Thunder rookie Russell Westbrook suffered a sprained ankle on Tuesday morning but is still expected to play in his team's season opener, according to a report in The Oklahoman.

Amare Stoudemire scored 17 points before leaving the Suns' preseason win against the undermanned Oklahoma City Thunder in the third quarter with a dislocated left pinky, the Associated Press is reporting.

Greg Nickels, the Mayor of Seattle, says that while he has not spoken to anyone from the NBA, he believes that the door is wide open for an NBA return to Seattle.

The report, published by the Associated Press, states that the plan surrounds a remodeled Key Arena.  Clay Bennett relocated the Sonics after claiming that the arena was obsolete.

"We'll be going to the Legislature in their next session" beginning in January, Nickels said Monday at a ceremony inside KeyArena to announce Seattle University will be using it when the school returns to Division I basketball this season for the first time since 1980.

Nickels said Seattle will ask for state authorization to divert 1 percent of the existing hotels tax in Seattle from the convention and visitors bureau to the city. He said the convention center no longer needs that revenue, and the city should get it.

"Those funds [would be] available for an NBA franchise," he said.

Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has waived center Chris Alexander and guard Derrick Byars.

Alexander averaged 1.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 5.0 minutes in four preseason games while Byars averaged 4.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 14.8 minutes in four preseason contests.

According to a report in The Oklahoman, Thunder forward Nick Collison sprained his right ankle at practice on Friday and could not complete the session.

Oklahoma City has exercised the third-year team options on both guard/forward Kevin Durant and forward Jeff Green for the 2009-10 season it was announced today by General Manager Sam Presti.

Durant and Green were both members of the 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Durant, 20, was named the 2007-08 NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists in 80 games.  The former Texas Longhorn was named NBA Rookie of the Month five times and became just the third teenager to average 20 or more points per game.

Green, 22, concluded his rookie campaign with averages of 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists in 80 games.  The Georgetown product averaged 10.5 points per game, fourth among all rookies last season.

On Monday physicians successfully removed a benign growth from D.J. White?s jaw, the team announced today.

Team physicians will perform the second phase of the surgery, where they will mend the jaw with a bone graft taken from White?s hip, in approximately six weeks

White?s expected recovery time remains 4-6 months.

Kevin Durant took charge on Monday night and lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first win in their new home state.

Durant played through a twisted ankle to record 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

"It was one of those things at the end of the game you've got to fight through," said Durant, about ice his injured foot. "That's what I tried to do."

Baron Davis has joined Marcus Camby on the sidelines with what the team is calling flu-like symptoms and will not make the trip to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder tonight, the L.A. Times is reporting.

Former Sonic great Gary Payton has said he will not let the Oklahoma City franchise retire his number 20 jersey, and he believes that the NBA will be back in Seattle within three years, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting.

"I think I made that clear; I didn't play in Oklahoma, so it wouldn't be anything that I'm looking forward to because I didn't play for the Oklahoma Thunder," he said at the Seahawks game on Sunday. "I don't think that Oklahoma should get the benefits of seeing me raise my number. I think these people here are the people who have seen me and made me who I am."

Payton predicted Seattle will get a new team within three years.

"I'm inside with the NBA a little bit; I think before 2011 a team will be here," he said. "A lot of teams want to move, and I think Seattle's got a good shot at it."