Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA: The Big Question Each Western Conference Playoff Team Must Answer

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket during the third quarter as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 17, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) drives to the basket during the third quarter as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 10
Next
NBA
Mar 13, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) looks up at the scoreboard during action against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Western Conference Honorable Mention: Oklahoma City Thunder

Question: When do we hit the panic button on Kevin Durant‘s foot?

There are plenty of reasons to be worried about the Oklahoma City Thunder right now. Russell Westbrook is like Denzel Washington in Man On Fire and Denzel Washington in He Got Game COMBINED right now, but he’s toiling away for a team that, even after last night’s win, is on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Enes Kanter and D.J. Augustin look like great additions, but they haven’t changed the narrative that’s defined the Thunder ever since James Harden left: this team can’t win a title without Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

On the one hand, I mean, DUH. That’s like saying the 90s Chicago Bulls wouldn’t have won a title without Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen; that much is obvious. But on the other hand, if we’re following that logic, at what point do we start to become concerned about Kevin Durant’s foot problems this season?

Durant has played a grand total of 27 games this season, and although he’s looked like the same KD we all know and love, he’s still 1-2 weeks away from returning. That will leave him with only a couple of weeks to get back in the swing of things before the playoffs begin.

The New Orleans Pelicans are fighting for their playoff lives, so there’s no guarantee OKC even manages to hold on to a playoff spot since the Pellies own the head-to-head tiebreaker. OKC’s reward for making the postseason? A brutal first round matchup with the No. 1 seeded Golden State Warriors. When KD returns, this team will have to make a huge number of adjustments on the fly.

Westbrook has become the alpha dog in OKC, and would have to adjust to Durant’s return. Durant would have to adjust to his new teammates acquired at the trade deadline and vice versa. Kanter and Adams are having to adjust to different roles with both centers healthy now. And all this is assuming Durant’s foot problems are 100 percent behind him by the time he returns.

Making matters worse is the dark storm cloud of Durant’s 2016 free agency that’s hanging over Oklahoma City. This team needs to prove to KD that his long-term future is with the Thunder, and winning a title is the best way to do that. There’s only so much disappointment a superstar can take before he starts looking for greener pastures.

In other words, if the Thunder want to feel comfortable about the odds of keeping their MVP, they might need to win a championship in the next season and a half. That’s a lot of pressure to put on a team that’s been banged up all season, and it’s the reason even Westbrook’s recent triple-double tear hasn’t been enough to distract us from being concerned about the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans