Thunder star Westbrook will miss first 4-6 weeks

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook will miss the first 4- 6 weeks of the NBA season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday.

General Manager Sam Presti said the three-time All-Star had knee swelling that would not subside, and the procedure was intended to solve the problem. He said doctors determined that a loose stitch was to blame for the swelling, that Westbrook’s lateral meniscus has healed properly and the procedure was successful.

“Russell has been incredible in his work and rehabilitation,” Presti said. “His performance levels have been tremendous, and he’s looked great in the part of practice that he’s been cleared to go through. So, we were very, very encouraged in that respect. But when the swelling wasn’t subsiding, we made the decision to have the knee evaluated.”

Westbrook also had surgery in May to repair cartilage in his right knee after he was hurt in Game 2 of Oklahoma City’s firstround playoff series with Houston. He had had never missed a game in his five seasons before the injury.

Westbrook averaged 23.2 points and 7.4 assists per game last season, but he wound up watching the Thunder’s second-round playoff exit to the Grizzlies from the bench.

Oklahoma City needs offensive help alongside Kevin Durant and Westbrook following the departure of Kevin Martin, who averaged 14 points per game last season.

DEVELOPMENTS

Miami in Bahamas: If Miami guard Dwyane Wade does anything other than basketball-related work during this Heat training camp trip to the Bahamas, it’ll likely be a little bit of card-playing. After all, that doesn’t take any physical exertion.

Insisting that this is no vacation, the two-time defending NBA champions got to work Tuesday. Miami held its first prac- tice of camp for about two hours inside a cavernous ballroom that had temporary lights strung from the ceiling and two newly installed courts side-by-side.

“It was good,” Wade said.

“This is our element, right here. This is where all our guys are really comfortable and we can get into gear, be around each other. First practice of the first day is good.”

Knicks look for scorers: J. R. Smith is recovering from knee surgery, then faces an NBA suspension when he returns. Amare Stoudemire is recovering from knee surgery — yes, that’s three in the last year — and faces a restriction on his minutes when he returns.

The New York Knicks have the NBA’s leading scorer in Carmelo Anthony, but after that there are questions about who’s going to put the ball in the basket.

One candidate is Andrea Bargnani, the former No. 1 overall pick the Knicks acquired from Toronto in July. New York also signed Metta World Peace.