Durant Out Indefinitely

By Randy Renner

Thunder general manager Sam Presti is removing superstar Kevin Durant from basketball activities indefinitely because he continues to have soreness in his right foot. 

"He's not making the progress that we had hoped and anticipated him making," Presti said. 

Right now the Thunder and a team of specialists aren't sure what the problem is but the consensus opinion is that Durant should stop working out on the basketball floor until the reason for the continued pain is discovered and then the problem solved. 

"What we'd like to do is get everybody the necessary information and have Kevin evaluated by the necessary people," Presti continued. "At that point we'll have a better understanding as to what it is that's creating the lack or progress, the continued soreness."

That could take a couple of weeks or even a couple of months. Hope remains that Durant could make it back for a playoff run but Presti made it clear today that until KD is pain free he will not be back. 

"When he's healthy to play and when he's able to return without that soreness, he'll be back on the floor. If that takes the rest of the regular season, if that takes the playoffs, that's what it's going to take."

Durant has only been able to play in 27 games this season and had appeared to be close to returning from this second surgery on his right foot. The second surgery was done to insert a different screw at the site of the Jones fracture which was repaired before the season began.

Durant had told reporters a few days after that procedure that his foot felt much better and recently he had returned to practice but then the soreness returned too.

KD is expected to travel to North Carolina to consult with a team of medical experts and foot specialists.

Elsewhere on the Thunder injury front, center Enes Kanter will not play tonight against Atlanta as he continues to recover from a sprained left ankle. Kanter was seen walking without much of a limp at Thunder shootaround this morning. Serge Ibaka is back in Oklahoma City and seems to be doing well after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this week. Ibaka could be back for a first round playoff series IF the Thunder can make it into the playoffs.