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[ESPN / MacMahon] Sources say Rockets do have interest in a Russell Westbrook deal

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Deuce, Jul 7, 2019.

  1. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

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    Zach Lowe on his latest podcast....”Westbrook’s contract is probably the 2nd worst in the league after John Wall’s”

    It’s a year longer than CP3 and Westbrook has fall off a cliff potential with his game being almost all based on athleticism.

    I don’t buy Westbrook being easier to trade in the future or a “better” asset somehow.
     
    Williamson, Huncho Bean, Easy and 4 others like this.
  2. xaos

    xaos Member

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    One of the few dude's who could make a bad team good and a great team good. Westbrook is great at making teams good
     
  3. s3ts

    s3ts Member

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    we definitely don't need any more players under the height of 6' 5". it's not the lack of guard play that cost us games vs GSW.

    i'm just hoping Morey is just getting into the action to force up the price that these other teams have to pay to get RW.
     
    D-rock likes this.
  4. malakas

    malakas Member

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    I thought it was a joke so I didn't take it seriously before.
    BUT now I am starting to panic.
    If this really happens then let's start looking for Harden destinations for next summer.
     
    Gray_Jay and hibbetts like this.
  5. Rocketman1981

    Rocketman1981 Member

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    Westbrook has some tremendous attributes mixed with some tremendous flaws. He is a hyper athletic slasher, finisher,
    rebounder and adept passer. What he is not is a shooter, nor is stable enough to run an offense in a closed set or in
    a late game situation.

    His ability to attack the basket if he is willing to play off the ball and slash and finish could be huge.

    James Harden and Chris Paul are some of the greatest playmakers that control the tempo of the game.
    Oklahoma City had tremendous success when Westbrook wasn't the primary focal point of the offense and
    we could re-create that here.

    The fact is that we are running out of time. Chris Paul's contract is not going anywhere, James Harden is in his
    prime. Kawhi/George, Kyrie/Durant and LeBron/Davis are all formidable opponents.
    The current squad is not going to win a Championship. They need an extra spark to get them through the lulls in their
    offense and someone with athleticism to grab those rebounds and attack the basket when the 3's are not falling.

    In order to capitalize on Harden's incredible prime and Paul before he begins to go downhill we need bold moves.

    I would do it.
     
    bballjunkie likes this.
  6. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    538: Where Does Russell Westbrook Fit Now?

    [...]

    The problem is that things are almost never quite that open-and-shut. This is especially true when it comes to Westbrook, whose game is permanently stamped with question marks like a mystery box in a Super Mario Bros. game.

    Chief among those questions: Can the headstrong point guard, after everything we’ve witnessed in recent years, be the best or second-best player on a championship-caliber team? And if it turns out that the answer is no, are there teams that still should roll the dice and deal for him anyway?

    Most executives around the league probably feel like they have seen enough to answer the former. After all, Westbrook has been teammates with both Durant and George, yet has never quite gotten over the hump to win a ring. The efforts the past few years haven’t even gotten him close, as the Thunder have gotten knocked out in the first round three straight times. Most troubling for Westbrook over that span: He’s shot worse than 40 percent in each postseason, which, with how frequently he shoots,1 would be enough on its own to torpedo almost any team’s chances of winning a series.

    The guard’s determination and lack of feel at times become problematic when he plays into the defense’s hands by taking wide-open jumpers, which he had less success with than any other NBA player last season.2 In the first round of the playoffs, Portland defenders were often told to simply back off and let him shoot, a plan that all but neuters his most explosive trait: speed.

    Sometimes Westbrook’s Sonic-like blurs to the basket get him into trouble and lead to turnovers. But overall, he finds value in barreling his way to the cup more than just about anyone. He shot a career-best 65 percent from inside 3 feet in 2018-19, and he whipped an NBA-high 802 passes that led directly to a 3-point attempt this past season, according to data from Second Spectrum.

    Those numbers alone show why he’s intriguing. Players who can create for themselves and others will always be important in the NBA, and Westbrook has shown a consistent ability to do that. And it’s fair to argue that he’d perform even better in an offense where — unlike Oklahoma City’s — the players around him can actually shoot, giving him more spacing and driving lanes to work with.3

    The Houston Rockets, who launch more triples than any club, are one such team that could benefit from Westbrook’s ability to create looks. As such, it shouldn’t be a shock that Houston is one of the teams interested in him. But there’s also a catch — one that explains why trading Westbrook will be challenging. He makes a whole lot of money4 and is on the books for a long time, which gets into questions about how he’ll age, as a high-flying athlete without a reliable jumper (not to mention his defensive effort, which often leaves a lot to be desired). His contract surely gives potential suitors pause and creates logistical challenges, in terms of finding matching salaries to make a deal work.

    The other two clubs reportedly interested in Westbrook, the Heat and Pistons, have one star player apiece (Jimmy Butler and Blake Griffin, respectively) already and figure to find themselves stuck right in the league’s middle without more roster changes. While Westbrook might not make them bona fide title contenders, he would almost certainly provide a higher ceiling while also giving them a glimmer of hope to win a weakened East. As of now, just two of the NBA’s top 10 teams are in the East, according to FiveThirtyEight’s projection model.

    It’s easy to see how teams mired in mediocrity would consider making a play for him. But the reality of trading for Westbrook — much like Westbrook himself — is heavily complicated.
     
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  7. Furious Jam

    Furious Jam Contributing Member

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    Great idea if you're like me and hate to see Harden walk the ball up the court and pound the **** out of it until there's 5 seconds left on the shot clock. I'd rather have Russ get the rebound and push it to look for an easy shot or a kickout to a trailing shooter. If there's nothing there, then he can pull the ball back out and move it to Harden for the iso.
     
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  8. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

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    I wish someone with the tools to actually track this would do it. How many times per game? How many times every other team and players do this every game? Really wish I could get my hands on this info somehow.

    In my opinion this has become one of the most over stated complaints about Harden. People speak as if this literally what happens most of our possessions or at least a decent chunk of our possessions.

    Available stats that show how often Harden isolates per game, how long Harden holds the ball per touch, how many times he dribbles it per touch, stats that show our teams number of shot attempts with the shot clock under 5 seconds would ALL suggest that this doesn’t happen that often at all. A few times a game tops?

    And just based on watching this years playoffs, just about everyone was “guilty” of this at least a couple times a game.
     
  9. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    Rather watch Westbrook's less efficient, worse offense because at least he sweats more and plays faster!
     
    Williamson and D-rock like this.
  10. Easy

    Easy Boban Only Fan
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    You like sweaty players? You must have hated Aaron Brooks.
     
  11. lionaire

    lionaire Member

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  12. DaBeard

    DaBeard Member

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  13. thedreamsteam

    thedreamsteam Member

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    I am not a Westbrook apologist, but people acting like he sucks and didn't play a major role in the Thunder making it to 3 western conference finals and a finals appearance during his tenure are crazy. I don't particularly like his game, I don't like a lot of things about him but we are literally going nowhere this year. Do people think, as is, we are going to contend for the title this year? Have to mix it up and I don't see the line of stars waiting to join up in Houston. It sucks, but we cannot be selective and have to add top talent when we can and then try to make it work.
     
  14. glimmertwins

    glimmertwins Member

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    Ironic coming from a professional gambler - they literally do everything the most Jabroni way possible including tweeting for followers.
     
  15. Furious Jam

    Furious Jam Contributing Member

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    Come on, you can do better than that. Westbrook's superpower is acceleration, Harden's is deceleration. Westbrook is deadly in transition but poor in isolation, whereas Harden is great in isolation but rarely runs. They seem to complement each other pretty well. I think you can get the best of 7-seconds-or-less as well as Morey-ball.
     
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  16. glimmertwins

    glimmertwins Member

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    Wow - you literally have no idea what you are talking about do you? I mean I expect the hot take guys to overrate every team with a shiny new toy this year but I expect more out of random people on the internet. Stop being like those reaction bating hot take guys and use your brain for a change.
     
  17. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    Westbrook is an extremely inefficient player. Extremely inefficient.
     
  18. thedreamsteam

    thedreamsteam Member

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    lol, I do not claim to know everything but I certainly know more than you lead on. I am not going to get into a timeline of my fandom, my age or what I do or do not know about basketball. One thing is for certain, I do not post to bait people into reacting. I simply state my opinions. If you truly think we will win the title this year, as the team stands, I am happy for you bud.
     
  19. glimmertwins

    glimmertwins Member

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    Fair enough - I respect the response and sorry for the harsh reply earlier. My bad. t I agree with you that Westbrook is still much better than most people realize so it's worth a gamble if that is indeed a real possibility but I don't necessarily think that this team is going nowhere without acquiring more talent as most the hot take from forum posters suggest. I still think we are a top 3 seed in the West "as is" but to your point, it would be nice to be more than a coin flip better than the other top 4 teams or if nothing else to be better insulated from injuries.
     
    thedreamsteam likes this.
  20. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Feigen:

    The interest at this stage is more of an evaluation of whether they should take a run at him. That sort of move would go a long way toward determining the ultimate success of the James Harden era. There is a lot to consider.

    In short, Westbrook is a terrible fit, but a great player.

    There is something to be said for adding greatness, especially given the recent events in the Western Conference arms race. For all his detractors and some of the shortcomings, Westbrook remains a force of nature. Somehow, his triple-double ability has gone from overrated to under-appreciated.

    In time, it will be celebrated again. His remarkable athleticism and competitive fire would be welcome. And it should not be ignored when thinking about him with the Rockets that they are a poor rebounding team and he is a great rebounding guard.

    The fit question is very real. The Rockets believed that Chris Paul would work well with Harden because Paul was such a good catch-and-shoot threat in the years before the trade to Houston. That worked well in the first season. Though Paul did not shoot as well last season, that could be the aberration. That part of his game has a chance to age well. And with the right mix with a second unit, Paul could get back to being an elite pick-and-roll playmaker, if not the one-on-one threat he had been in his first year with the Rockets.

    Westbrook is such an explosive talent that he could make the Rockets more dangerous in a playoff series. But he and Harden are both at their best with the ball in their hands. Paul George had his best season playing next to Westbrook, but it is difficult to imagine Harden being better than, or even as sensational, as he was last season by giving up the ball. Westbrook is not the kind of shooter (and nowhere near the defender) George is if he is asked to play off the ball.

    If a deal involved moving Paul — and it would almost certainly have to be to a third team given that the Thunder appear rushing to a rebuild — the Rockets would move off Paul's hefty contract. Westbrook's deal is a season longer, but he could maintain his physical gifts well into his contract. He could extend the window of opportunity for Harden and the current group.

    There is no doubt a trade for Westbrook would be an all-in move. It would likely cost more picks from a team that has not had a first-round pick in four seasons. And if it costs more from the Rockets' returning starting five, it would be difficult to imagine them rising to the top of the loaded west.

    In a risk/reward evaluation, the risk is enormous with the chance of a championship reward possibly improved, depending on the cost, but far from probable.

    In some ways, it feels like typical Rockets, a team that has chased stars for decades.
     
    HP3, desihooper and Vivi like this.

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