Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaybee
I'm pretty sure that Westbrook gets moved by Dec 15, when all the guys that signed new contracts this summer are eligible for trade. If the right partner is available, then before the season. Westbrook isn't really in for a full rebuild, and Presti wants to a) get out of the tax and b) get on with the rebuild. This is a mutually desirable transaction - get Russ on a competitive team and let the Thunder move forward, something they couldn't do with Russ and that contract in the way.
That contract is... whoa... but I still think there are a few options available, and there will be teams willing to go for it since the league is so open and uncertain now. Riley probably wants to make one more big splash in Miami before he retires. Butler and Westbrook are a weird fit, but whatever. The Pistons are another decent option, pairing Blake and Russ probably moves them from 8 seed to 4 or 5 seed. I think it's also a mistake to believe that just because Russ is a below average shooter and tends to force things and can be spacy on defense, that he is a bad player. He is an overpriced player, but he's still one of the 4 or 5 guys in the league that can be an offense all by himself. Elite passer, one of the best rebounding guards ever. He's got on-court value.
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Just don't expect to win a playoff series with him as your #1 guy. The Blazers dared him to shoot and he shot OKC straight outta that series. Both the numbers and the eyeball test from last year show his legs are starting to go, and it isn't as if his game could be described in any way as "crafty." How will he handle no longer being the best player on a team anymore, because that's coming sooner rather than later.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching Westbrook, but this just screams ending like Carmelo Anthony did. Bouncing around the league and trying to find a fit, but unable to adjust to a post-Father Time world.