Report: Thunder's Ibaka to undergo knee surgery

Rest was apparently not enough for Serge Ibaka's ailing knee, as the Oklahoma City Thunder's star power forward will reportedly undergo surgery to alleviate his soreness, according to ESPN's Royce Young.

Young reports that Ibaka will see a specialist, the expectation being that he'll undergo a clean-out procedure on the knee that will have him ready for the postseason.

The Thunder haven't announced anything regarding a surgical procedure for Ibaka, saying only that the power forward will see a specialist in New York.

"As we continue to monitor and evaluate the soreness in Serge's knee, in consultation with his representation, we decided the next best step is to have him travel to New York to see a specialist," a team spokesman said in a statement Monday. "We will provide an update as appropriate."

Ibaka, who suited up for OKC's first 64 games before sitting out the last two due to knee soreness, is averaging 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.

The Thunder perform 4.6 points per-100 possessions better with Ibaka on the court as opposed to on the bench, according to NBA.com.

Enes Kanter, Mitch McGary and Nick Collison could all see additional time with Ibaka on the sidelines, with Kanter starting the last two games in Ibaka's absence.

Kanter is an offensively capable big man who can be a presence on the glass, but his defensive game is a serious concern and is certainly far inferior to Ibaka's.

While it's reassuring that Ibaka would reportedly be back in time for the playoffs, the Thunder are far from a lock to get there. They enter the week holding down the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot, leading the New Orleans Pelicans by only one game in the standings. The Pelicans own the season-series tiebreaker.

A potentially lengthy Ibaka absence would only add to a season of misfortune for the Thunder, as reigning MVP Kevin Durant has played only 27 games due to foot and ankle injuries, while All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook missed time early in the season with a fractured hand.