did. So there is some reason for optimism.
Furthermore, even with the foot bothering him throughout much of the 2014-15 season, Durant still scored over 25 points per game this year on 51% shooting and 40% from behind the arc. The fact that the injury didn’t compromise his MVP-level form is certainly encouraging.
But if Durant’s recovery extends to the long end of the timetable (6 months), it could potentially impact his availability in training camp for the 2015-16 campaign. That’s very much a storyline worth following, because next season is going to be absolutely massive for both Durant and the Thunder.
With Durant a free agent in July 2016, he first and foremost needs to prove that he’s healthy and worthy of a maximum salary for at least four years. But assuming he is, the burden will then be on the Thunder to prove they deserve Durant’s long-term commitment to stay in Oklahoma City.
With the salary cap set to explode in the summer of 2016, teams throughout the league are expected to have max-level room to pursue Durant. Those include the Wizards, who can lure Durant with the promise of a weaker Eastern Conference and his hometown of Washington, DC, and the Rockets, who could offer Durant the opportunity to return to his college state of Texas and team up with James Harden — Durant’s close friend and a possible MVP in his own right. The usual major market suspects like the Knicks, Lakers, Nets, Bulls and Heat could all certainly be in the mix as well.
After bowing out in the Western Conference Finals a year ago, the Thunder and GM Sam Presti have been aggressive in retooling around Durant and Russell Westbrook in an effort to get over the hump, culminating in the move at this year’s deadline for 22-year-old post man Enes Kanter. Unfortunately for Presti and the Thunder, they likely won’t learn if that move was enough this year, considering Durant’s absence and the team’s probable shellacking at the hands of No. 1 Golden State.
That means it’ll all hinge on 2015-16. On paper, if Durant is healthy, the Thunder appear poised to return to the league’s elite. But with numerous suitors waiting in the wings for when Durant’s contract expires next summer, the pressure on the organization and Durant should be significant.
BEVERLEY UNDERGOES WRIST SURGERY IN HOUSTON
Durant, of course, wasn’t the only starter for an NBA playoff team to go under the knife today. Houston point guard Pat Beverley had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist earlier today, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, he will require four months of recovery.
The Rockets said yesterday that Beverley, 26, was expected to miss the remainder of the 2014-15 season. But according to Wojnarowski, there was actually a “fleeting hope” prior to this morning’s procedure that the recovery period might be just two months, which could have had Beverley back for the Western Conference Finals, should the Rockets advance that far.
But Beverley’s ligament had to be reattached, Wojnarowski said, which ended that hope and means the defensive-minded point guard will be in a cast for about the next 10 weeks.
Beverley, who averaged 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 56 games for the Rockets this season, becomes a free agent in July. Wojnarowski writes that the Rockets remain “determined to re-sign Beverley to a long-term deal”, but adds that there should be plenty of interest from other teams.
Another wrinkle in the offseason mix with Beverley and the Rockets could be the presence of Sergio Llull. A prominent guard for Spain’s Real Madrid, the Rockets hold the NBA rights for the 27-year-old — and it’s been said recently that he has real interest in coming over to the NBA next season.
The Rockets aren’t expected to have significant cap room this summer, so it could come down to a decision between re-signing Beverley at a higher price or gambling on Llull.
In the interim, the Rockets (50-24) will turn to veterans Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni as they head toward the 2014-15 postseason. Houston is 9-1 with Terry as a starter and just a half-game back of Memphis for the coveted No. 2 seed in the West, behind only Golden State.
OTHER NEWS FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
Derrick Rose played in a full contact 5-on-5 scrimmage Tuesday for the first time since having a late-February surgery on the meniscus in his right knee.
Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau says Rose, 26, still needs to get his wind back, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com, but believes “he’s in a good place” with his rehab process.
Friedell said Thibodeau was still non-committal on a potential return date for Rose, but added that he sounded optimistic about the progress being made by the sixth-year Bulls guard, who averaged 18.4 points and 5 assists in 31 minutes per game prior to his latest injury.
Both Rose and the Bulls are hopeful of a return before the end of the regular season, thus allowing the guard to get in some game action to shake off any rust before the postseason begins.
The Kings are contemplating shutting down All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season as he deals with several nagging injuries.
Among other ailments, Cousins has been most bothered by a calf strain, sore foot and a thigh bruise, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com.
“We talked when he commented after one game that his body was beat up,” Sacramento coach George Karl said before the Kings faced the Grizzlies on Monday night. “I said, ‘Instead of thinking about shutting it down, let’s try to find some days that you can get your body rested.’ We might schedule a piece of our games and (rest Cousins) again.”
Karl said one option being considered is a plan that would allow Cousins to sit out of the Kings’ five remaining road games but play in their four final home games.
The Kings are also without forward Rudy Gay for the time being, who suffered a concussion on Monday night after he was elbowed in the side of the head by Memphis center Marc Gasol during a scramble for a loose ball. Gay has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game at Houston, and he’ll have to adhere to the NBA’s testing protocol for concussions before he’s cleared to resume activity.
Though the Kings (26-47) were eliminated from the playoff picture weeks ago, they do play both the Rockets and Pelicans this week as well as Oklahoma City next week. As a result, shutting down Cousins — who leads Sacramento with 24.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game — might still have a real impact on the league’s playoff races.
Ben DuBose is a veteran sports reporter who has followed the Houston Rockets and the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon was Akeem Olajuwon. He writes for both SheridanHoops and ClutchFans, an independent Rockets blog. You can follow him on Twitter.