OKC Thunder: Kendrick Perkins to miss the start of training camp with strained quad

In a potential battle for the starting center position, Steven Adams has received a boost heading into training camp.

On Thursday afternoon, Thunder GM Sam Presti announced that incumbent starter Kendrick Perkins had recently strained his quad. Perkins will miss the start of camp and be reevaluated in two weeks.

This would seem to crack the door a bit for Adams, who impressed during his rookie season, opened eyes with some gutsy postseason performances and seems to be pushing for a more expanded role in Year 2.

The rest of Presti’s preseason press conference, which was littered with defense-first, stick-to-the-plan statements, would indicate that Perkins remains the favorite to keep his starting role.