OKLAHOMA CITY - One week after surgery on his broken right hand, Russell Westbrook is upbeat about his recovery and trying to help his injury-riddled team find a way to survive without current NBA MVP Kevin Durant and himself on the court. Adidas Superstar Uomo Scontate .Westbrook met with the media for the first time since suffering a small fracture early in the Thunders October 30th loss to the L.A. Clippers. He underwent surgery the following day, and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks.For the three-time NBA All-Star, it was the fourth surgery in less than two years and another frustrating moment for one of the leagues most mercurial competitors.I missed a shot and tried to come back up and get a rebound and I hit my hand on Perks (teammate Kendrick Perkins) elbow. I knew I hurt something, I thought I dislocated my finger of something. I couldnt tell until I got the ball back when I ran back down the court and couldnt dribble, said Westbrook. I was already mad once I hit my hand because I knew it wasnt gonna be good, so I was instantly upset and frustrated. Obviously, I was ready to go and ready to help my team go out and get wins, especially since we were down some guys already. It was frustrating for me, but itll be alright. Ill get back to where I was at.Already hobbled by injuries to Durant and newcomer Anthony Morrow, the injury to Westbrook wasnt the end of the misfortune. Forward Perry Jones and guards Jeremy Lamb and Reggie Jackson have also missed games, while rookie forwards Mitch McGary and Grant Jarrett have yet to begin their NBA careers due to injuries. On most nights, the team has had only eight available players.The Thunder has been competitive in five of six games, but saw their record fall to 1-5 after a 91-89 home loss to Memphis Friday night. Oklahoma City has had to employ journeymen Sebastian Telfair and Lance Thomas in the starting lineup and recently picked up another well-travelled guard in Ish Smith.Coach Scott Brooks is trying to stay positive while waiting for the return of his superstars, which will likely not come until January. Until they can get back on the court, Brooks is trying to keep Westbrook and Durant involved in encouraging the players who are trying to hold down the fort.He and Kevin are incredible encouragers during games. They are cheering every possession and they get on guys during huddles when needed, Brooks said. Theyre involved, theyre engaged, they want to make an impact while theyre not playing and thats good to see.For his part, Westbrook is happy to play that part while he waits to return to the court.Just try to find a way that we can help guys. You dont wanna talk to nobody once you start the game because it gets annoying, Westbrook said. Youve got to find a way to get through to people even if it is off the floor, timeouts, whatever it is, just find a way to help the team out. Adidas Superstar Italia . -- Theres been so much talk about Mike Moustakas at the plate that the third baseman ignored the conversation Wednesday -- even after doing something positive. Adidas Superstar Outlet Italia . Howard had 17 points and a career-high-tying 26 rebounds in his Houston debut, James Harden added 21 points and the Rockets cruised to a 96-83 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. http://www.adidassuperstarscontate.it/ . 8 Sergio Parisse for its penultimate Six Nations match against Ireland at Lansdowne Road.LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers held a team meeting to address young star Yasiel Puigs baserunning blunders. Manager Don Mattingly called the meeting Tuesday after the 23-year-old Cuban defector made two mistakes on the basepaths during the Dodgers season-opening, two-game trip to Australia last weekend -- mistakes that made headlines in the media. "I thought it was a really good meeting, actually," Mattingly said Thursday. "But again, its one of those things that if guys want to talk about it, they can. I dont think its something we need to talk about. ... Were just looking to get better all the time." ESPN.com first reported the meeting. The dynamic right-fielder became an instant sensation last year when made his big league debut June 3 and helped lead the Dodgers from last to the NL West title. But Mattingly was often frustrated by Puigs decision-making in the field and on the bases. "He pushes the limit. He pushes it to the edge. But then youu have to re-think it and think about all the great things he does to help you win games in ways only his talent can do," teammate A. Adidas Superstar Outlet. J. Ellis. "So there is give and take, and hes learning. But its like we always say, wed rather make an aggressive mistake than make a conservative mistake." Problems arose again Down Under. Puig made two errors on the bases then struck out in the ninth inning Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He then did not take his position in right field for the bottom of the ninth, complaining of a back problem. An MRI was negative, but Puig missed the teams workout on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium to get treatment. "Its up to us to help him in that maturity process, and the way we do that is to support him and encourage him no matter what," Ellis said. "Hopefully we can all be good examples, and he can take stock and inventory of how the professionals in this clubhouse go about their business." ' ' '