For the second time this season Cole Aldrich is moving down to the NBA developmental league and will spend some time with the Tulsa 66ers.
Cole has struggled to catch on for any major minutes since being drafted by the Thunder this past year and averages 1 point and 2 rebounds in just 7.9 minutes per game during his time with the Thunder.
Prior to the season there was some curiosity among the Thunder fan base as to how Aldrich would fit in. They wanted an interior presence and needed a presence, but Aldrich's fit with OKC's style wasn't obvious from the outset. The Thunder have a high scoring, up and down, athletic team. Cole, as we know, is a big man that can dominate the interior but as with any seven foot frame things tend to move a little slower.
Regardless the Thunder fans still seem to want to see more Cole and the perception in OKC is that he will have a future with the team.
From Welcome To Loud City, SB Nation Thunder Blog
We're not asking that Cole be given starting minutes, or even be allocated the greatest bench role -- but please, when the team is being crushed inside and you don't have Collison to throw out there to stem the onslaught, please play Cole Aldrich. It's not a difficult move to make when it's the obvious move to make.
No one ever believed Cole was a ready made product, and everyone seems to want to see him play more and learn on the job which is a good thing. More and more it draws headlines when a player drops down or gets called up from the D-Leauge, the good news is that it's turned into a viable place to do just that, develop.