As much as I'm glad they're having a "down" year, their record says a lot about that team. Think about it, they could win 50 games in a year when Durant missed most of the season (and even when he DID play, he wasn't his normal self). They started the season 3-12. Since that point they have gone 39-20. That's about 54 wins over 82 games. And that's without Durant for a large chunk of it. Fuck. glad the Blazers won't be playing them (even WITH their injury issues) in the 1st round.
Which is why the criticism for Russ on this board is so unfounded. He's putting the team on his back and going to battle night in and night out. Sure he makes dumbass mistakes and tries too hard sometimes (which, btw is an amazing quality in a player), but when you consider a larger sample size, he's been MVP caliber. I'm sure this sentiment will be met with laughter and page long posts about how Westbrook is trash, but just step back, set the hate aside for a sec, and see what the guy is doing.
Although I largely agree with this I just cant but help shake my head when I watch him play because if he played the right way and more importantly at the right time he could probably be the best and most dominant player in the league. I will be curious to see how his game is when the athleticism starts to fade.
His usg% is massive. I get it. He doesn't look for his teammates enough in crunch time, and he goes head first into traffic way too often. But after LeBron, I think he's the most physically imposing player in the league, especially given his position and height. He might suck after his athleticism fades, but it certainly isn't now. I like watching OKC play more than I do HOU.
And thats why I agree with you, the talent and skills are there. So I also wonder if he had the right coach if he could take that next step to best player in the league
Really? This is a Blazer board. We're not here to sign the praises of Russel fucking Westbrook. I don't have to be logical, reasonable or right. I'm a Blazer fan first and foremost. I think Westbrook, Harden and Kobe are pure crap. That's my right. If I wanted fair discourse on a player I would go somewhere else.
I love seeing those superstars getting 50 pts or triple doubles in a loss. Those guys are like cars a few years old with a million miles on them. Team ball rules!
My biggest criticism for Russ is not how he plays without Durant, it's how he plays with him. KD is one the most prolific scorers in the history of the game, and yet time after time Westbrook, the PG of the team, fails to set him up or even deliver him the ball in crunch time. Individual success is moot when you can't bring your team together to win when it matters, especially as a PG. And it produces.
No one here fails to realize Westbrick's obvious talent and ability. We make fun of him because of his ego, stat padding, poor late game decision making, and refusal to involve capable teammates. I hope he stays exactly the way he is.
Exactly this! Could you imagine if he really became a "team player"? He would probably be the best player in the league. The fact that he doesn't see this is what makes him a total mental midget.
he actually played that way for like 2 quarters against us and they were scary good. then he played hero ball and handed us the game.
Russell Westbrook COULD be the best player in the league. For him to achieve that, however, is to stop thinking he SHOULD be the best player in the league. There's a fine line between playing like he could and playing like he should be the best player in the league. He's one of the most physically gifted athletes I have ever seen in my time. But, that all goes by the wayside when you are costing your team wins. Who gives a crap what your stats look like if your team isn't winning. See: Kevin Love in Minnesota. So, they have been 39-20 since going 3-12. That's pretty good. But when he had 3 triple doubles in a week, his team was 1-2. That's unacceptable. It's not about HOW MANY, it's about WHEN you get that HOW MANY. If you lose, your stats mean jack if it's shown that you are also the reason for your team losing. I will say this again, for yuyuza, Westbrook is one of the most physically gifted athletes I have ever seen, that doesn't make him one of the greatest players in the league by default, though. He's gotta produce when his TEAM needs it, not just when he needs it. If Russell Westbrook played within the team and stopped costing his team wins (That T against us, the obvious freezing out of more than capable teammates) I can guarantee we would take him more seriously, and THAT would be scary. A complete Westbrook would be a scary Westbrook. Unfortunately, it may be too late for that since it hasn't happened yet.
I couldn't have said it any better. Fantastic team. If that was us with our best player out like that oh man we'd be scouting draft lottery prospects right now
People have been whining about Lillard not shooting well or "not looking like himself" or poor defense... blah blah blah. They adamantly say it's not hate, it's criticism... Yet when the good posters bring up the downsides of Westbrook and back it up with stats.... It's considered hate... Even when the good posters have said multiple times..... Westbrook is extremely talented.. But he should/could be so much better... Cept he's not... He continues to make mistakes a rookie guard does. Even the media has came out and said. "At times you don't know if Westbrook is concerned about winning, or numbers." That's a very valid statement, not hate. What gets me is when people try to compare him to the greats. But that's another topic all together.
They won't win 50 games (more like 46 or 47), and even if they did, that's nothing special. Good for 8th place in the conference. Hell, even if they hadn't started 3-12 and had managed to win 54 games, that's not all that impressive. We could potentially end up with 6 teams in the West (plus 2 in the East) that win 54 games. They'll likely finish with the 12th best record in the league. Hardly a season for the ages. The MVP discussion this year should start and end with Steph Curry. Golden State is on pace to win 67 or 68 games. 68 games would put them in the top five regular seasons in the entire 65-year history of the NBA. 67 wins would be one of the top 10 regular seasons in league history. Golden State is WINNING at a historic level and Steph Curry is the best player on that team. His shooting percentages are ridiculously better than Westbrook's and he gets his points in the flow of a team game without hurting his team's chances to win. Here's some perspective for you: In spite of playing in 12 fewer games than Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook has missed 110 more shots and turned the ball over 38 more times. BNM
So, the criticism is valid, or isn't it? As I pointed out previously, Westbrook is on pace to be the first player in NBA history to have a USG% > 38 and PPG <35. At 27.6 PPG, a guy who uses up that many of his team's possessions should use them MUCH more efficiently. BNM
My (recent) criticism of Westbrook began during his "historic" streak of 4 consecutive triple-doubles. It was direct backlash against the ridiculous Russ for MVP hype that was being shoved down our throats by the media at that time, especially ESPN and that fool Mark Jackson. My criticism at the time was simple and well founded. He was shooting too much and it was costing his team wins. During that "historic" streak he also, historically, attempted more than 30 FGA in 4 consecutive games and his team went 1-3. All the triple-doubles in the world are meaningless if your team loses because you're a ballhog more concerned about your own stats than actually winning the game. I noted at the time how bad OKC's record was in games when Westbrook took over. At the time of his 4th consecutive triple-doubles, OKC was 2-6 in games when Westbrook attempted =>30 FGA and 2-7 in games where he scored =>38 points. The more Westbrook pads his stats, the less likely his team's chances of winning. That's not an MVP in my book. I also noted at the time how much better OKC would be if Westbrook would use his considerable talents and physical gifts to create more easy scoring opportunities for his teammates. He has a history of freezing out Durant in the 4th quarter of playoff games and during his "historic" stretch he was flat out freezing out EVERYONE in the 4th quarter. Since that time, he hasn't had a single game of => 30 FGA or => 38 points and his team is 8 - 4 during that stretch (his high scoring game during the last 12 games was 37 points in a loss to UTA, again the more Westbrook scores, the more OKC loses). When Westbrook plays hero ball, it hurts his team, when he involves his teammates, they have a much greater chance of winning. The problem is, he plays hero ball far too often, especially when he's playing on national TV and/or in the playoffs. That's bad for OKC, but good for everyone else. If Westbrook ever figures out the right balance of looking for his own shot vs. setting up his teammates, OKC (or whoever he's playing for) will be scary good. The question is, will his massive ego ever allow that to happen? BNM
