Things have gone from bad to worse for the Oklahoma City Thunder. After initial reports suggested that Serge Ibaka would likely return from minor knee surgery before regular season’s end, the team announced today that its floor-spacing paint-protector will be sidelined for the next 4-to-6 weeks – putting his availability for the playoffs in jeopardy.
Below are pertinent portions of Oklahoma City’s press release on the matter.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka underwent successful arthroscopic surgery today to address right knee soreness, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.
“After monitoring the soreness in Serge’s knee and having taken several intermediate steps to assess and manage the discomfort, it was determined that the necessary next step in the evaluation was to see a specialist to discuss options to help alleviate the soreness and swelling he had been experiencing,” said Presti. “During the consultation with Dr. David Altchek, his recommendation, in agreement with Thunder medical personnel, Serge and his representatives, was for Serge to have arthroscopic surgery to remedy the problematic area.”
Ibaka will be out approximately four to six weeks.
The playoffs begin 32 days from now on April 18, towards the beginning of Ibaka’s projected recovery timeline. While getting him back immediately following rehabilitation wouldn’t be ideal for a first-round series, it’s certainly better than the other likely alternative – that the Thunder miss out on the postseason altogether.
37-30 Oklahoma City leads the surging New Orleans Pelicans by just half a game in the standings. And though the Thunder’s remaining schedule is a bit easier than the Pelicans’, the more important factor to consider is that Scott Brooks’ team will play at least a small portion of those games without Kevin Durant and potentially all of them without Ibaka. The Pelicans, meanwhile, will get a boost by the return of Ryan Anderson sometime next week.
The reigning MVP will likely return around the same time. Durant’s addition will obviously be a major boon for Oklahoma City, but not even he can replicate what Ibaka brings to the table. The Thunder are fully capable of outscoring teams to win games, but that’s not how they’ve been built in the past. In the thick of a heat playoff race, will Oklahoma City be up to the task?
Before considering any concerns related to Ibaka’s potential playoff return, that’s the question which needs to be asked – and we’re not completely sure how it will be answered.
[Thunder]
