With superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook set to miss extended time with foot and thumb injuries, respectively, the Oklahoma City Thunder have struggled to a 2-5 record. That led Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to suggest an unpalatable course of action-tanking for a top pick.
"The question I don't think anybody has asked is, why don't they pull a David Robinson and try to get Tim Duncan?" Cuban said. "We already specialize in a race to the bottom. More participants won't change anything. They're all high-profile participants."
Despite their poor record the Thunder have been mostly competitive in losses to upper tier teams in the Western Conference such as the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. Head coach Scott Brooks laughed off the thought of tanking, and hinted Cuban was jus trying to eliminate a competitor for a Western Conference playoff seed.
"I didn't see those comments, but no. That's funny, though. But no, we've got a good group of guys in here. It's fun going into games knowing we're going to play with great effort, that we're going to be throwing our bodies all over the floor, that we'll be diving on the floor for loose balls, and that's what our fans want to see," Brooks said.
"They understand we've had a lot of injuries. ... They know it, but they like what the guys are doing. They like that the guys are competing, that's what makes fans proud of our group."
In Durant and Westbrook's absence, sixth man Reggie Jackson has risen to the occasion on the score sheet averaging 20 points to go with 8.3 assists. Power forward Serge Ibaka has increased his output as well, putting up 17.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and nearly two blocks.
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