Via NewsOK.com:
To get to 15 players, the Thunder finally waived Nate Robinson on Saturday. As someone who loved his dunk contest performances and bench towel-waving, I really hope he lands in a favourable situation on another team. Best of luck to you, Nate.
No report I've read has had any mention of the Thunder using the amnesty clause, so it's reasonable to assume that Nate Robinson was either bought out or waived. Either way, since Free Agency is over this season and Nate only had one year left on his contract, it doesn't really affect anything but Clay Bennett's pocket. We still have the amnesty clause to use moving forward.
It's a bit disappointing that we couldn't swing his contract for some sort of valuable commodity, even if it was a late round pick or something. Still, this does clear up a roster spot for the most unlikely player of all time: Ryan Reid. When I interviewed TrueCubbie of Tomahawk Nation (the SBNation Seminoles blog) about Ryan Reid back in 2010, he said he was totally surprised to see him drafted. In addition, he had the following to say about his potential career:
Best case, he makes it onto a team after camp and sits at the end of the bench. Realistically, it's not going to happen. D-League or Europe is likely. Again, not to take anything away from Ryan, but he wouldn't have been on my list of likely to be drafted players.
Since then, he's had decent D-League numbers. While they are better than his college numbers, they still pale in comparison to the numbers of guys like B.J. Mullens and Kyle Weaver. Still, everything I've heard about him indicates that he's a hard worker and willing to learn, and those are the type of guys Brooks and Presti fall in love with. So his inclusion at the end of the bench isn't totally surprising, though I'm still a bit skeptical as to how long he'll be there.
Below: The Status of Thabo Sefolosha and the potential debut of Lazar Hayward!
Starting guard Thabo Sefolosha continues to battle a sore right foot and remains listed as day-to-day. Whether he starts against Orlando will be a game-time decision. "He felt a lot better today," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow."
It's looking like the status of Thabo Sefolosha is in doubt. This brings up two really intriguing questions:
1. If he isn't good to go and James Harden starts in his place, for how much longer can we justify starting Thabo? What if Harden goes off for 20? It's definitely a can of worms that has the potential to be opened, and it would make for an ugly debate should Harden perform poorly.
2. Who gets the minutes in place of Thabo? Royal Ivey? Lazar Hayward? Lots of Daequan Cook? Go small and suit up Cole Aldrich? My money is on the earlier two, but it will definitely be interesting to see which of them plays, as we've seen neither of them in a serious role for the Thunder before.
Of course, if Thabo starts, the point is all moot. To avoid debate and secure the win, I hope he's good to go.
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