Quote :

" I almost felt sorry for him for a while, because he seems like he's got a few screws loose or on the spectrum"

jesus christ

[Edited on April 25, 2018 at 10:48 AM. Reason : .]

4/25/2018 10:47:31 AM

I only feel sorry for Westbrook because his team has horrible management and does a shitty job building around one of the best talents in the league.

Obviously its tough/impossible to replace Durant. With Durant they were neck-and-neck with the Warriors in the West. Durant leaves and they replace him with Oladipo? A guy who is basically a poor/young man's Westbrook. So you get a mini-RW? Continue to not surround him with shooters? Paul George was a good get, but Melo almost makes it negligible. Corey Brewer is a good example of types of players they should be getting...but he's still on the low-end of that spectrum.

Westbrook is like Lebron in that he needs to be surrounded shooters. With him and Adams (who is great) on the floor, you have two spots on the floor with guys who won't be treated as threats from the three point line...in a league where there's mostly four and sometimes five spots with guys who are long distance threats. Thats why you see Cleveland sit Tristan Thompson when he was a main player their last three Finals runs.

On the other end...I don't feel sorry for Westbrook because he's unique in present day NBA in that he generally doesn't give a shit what people think, he's loyal, and he's not a ring chaser...going to teams at the top so he can be guaranteed a ring. Obviously he's unhappy when he loses, because he's ultra-competitive. But if you read interviews and articles (which there aren't a lot, because he doesn't talk about stuff outside of basketball), he's an extremely happy guy. He's a weird dude, but he's doing what he wants in life.

I also like to look at the replacement factor. Other than Lebron, I don't think there's a guy in the NBA who you could replace Westbrook with and make the Thunder any better. Its just really poor mix of talent (poor mix, not poor talent). Maybe they don't have a lot to work with because they're small market and didn't have a lot of assets that people wanted (again, their fault)...but the Jazz are making it work.

4/25/2018 12:08:06 PM

Andre Roberson being out has hurt them pretty bad

4/25/2018 12:40:19 PM

Quote :

"and he's not a ring chaser."

This I agree with 100%, given that he cares way more about his individual stats than he does competing for a championship on his own damn team.

The rest? Meh. Sounds like a bunch of excuses to me.

4/25/2018 12:42:51 PM

^ I don't expect you to understand the rest as it pertains to NBA basketball.

^^ I'm torn on that. Roberson is such an abysmal shooter. At the same time, since Carmelo is basically shooting like Roberson, having him in the lineup instead of Melo would be a huge upgrade on the defensive end.

4/25/2018 1:16:17 PM

Westbrook could feed a lot of homeless folks with all the damn money he spends on clothes. But, then again, I could be giving more to the less fortunate myself.

4/25/2018 1:45:33 PM

that’s deep, man

4/25/2018 1:47:58 PM

Quote :

"Westbrook could feed a lot of homeless folks with all the damn money he spends on ugly ass and outlandish clothes"

FTFY

4/25/2018 1:55:54 PM

4/25/2018 2:24:00 PM

hahahah fuck y'all worrying about what westbrook spends his money on. fuck that.

4/25/2018 3:25:29 PM

He's clearly not a team player because he wore a sweatshirt with holes in it.

4/25/2018 3:31:58 PM

i always thought they were paid to wear those clothes aa models

4/25/2018 6:53:21 PM

God everyone except lebron on the cavs are just terrible

[Edited on April 25, 2018 at 9:40 PM. Reason : edit: looks like bron sucks too]

4/25/2018 9:39:16 PM

surprised they didn't go to instant replay on that out of bounds play. it did look like it hit the baseline before it hit lebron's elbow, and possibly hit the indiana player immediately before it hit the baseline.

4/25/2018 9:42:39 PM

bron good again

4/25/2018 9:44:13 PM

laxman it looks like lebron is the greatest to ever play the game

4/25/2018 9:44:26 PM

i was young. please tell me if jordan ever did something like this and when. youtube links appreciated.

[Edited on April 25, 2018 at 10:09 PM. Reason : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSODRdzca3o]

4/25/2018 10:05:51 PM

Pelicans are sitting at home like..."these playoffs are great!"

4/25/2018 10:50:44 PM

UJustWait84 Suicide Watch ‘18???

4/26/2018 12:49:38 AM

^^it's so weird that they played 4 before other teams had played 3

4/26/2018 8:17:01 AM

Crazy comeback by OKC. It looked like Utah was coasting around mid-3rd quarter.

4/26/2018 8:28:35 AM

Down 25 with 8:30 left in the third and tied the game going into the 4th. I don't think I've ever seen that (although I'm sure Golden State has done it before).

Westbrook being Westbrook. Lebron being Lebron. Two of the best in the game. Great basketball last night.

4/26/2018 8:39:56 AM

Outstanding goaltending by LeBron. GG

4/26/2018 9:50:28 AM

Made a 3 so doesn't matter

4/26/2018 9:51:50 AM

I mean it does matter.

4/26/2018 9:54:00 AM

probably a make up call for the botched out of bounds call the previous possession

4/26/2018 9:56:33 AM

The King Reigns Supreme! Just another notch in the belt for the GOAT.

Oladipo sounding like a little bitch in the post-game. Try to shoot better than 25% in the last two games there mini-Russ and you might have some room to talk.

[Edited on April 26, 2018 at 10:11 AM. Reason : .]

4/26/2018 10:09:51 AM

Quote :

"Corey Brewer is a good example of types of players they should be getting...but he's still on the low-end of that spectrum."

If Dipo is a poor man's Russ, isn't Brewer just a poor man's Dipo? Talk about surrounding Russ with shooters then say Brewer is who they want? Rockets got rid of him bc he can't shoot. He's an energy guy.

4/26/2018 10:35:15 AM

He's shot 34% from 3 since joining the Thunder. Not lights out...but not bad...and definitely not "turn-your-back-for-a-rebound-its-Roberson-shooting" bad.

Again...he's on the low-end of the spectrum. But they need more 3 and D guys in the similar vein. Long guards who can guard at least three positions and hit an open three.

4/26/2018 10:53:56 AM

That's also close to a career high though, his career % is. 28. Also, anyway you paint it he is a worse shooter than Oladipo. Dipo shoots higher percentage in higher volume.

4/26/2018 1:08:09 PM

But Victor still needs the ball in his hands a lot to be most effective. You don't put that guy on the same floor as Russ and ask him to catch and shoot. They used him a lot last year as a go-to guy when Russ sat...but he wasn't ready for that role yet. But he transformed his body during the offseason and really embraced the challenge and has done well for the Pacers.

Again...Oladipo with the Thunder and Westbrook just wasn't a good match.

4/26/2018 1:14:02 PM

I'd agree with that but 1) Brewer is a downgrade from Dipo, even with Russ, 2) it's a knock on Russ that he can't play with another ball dominant player, lots of examples of success on other teams with 2 ball dominant players.

4/26/2018 1:40:43 PM

Quote :

" 2) it's a knock on Russ that he can't play with another ball dominant player, lots of examples of success on other teams with 2 ball dominant players."

I can't think of another example where two players with the exact same skill set and very similar levels of play (both All-Stars), worked together on the same team. Just to stop you before you start...Harden/Paul, Kobe/Shaq, Durant/Steph, and Lebron/Wade are not good examples. Lebron/Wade might be the closest, but Wade wasn't the passer Lebron was and he was starting on the decline of his career, so it worked when he ultimately gave up being the ball-dominant player (but it also doomed them in the first year when it didn't work).

And Brewer/Oladipo weren't switched for each other...so I don't know why you keep comparing the two. My earlier point was that Oladipo wasn't a good fit for OKC while players LIKE Brewer are better first (three and D...although his "three" isn't that great). Paul George is an upgrade over Oladipo...and that's a better comparison since they were actually traded for each other.


[Edited on April 26, 2018 at 1:52 PM. Reason : .]

4/26/2018 1:50:51 PM

Quote :

"UJustWait84 Suicide Watch ‘18???"

Thanks for your concern. I really had to walk myself back from the edge there, but it helped to know the my team is already in the second round with homecourt advantage. Speaking of suicide watches, what are your thoughts about Kanye's recent antics regarding 45?

4/26/2018 1:53:50 PM

it’s not defensible and has no bearing on his music

4/26/2018 2:05:01 PM

you're right. his music has been terrible for the last 8-10 years.

4/26/2018 3:18:20 PM

Quote :

"probably a make up call for the botched out of bounds call the previous possession"

my feelings too, prob why it didn't really bother me, on the other hand refs have looked a bit spotty on the limited playoff bball I've watched so far

4/26/2018 4:51:54 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtKS8YR5ioo

stop with all this "jordan-esque" nonsense

4/27/2018 2:08:35 AM

"who is more clutch" is such a silly argument

4/27/2018 7:18:28 AM

If muh Dubs had as much heart as UJustWestbrook, we'd go 98-0 every year!

4/28/2018 1:19:20 AM

L L

4/28/2018 1:46:42 AM

Westbrook has to score 50 to win with that team. George and Anthony are losers.

4/28/2018 2:17:10 AM

18/43 FGs. Maybe if he’d gotten his teammates more involved or had another triple double they would have won. Fire Billy Donovan!

4/28/2018 1:40:33 PM

Quote :

"Durant leaves and they replace him with Oladipo? A guy who is basically a poor/young man's Westbrook. So you get a mini-RW? Continue to not surround him with shooters? Paul George was a good get, but Melo almost makes it negligible. Corey Brewer is a good example of types of players they should be getting...but he's still on the low-end of that spectrum."

Quote :

"And Brewer/Oladipo weren't switched for each other...so I don't know why you keep comparing the two. My earlier point was that Oladipo wasn't a good fit for OKC while players LIKE Brewer are better first"

it seems like you are comparing Brewer and Oladipo in the first quote and in the 2nd sentence of the 2nd quote. Brewer is only a 3 and D player only if you think this outlier year will become the new norm. Hes an energy guy that gets his bread from fast breaks and dunks, much like Russ. On the other hand, Oladipo is a much better shooter and an equivalent defender. George is a fine 3andD example but Brewer isnt.

Quote :

"I can't think of another example where two players with the exact same skill set and very similar levels of play (both All-Stars), worked together on the same team. Just to stop you before you start...Harden/Paul, Kobe/Shaq, Durant/Steph, and Lebron/Wade are not good examples. "

What, Harden and Paul totally fit that bill. Both are super ball dominant guards that work in the PnR and have almost never played off the ball. Every single story before this season was "how will these similar players coexist?". Then you have Lillard/Mccollum, Lowry/Derozan, Cousins/Davis. These are all players that occupy the same place on the court, have super similar skillsets, and want/need to run the offense.

Kevin Durant should have been perfect for Russ but Russ is too ball dominant and hasnt learned the lesson that Harden/Paul are learning which is that heeding some of that control makes things easier. If you wont work with one of the best pure scorers in the game, everything after that is on you.

4/28/2018 8:26:16 PM

Paul is a little more balls dominant than Harden

4/28/2018 9:06:07 PM

Durant didn't leave because Westbrook wouldn't work with him. They worked together at a high level for years. Durant left because he is a sellout who decided to ring chase instead of work for it.

4/28/2018 9:08:02 PM

^^well played

4/28/2018 9:17:13 PM

the celtics warriors finals next year is gonna be one for the ages

4/28/2018 10:12:06 PM

Quote :

"The King Reigns Supreme! Just another notch in the belt for the GOAT. "

4/29/2018 3:52:34 PM

rockets up 27 in the first half and still crying about calls

4/29/2018 4:45:59 PM