Enes Kanter fractures right forearm – domino effect of a selfish act

On an evening the OKC Thunder should have been rejoicing, an action by Enes Kanter may have long-serving negative implications for the team.

Entering the night the Thunder were on a positive roll having won 2-in-a-row,  Russell Westbrook had been named a reserve to the All-Star team and the squad was facing a severely depleted Mavericks squad. A heinous road-heavy January schedule was nearing an end and there was a reason for optimism.

Then, in the blink of an eye, one emotional selfish action by Enes Kanter may have caused more damage to the team than anything, this season. Enes Kanter unhappy with a negative whistle punched a chair and his evening was done. Postgame, coach Billy Donovan confirmed Kanter had sustained a right forearm fracture. The center was seen sporting a heavily bandaged wrist.

Let’s be clear, it has not been confirmed the chair punch was what caused the injury, but having witnessed no on-court altercation or fall, it seems to be the likely culprit for the injury.

For a team already dealing with a lack of scoring options or core players, the loss of Kanter for an extended period could create a massive domino effect.

Enes Kanter had found a role in OKC:

The sad part is Enes Kanter’s popularity was at an all-time high in Oklahoma City. Last week during the 4-days off he was seen visiting hospitals, performing on cooking shows, and was active on social media citing his outrage over Westbrook’s omission as a starting All-Star.

On the court, he had become the leader of the reserves both in scoring and passing and appeared to be reveling in this role. Pundits were citing him as a potential candidate for Sixth Man of the Year

Related: Is Westbrook All-Star snub worst in history?

Moreover, Enes Kanter’s offensive skill set and rookie Domantas Sabonis’ slow development had created a new line of questioning in OKC. Should OKC be starting Kanter to produce a more potent offense and stagger the cores minutes with the reserves?

The fact this speculation was happening spoke to how firmly entrenched Kanter had become to the squad. To wit, preseason predictions had earmarked Kanter as the only major trade asset on the team. Though Cameron Payne was also mentioned, the upcoming draft chock full of quality guards made Kanter the more desirable asset. But based on how well Kanter had integrated with the squad, the trade talk had died down and been replaced by how valuable he had become.

Lost Opportunity:

As the Thunder close in on completing the worst part of their schedule, it was time to take advantage of numerous home dates.  Seemingly there was a major window of opportunity with Chris Paul out for 6-8 weeks due to his own injury. And the Clippers are currently dealing with the hardest part of their schedule, so the time to strike was now.

Video Analysis: Journey of the Thunder Bench to find an identity

Post victory, Billy Donovan spoke to the media confirming Kanter has a right forearm fracture. No further details were provided on how the initial fracture occurred or how long Kanter will be out.  However, we can surmise this will be a multiple week recovery if not month(s).  Early predictions are surmising  6-8 weeks, but barring a full report let’s slow our roll until there is confirmation.

That said, Kanter’s action was selfish and has far-reaching implications.  The trade deadline is less than a month away (February 23rd).  No team would entertain a deal for an injured player. Worse, the opportunity that lay before the club to climb the ladder toward a home court seed is clearly a much more difficult task without Kanter.

Not since Amare Stoudemire pulled a similar stunt in New York have we witnessed an action that in essence injured his entire team? In the coming days, there will be speculation Kanter was frustrated about trade talks, or unhappy in his situation.

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As a Thunder fan, this seems preposterous. Especially after what was observed of him last week during the 4-day sojourn.  Rather, this was a young man who allowed his own personal emotion to take over and commit a silly thoughtless action. Unfortunately, the result hurts more than just himself.

In typical Westbrook and Steven Adams fashion, they supported their teammate. But, deep down you have to wonder how they are feeling.  I for one, immediately thought, where was this emotion when your teammate was lying sprawled on the Oracle court?

Bottom line, now the Thunder must find someone to replace Enes Kanter’s production, and trade options have become severely limited and, or altered. Most importantly the opportunity which appeared within arm’s reach ironically has slipped away, due to a fractured forearm.