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Wow...I had no idea OKC was having so much drama.
Hopefully they will be able to right the ship now that Jackson is gone.
Two days before the Thunder's season opener in Portland, Jackson sprained his ankle and missed the team's first two games. In their third game, the Nov. 1 home opener against the Nuggets, Jackson was cleared to play, but according to a source, refused to because of disappointment that he wasn't traded before the Oct. 31 extension deadline for first-round picks entering their fourth season, like Harden before him. Jackson spoke at shootaround that morning, coyly saying he probably wouldn't play that night. Immediately after finishing his session, he grabbed a ball and threw down an impressive drop-step windmill dunk -- in front of reporters and his teammates. Remember: This was when the Thunder were piecing together a roster without Durant and Westbrook, and only had eight active players available.
In the locker room, the divide was growing. Injuries to Durant were keeping the team from finding a rhythm, and without the band-aid of winning to heal wounds, the Thunder's chemistry was suffering. The cliquish aspect was impossible not to notice. Jackson, Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb all had lockers together on one side; Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka were on the other. Jackson, Lamb and Jones are close, shooting pregame together and often leaving the arena together. All three had also fallen out of favor with Brooks.
When the Thunder acquired Waiters, his locker was initially placed next to Jackson's, alongside Lamb and Jones. He spent two games in that location before Durant and Westbrook requested he be moved across to the other side, next to them. The official reason was said to be for integration purposes, to help Waiters get to know the team's leaders and learn from them. But it's hard not to see it as an attempt to move him away from one clique and into another.
http://espn.go.com/blog/okc-thunder/post/_/id/324/jacksons-okc-exit-a-long-time-coming
Hopefully they will be able to right the ship now that Jackson is gone.
Two days before the Thunder's season opener in Portland, Jackson sprained his ankle and missed the team's first two games. In their third game, the Nov. 1 home opener against the Nuggets, Jackson was cleared to play, but according to a source, refused to because of disappointment that he wasn't traded before the Oct. 31 extension deadline for first-round picks entering their fourth season, like Harden before him. Jackson spoke at shootaround that morning, coyly saying he probably wouldn't play that night. Immediately after finishing his session, he grabbed a ball and threw down an impressive drop-step windmill dunk -- in front of reporters and his teammates. Remember: This was when the Thunder were piecing together a roster without Durant and Westbrook, and only had eight active players available.
In the locker room, the divide was growing. Injuries to Durant were keeping the team from finding a rhythm, and without the band-aid of winning to heal wounds, the Thunder's chemistry was suffering. The cliquish aspect was impossible not to notice. Jackson, Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb all had lockers together on one side; Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka were on the other. Jackson, Lamb and Jones are close, shooting pregame together and often leaving the arena together. All three had also fallen out of favor with Brooks.
When the Thunder acquired Waiters, his locker was initially placed next to Jackson's, alongside Lamb and Jones. He spent two games in that location before Durant and Westbrook requested he be moved across to the other side, next to them. The official reason was said to be for integration purposes, to help Waiters get to know the team's leaders and learn from them. But it's hard not to see it as an attempt to move him away from one clique and into another.
http://espn.go.com/blog/okc-thunder/post/_/id/324/jacksons-okc-exit-a-long-time-coming
