OKC’s Westbrook says he’ll return to old form

Russell Westbrook is supporting teammates from the sideline. (USATSI)

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook sidelined with a broken hand, met with the media for the first time since sustaining the injury Oct. 30. He sounded upbeat despite the 4-to-6-week prognosis. From the Associated Press:

"I missed a shot and tried to come back up and get a rebound and I hit my hand on Perk's (teammate Kendrick Perkins) elbow. I knew I hurt something, I thought I dislocated my finger of something. I couldn't tell until I got the ball back when I ran back down the court and couldn't dribble," said Westbrook. "I was already mad once I hit my hand because I knew it wasn't gonna be good, so I was instantly upset and frustrated. Obviously, I was ready to go and ready to help my team go out and get wins, especially since we were down some guys already. It was frustrating for me, but it'll be alright. I'll get back to where I was at."

…

"He and Kevin [Durant] are incredible encouragers during games. They are cheering every possession and they get on guys during huddles when needed, " [Oklahoma City head coach Scott] Brooks said." They're involved, they're engaged, they want to make an impact while they're not playing and that's good to see."

For his part, Westbrook is happy to play that part while he waits to return to the court.

"Just try to find a way that we can help guys. You don't wanna talk to nobody once you start the game because it gets annoying," Westbrook said. " You've got to find a way to get through to people even if it is off the floor, timeouts, whatever it is, just find a way to help the team out."

Westbrook, who never missed a game until last season, at least now knows what it's like to sit out. This is a different situation, though, given that the Thunder are severely shorthanded. The MVP and half of their rotation have been out of the lineup, so the team is having to adjust and lean heavily on Serge Ibaka and Reggie Jackson.

Jeremy Lamb, who had missed the season's first five games, returned on Friday and played 41 minutes as a starter against the Memphis Grizzlies. It came down to an Ibaka 3-pointer, which did not drop. Oklahoma City lost 91-89. You just knew that, if Westbrook or Durant was in the lineup, one of them would have taken that final shot.

There's nothing Westbrook can do now but watch and support his teammates. The Thunder are 1-5, but at least they have some (theoretically) winnable games coming up. They host the Kings on Sunday, then go to Milwaukee on Tuesday, Boston on Wednesday and return to OKC on Friday to play the Pistons.

Topics: Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA

Basketball Hot News

Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard blames vision problems for his slow start to the season

Kawhi Leonard helped the Spurs win the NBA title last year, with a Finals MVP performance that saw him shoot 61.2 percent from the field over his team’s five-game thrashing of the Miami Heat.

He’s off to a much slower start this year, however, shooting just 30.8 percent from the field through his first four games.

If there’s good news surrounding the situation, it’s that the reason for the slump is physical. Leonard missed most of the preseason with a nasty eye infection, and though it’s healed enough to allow him to return to action, his vision is still an issue in the season’s early stages.

From Jeff McDonald of MySanAntonio.com:

Leonard said after Saturday’s loss to New Orleans that his right eye remains blurry after a preseason bout with conjunctivitis.

“My right eye, the vision’s not all the way back yet,” Leonard said. “Hopefully I can heal up soon. I’ve just got to keep competing so I can get used to it and get my rhythm going.” …

Asked if he believed he could play through his eye condition, Leonard said: “I have to. That’s what I’m doing now. I can’t wait and sit on the sidelines anymore just wasting games. It might not ever clear up until summer, so I’m playing now.”

The Spurs are off to a 2-3 start after Saturday night’s loss to the Pelicans, though at least one of those losses was self-inflicted. Still, Leonard is probably the team’s most important player if not its outright best, so he’ll need to get right sooner rather than later for San Antonio to begin to string together some victories.