i am clearly paul is the better player here, at least he does not shrink under the big light like Harden, now we will add another chucker in WB, we are going to build a brick wall next year, better start rebuilding soon, Harden,WB and KD did not win a ring, and this time around is no different, they won't be able to do it
Sure, these are all valid questions, and I am not trying to dismiss the concerns others have. I am just saying OP's analysis using +/- numbers is flawed. At least on paper/as an individual player, last year's WB wasn't as bad as OP claimed. I am optimistic this will work, but no one will know for sure until it plays out. We'll see.
WB is younger and Paul appears to be on a decline that will make him the worst contract in the NBA. And that decline is when he is able to play, not to mention that he misses so many games. Other than that the reason I can get behind this deal is that Russ pushes the fastbreak and pursues rebounds and plays with energy. The Rockets always get killed on the fast break and on the boards.
Of course prime Chris Paul was the better player, but that ship sailed a few years ago. I'd prefer the CP3 from 2 years ago over Westbrook, but guess what? That guy's gone, too. And the CP3 from last year had the best opportunity he's ever had at winning a ring. If he'd put in more effort, we likely would have won another game or two along the way and had a better seeding. And if he'd played better in the Golden State series (yeah, I know, he had ONE great game), we could've won that as well. I had grown to love the guy based on his first year here and was seriously disappointed in what he gave us last year. Whatever the reason, I didn't see it getting resolved well enough to get the train back on the tracks. If it was physical, that's only gonna get worse; if it was mental, he's such a stubborn guy it's hard to imagine him being happy without getting everything his way.
The negativity in here is borderline moronic. Stop crying about something you can no longer change. Why fixate so hard when you can look at it in other ways. Is James Harden better now than Kevin Durant was 7 years ago? I’d say yes. Is Westbrook better than who he was 7 years ago? Yes. Is Eric Gordon on the same level as James Harden when he was a 6th man? Can Clint Capela give you some of what Serge Ibaka did? I think so. This team is going to be good whether you number crunch or not. The Rockets remind me of that 2012 squad.
Dwyane Wade was always an elite mid-range and post-up scorer. Westbrook isn’t. For the last two seasons, Westbrook has been awful shooting the ball anywhere from three feet and beyond. Unless Westbrook has a shooting epiphany, he’s basically a hyper-athletic Rajon Rondo.
Chris Paul was +15 in the Jazz series. Westbrook was -43 in the Thunder/Blazers series. That means the Rockets were about three points better per game than the Jazz when Chris Paul was on the court, and the Thunder were nearly nine points worse per game than the Blazers when Westbrook was on the court. The fact you are trying to spin the numbers to show that Westbrook was better is laughable.
Chris Paul feasted from so much attention given to James and then he was able to 'get his' against 2nd units and now he's superior to Westbrook because of "numbers and stuff" ?? ... how about some context? Chris Paul hasnt been schemed for defensively in how long now 5-6 years if that? He's always had other all-stars next to him to make him look elite. THATS WHAT I THOUGHT HE WAS BRINGING TO THE ROCKETS! Instead he hit us up for the supermax and then became Jeremy Lamb. Nostalgia is cool, but I need my 2nd star to actually be able to carry the game when needed and to NEVER DISAPPEAR during crunch time - that goes for James included. Westbrook will never give up, he will never stop coming at you. He is the Terminator incarnate and its what this team needed most - not "leadership". All you devout POF's could always go cheer for OKC - heard they are losing alot of their fanbase.
Yep. I just did some digging into Westbrook’s shooting splits beyond three feet for the past three seasons, and it’s not pretty. He shot 30% last year (307/1,015), 35% (413/1,176) in 2017-2018, and 36% (536/1,484) during his MVP season in 2016-2017.
What a dumb take. Chris Paul was the Clippers’ best player in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 playoffs. Teams absolutely schemed against him. He also didn’t play at a superstar level in the 2018 playoffs solely because James Harden shared the court with him and made his life easier. He was an elite player in his own right.
I didn't like Chris Paul. I didn't like the trade getting him. I HATED the contract we handed to him. I didn't change how I see him just because he wore a Rocket uni. But I rooted for him to succeed because I wanted the Rockets to win. I don't like Westbrook. I won't change how I see him just because he wears a Rocket jersey, unless he changes my view (like Austin Rivers did). But I will root for his success because I want the Rockets to win. There are players I dislike, even hate, but I respect their games because I know they help their teams win. These players include Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Durant, LeBron, Giannis, prime CP3, prime Wade, and in the past, Ginobili, Dirk, even Karl Malone and Stockton. Some of these people I hated to the gut, but I know they are great players that play winning basketball. Westbrook is the kind of guy I don't just dislike but also disrespect because I know they are good at the expense of his teams. These players include Dwight, Melo, Kyrie, and Wall. I once defended Westbrook against his haters here. I respected his fire and effort. But since I realized a couple of years ago how he chased his triple doubles at the expense of his teammates, I lost all my respect for him. I hope Westbrook does well when he is a Rocket, and maybe he will change my view on him. But I think most of the "negative" people here about this trade are like me. So don't question my fandom just because I dislike this dude even after he becomes part of my team.
Dude I have been reading this board since it was clutch city. I have seen all of the major battles. LOF's vs Harden Brooks vs Lowry DMo vs every power forward. Miss me with that nonsense.
