--Robert Swift broke a bone in his right hand last week and has been limited in training camp workouts. Swift suffered through an injury-plagued campaign last season in which he struggled to return from reconstructive knee surgery, sitting out two months. After he returned in February, Swift suffered a torn meniscus in the same knee and rehabilitated that injury over the summer. The Thunder hopes that Swift can regain his mobility and help solidify the team's void at center.
--Once the student, 29-year-old Earl Watson is now the teacher. Drafted by the Seattle Sonics in 2001, Watson learned the point guard position from one of the best in the business in Gary Payton. Now Watson will be showing the ropes to fellow UCLA product Russell Westbrook, who will compete with Watson for playing time this season. "I came in the league with Gary Payton, so it will be easy for me to teach him the position, which to me is one of the hardest positions in the NBA," he said. "The transition from college to the NBA at that position is as much mental as physical. It's an opportunity for me to teach him and get better myself."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "There's no substitute for support and all the energy around the city. It will benefit everybody on the team but also the community in general. We're excited to take that energy, try to bring it to the floor every night and provide a product and a team this community will be proud of in the short term and the long term." -- General manager Sam Presti on his team's move to its new home.
