Bad — but not unexpected — news out of Oklahoma City: the Thunder have shut down Kevin Durant for the remainder of the 2014-15 NBA season, including playoffs. Durant will undergo foot surgery next week and is expected to return to basketball action in 4-6 months.
Thunder announce Kevin Durant will miss the remainder of the 2014-15 regular season.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 27, 2015
Durant’s initial fracture was showing signs of “regression” and will undergo a bone graft procedure. Will return to basketball in 4-6 months
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) March 27, 2015
The good news is that OKC management is taking every precaution this time around, as opposed to earlier this season, when Durant returned on the front end of a 6-8 week recovery time table after breaking his foot in the preseason. The bad news, of course, is this is a lost season for a 6’11” player — give or take an inch — who has shouldered a heavy load for the Thunder over seven-plus seasons. In addition, history hasn’t been kind to players of that size and injuries of this nature, so there remains the slight possibility that he never fully recovers.
On top of all that, the Thunder are now down to one final season before Durant becomes a free agent in 2016. They may trot out a healthy lineup next season, but the pressure to win will be on a level rarely seen in the NBA.
Here’s the full statement from the Thunder:
[Twitter]
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