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THUNDER
Oklahoma City Thunder

Thunder's Russell Westbrook out for knee surgery again

Sam Amick
USA TODAY Sports
  • Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook had right knee surgery because of swelling
  • Westbrook had surgery on knee in spring and fall%2C too%2C and will be out until after All-Star break
  • He has averaged 21.3 points%2C 7.0 assists%2C 6.0 rebounds per game this season
Thunder guard Russell Westbrook had swelling in his surgically repaired right knee and went under the knife again.

Well, that changes everything in the Western Conference. Again.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Friday that point guard Russell Westbrook had surgery on his right knee for the second time since late October, a procedure that is expected to keep him out until after the mid-February All-Star break. Westbrook's trouble with the knee began back in late April, when he tore his meniscus in the second game of the playoffs and was out for the remainder of the short-lived postseason run that ended in the second round.

He had a second arthroscopic surgery the day before training camp began this season in order to address swelling that was caused by a loose stitch but made a surprisingly rapid return three games into the regular season. Now, with the Thunder rolling at 23-5 and the Westbrook-Kevin Durant duo looking more dynamic than ever, they'll have to adjust yet again.

As Thunder general manager Sam Presti detailed in a conference call with reporters, Westbrook wasn't feeling pain in the knee but had increased swelling yet again. An MRI that was part of the post-surgery protocol was taken in Los Angeles on either Dec. 23 or Dec. 24, and it revealed an area of concern. The decision was then made that Westbrook would go under the knife for a third time.

As it pertains to this season, this is the state of the situation: Westbrook will return from this surgery just as he did the last, and likely get back to his elite level of play just in time for the Thunder to make a good strong run in the playoffs. But Westbrook has now unofficially become the latest NBA star whose health will always seem fleeting, a Derrick Rose-lite of sorts who personal pistons can't seem to support all his power. Presti spoke candidly about the need to "manage" Westbrook's situation once he returned, and this is now the unfortunate reality for the 25-year-old who is finally getting the respect he deserves for his part in their program.

It's one thing when a 31-year-old Dwyane Wade has to get clever in his fight against Father Time, to not play in back-to-back games and alter the way that he works to get around his physical struggles. It's quite another for Westbrook to even consider those sorts of options. He doesn't have all those miles or those memories just yet.

The fact that this carnage is still connected to that fateful April 24 day is clearly making this blow even more bitter for the Thunder. Game 2 of the first round against the Houston Rockets was one they'll never forget, when overzealous Patrick Beverley jumped Westbrook as he called a timeout and was instantly vilified when their collision led to the meniscus tear. It was both odd and understandable that Presti felt the need to detail the blow-by-blow yet again in his latest Westbrook conference call – as good a sign as any that all is not forgiven.

"The area of concern (in Westbrook's knee) has taken a significant amount of time to reveal itself, and we've been told that it stems from the initial injury suffered when a player crashed into Russell last spring as he was attempting to call a 20-second timeout," Presti said, who rehashed the blow-by-blow in the oddest of ways. "That area of the knee has taken a significant amount of time to declare itself, and thus we're seeing swelling and the change in the image."

And thus we and they will have to wait for Westbrook yet again. Young Reggie Jackson will likely regain the starting role that he'd rather not have, though he looks better-suited than ever to handle those duties after what has been a breakout season. Veteran Derek Fisher will be there to help, too, as Presti didn't make it sound as if he would go shopping for a new addition outside the current crew. Should Durant find a way to keep the entire unit at an elite level while Westbrook is out, then his feats will have been so great that his first MVP award would be the runaway variety.

It's a road game at Charlotte on Friday, a home game against Houston on Sunday and a would-be Western Conference clash against Portland on Tuesday that simply won't be the same now. The West is different without Westbrook, all right. And not in a good way.

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