NBA Update: Nazr Mohammed set sights on another year with the Oklahoma City Thunder
If there is one player in the league, who doesn’t mind switching franchises, it is Oklahoma City Thunder’s reserve centre Nazr Mohammad.
In his well travelled career, the centre has played for seven franchises and his 13 years in NBA having nothing short of a journey. However, earlier on Monday Nazr Mohammad said that he is looking forward to stay with the Oklahoma
City Thunder next year. Nazr, who becomes a free agent in the summer, posted a message on the social networking site that he would love to re-sign with the franchise for the upcoming seasons.
The twist in 33-year old centre’s tendency might have arisen from the overwhelming response, the Thunder received from their fans and management, even after losing out to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals this
year.
Nazr said, “Organization & unbelievable fans. Look at this!!! And this is after a loss.”
Nazr’s desire to stay at Oklahoma City might also have been influenced by the fact that the Thunder are fast emerging as the new power house of the West. Staying with them, might give him another opportunity to have a shot at the
Championship ring, a feat he accomplished with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.
The young Thunder were terrific this season, making their first appearance in the Western Conference finals since losing in the NBA finals in 1996 as the Seattle Super Sonics. They played the season with a young nucleus centred
on Kevin Durant, a scoring champion of the previous two seasons, and a rookie guard, Russell Westbrook. However, they could not maintain their rhythm against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference finals. The Mavericks won the series 4-1.
Nazr, a Ghanaian native was traded from the Charlotte Bobcats to the Oklahoma City during the mid season trade in February 2011, in exchange for D.J. White and Mo Peterson. During his 13 years’ of NBA experience, he also served
the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs. The best performance of his career in NBA came against the Los Angeles Lakers when he scored a career-high 22 points, and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Before starting his NBA career, Nazr won two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships with the University of Kentucky. Mohammed averaged seven points and five rebounds per game during the current regular season,
with a field goal percentage of 52.2 percent. However, his performance during the postseason was not up to the mark as he averaged just 2.3 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from the free throw line.
Although, the NBA veteran is a bit low on the offense, however he is known for his aggression in offensive rebounding and put backs and his addition to the Thunder’s squad would definitely enhance their overall productivity, especially
in the back court.
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