WOJ: BREAKING Westbrook to Houston for CP3 & Picks!!!

Which is why a BETTER Version will
Both were and will be better than the TWAC Era

Rocket River

 

Listening!

Rocket River

 

Neither of them are superstars. Butlers the much better fit. Has nothing to do with classifying either of them as a super star when neither of them are one.

 

So, we don't have anymore assets now right?

 

I don’t see how this is a desperation move. WE only really lost two first round picks for the chance to drop cp3 and gain Westbrook. Reports earlier were taking about giving up draft capital just to get out of CP3s contract and taking on dead money. We did that in this trade burn got back a future mvp. Regardless of how you feel about him our current mvp wanted him and it keeps him appeased. It’s kind of the best case scenario to prolong our window.

I wonder how much of an effect Westbrook’s kids had on him last year. For those who don’t know he was the proud father to twins in November of last year. I’m not sure if y’all all know what it’s like to raise newborns but it’s exhausting and you can imagine it would cause some slipping of his game. This tends to get overlooked in the NBA quite often. The impact newborns/fatherhood can have on someone’s training focus and desire to win at all costs would be interesting to quantify. He’ll weve seen recent examples in Tatum and Ball take dips in on court production from likely stagnation of game because they have more pressing off court matters (being a father)

 

Harden/Russel > Harden/Paul > Westbrook/PG13

Harden and Russel have been friends since their Teen years
They were suppose to goto UCLA together until Arizona came out of nowhere

Rocket River

 

The media have wasted no time

Why the Russell Westbrook-James Harden pairing is a match made of desperation
https://sports.yahoo.com/why-the-ru...is-a-match-made-of-desperation-053949878.html

 

Shump as salary matching and 2 FRP’s (20 & 22). Those are burning a hole in moreys pocket. No sense in keeping them now. He’s pot committed now having sent out the 24/26 picks and has to go all out to put the best team he can on the floor.

 

Same as before
Capela, Gordon, Tucker
2020, (2022?) firsts
MLE ($2.2M or $5.7M)
Minimum contracts

 

You have to factor supporting cast.

 

Hmm now all we need is Durant and Ibaka

 

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27173938/are-rockets-better-pressure-russ-harden-now

As discussions between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder on a blockbuster deal for Russell Westbrook grew serious Thursday, Daryl Morey, Houston's general manager, called James Harden to discuss how both stars might work together. Harden gently cut Morey off and reminded him: "I know how to play with Russ and he knows how to play with me," Morey recounted to ESPN.com late Thursday in Las Vegas.

[...]

In their years apart, Westbrook and Harden have developed such singularly relentless, controlling styles that is hard to imagine them playing any other way. It is almost hard to remember how they meshed seven and eight seasons ago. Houston is betting the two stars can remember -- that they can ease back into old habits, and blend what they are now with what they once were together.

That was Harden's message to Morey over the phone on Thursday. That was Westbrook's message in choosing the Rockets as one of his destinations -- along with the Miami Heat, who may now pursue Paul as something of a consolation prize. (The Rockets hoped to turn the deal into a three-team trade, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. That they could not do so suggests Presti might feel he can wring more for Paul by doing that deal on his own. Trading Paul could also deflate Oklahoma City's win total, and vault the Thunder higher in the 2020 draft. An under-the-radar loser here: Atlanta, who owns Oklahoma City's lottery-protected 2022 first-round pick. The Thunder are starting a deep rebuild. If that pick falls in the lottery, the Hawks get two second-rounders instead.)

Westbrook was enthusiastic about playing with Harden again, per sources familiar with the talks. That kind of buy-in matters. Both superstars will have to change for this to work, even though Mike D'Antoni will probably stagger minutes as rigidly as he did with Harden and Paul. D'Antoni's experience coaching Westbrook on Team USA boosted Houston's comfort level making this deal, sources say. The Thunder belonged to Westbrook in almost every way. The Rockets do not. Maybe that alone will spur some change in him.

[...]

The price is really the issue. Most rebuilding teams with holes at point guard -- or just lots of holes -- expressed little interest in giving up any real assets for Westbrook, sources say. That might have changed by Dec. 15, when most free agents signed this week become trade-eligible again -- and by which point some team will feel more desperate than it does today. But given the initial cool response to Westbrook's availability, the Thunder were correct to pounce early. (I have said many times I would not have given up any real assets for Westbrook. The Heat trading Goran Dragic and blah contracts for him seemed like a fair endgame. The market was indeed cool. But remember the old NBA adage: It only takes one.)

They were not going to send him to some woebegone destination. They could not treat the MVP who stayed that way. That left Miami and Houston. It is unclear if Miami was a serious-enough suitor for Houston to give up all of these draft assets.

[...]

This kind of push-and-pull infected talks between Houston and Oklahoma City on Thursday. (Talks between the Heat and Thunder had quieted by then, sources say.) The Rockets tried to coax Oklahoma City into taking Houston's 2020 first-rounder, sources say. Oklahoma City refused, and pushed for picks further out. Houston relented, and the two settled on Houston's 2024 and 2026 picks -- both with just top-four protection.

Those protections are light. Harden will turn 35 in 2024. There is more risk here for Houston than would appear warranted. But this is the summer of risk -- of teams sensing a Warriors-free window, and going all-in.

The Rockets can probably talk themselves into this by arguing that shedding Paul would have cost them one first-round pick. The other pick (plus the swaps) is the cost of the talent gap, now and over the next three seasons. Tilman Fertitta wanted a flashy shake-up. He got one.

[...]

For Houston, I'm not sure this deal ups their 2020 title chances as much as they hope -- or much at all -- unless the chemistry issues between Harden and Paul were intractable. The Rockets have downplayed those issues publicly and privately, and continued to in the wake of the Westbrook deal. That is what teams do. Capela sent Paul off with a moving Twitter tribute.

But if those issues were real to the point of dividing a potential title contender, the Rockets had to do something. The burden is on both Westbrook and Harden to prove that this trade was better for Houston's 2020 title odds than standing pat would have been.

 

We also have the TPEs to aggregate more salary for matching purposes
Shumperts bird rights
Nenes bird rights
I wonder if we also have 2021 frp since it’s a pick swap and not a lost pick.

 

Did you just say that Russel Westbrook isn't a superstar?

 

Lmao wb is a super star now. Lmfao. Gtfoh with this. So what are lillard and Mitchell. Guys who have performed much better than him and made him go fishing. I guess they’re superstars also lol


Since when does a superstar who is the worst 3 pt shooter amongst qualifiers. Inefficient. Questionable b-ball iq. Boy has superstar reached rock bottom lmao

 

Wow just woke up and heard this on the radio. What a bomb!

 

I still find it hilarious how hypocritical fans can be. After years and years of hating on Westbrook, a lot of it unwarranted personal hate, fans are now rejoicing his signing and trying to justify why he would be great here

LMAO

 

Man I really hope this works out, but no lie I'm already stressed

 

No winning is. Seeing as how Westbrook and Harden are far superior players to Mobley and Francis, we have a better chance of winning.

You cannot compare Francis and Mobley to Westbrook and harden