[ClutchFans] The Rockets sacrifice their future to get Russell Westbrook

Well, the good thing is, Capela and PJ will finally learn to box out.

 

Clutch,

I'm an old school Rocket's fan since '86, and normally agree with all your takes. But I have to respectfully disagree with this one. The championship window with Harden and Paul was shut. Granted, we could have run it back this year with the same squad and made a little noise, but with the West totally reloaded, we had to make a move to be legit contenders. I'm not saying this was the most ideal move, or the best pairing of superstars, but it's the one we could make. I'd rather pay Russ the rest of his contract than to pay Paul the rest of his. CP3's decline has already started, and even with him relatively healthy this year, we still couldn't get over the playoff hump.
We won't face the Warriors juggernaut this year that has cursed us, but with all the other superteam pairings in the West, simply running it back with CP3/Harden was not going to match up. Something needed to change.
I will agree that trying to fit Russ and Harden's styles together will be a challenge, but the same was thought about CP3 and James as well. Granted, CP3 is a much more willing and natural point guard than Westbrook, but I think they'll figure it out.
The main positive I see out of this is: now we truly have another "bucket getter" on the team. I can't tell you how many times in the playoffs I watched our team and just yelled "for the love of God can someone OTHER than James create their own dang shot!?!" Even CP3 greatly struggled to generate his own offense at times. I really think that (if he's open to it) James can allow some of the pressure to be taken off him to generate buckets for everyone else. I love the idea of Russ driving to the hoop and drawing defenders, kicking it out for wide open 3s.
So yeah....a lot has to be figured out between now and the start of the season. Playing style, lineups, James and Russ both learning how to truly share the rock, etc. But I think the Rox are in a better place than we were at the start of last season.

 

Actually, with the injuries etc, and the turmoil I thought running it back as is.....was the way to go.

DD

 

Good stuff and well written, as always, @Clutch.

That said, I disagree with your conclusion. We were “championship or bust” the moment we acquired CP3, let alone gave him that ginormous contract extension.

This trade doesn’t change those expectations. We did get younger and healthier, though, with swapping Russ for CP3. These 82 game seasons are looooooong. Russ’ ability to give us a full season is going to be crucial.

Everything else, though, I agree with. It’s an odd fit, his game isn’t going to age well and Westbrook’s addition is going to affect the way we finish rounding out this newly reinvented squad. DM still has a lot of work to do.

 

Harden wanted this

So if this trade sucks, and it probably does, then blame him.

I don't think Westbroom is bad, but it's a bad fit. Now we have two terrible defensive guards and they play very different on offense (neither moves without the ball).

Don't know how the defense can be top 10, but I think the offense should still be good with staggering and enough sharing

 

The b****ing and moaning on this site has reached Chernobyl levels.

 

Article is 100% spot-on. Give me an aging CP3 over Westbrook any day of the week. Westbrook's game is going to fall off of a cliff.

You ABSOLUTELY stand pat instead of doing this. I prefer a team that has a better chance of winning basketball games vs. a sideshow attraction. Adding a talented wing and a back-up big to CP3/Harden would've been the way to go.

 

if by the all star week Harden/Russ pairing not doing too well, would you consider a Westbrook for Beal trade?

 

This article would be spot on if Chris Paul was still Chris Paul.

Dude can only play 60 games a year and was clearly declining last year. Is he magically going to get better?

I think Clutch has been clouded by emotion on this one, he's been a Westbrook hater for so long it's difficult for him to see any positives about having him on the Rockets, and he's massively overrated 2019 Chris Paul.

 

So you don’t love your dog? Kidding.

Thank you @Clutch for the piece.

I’m so torn...

The things I don’t like about Russ and his game are as follows:
inefficiency, poor shooter, low bbiq and makes critical errors in big moments.

Things I like about Russ and his game:
Fire and energy (the Rockets sorely lacked this last year) rebounding ability, willing passer, ability to get out and run in transition and the way he attacks the rim.

Is Chris Paul a better all around player? Yes, no question. Is Paul a better player today? I think it’s debatable.

Listening to former players today and seeing how they say Paul is not a true leader on the court and locker room is very telling. I’m hearing guys that have played with both that say Paul wears on you very heavily and it happens fast. Paul isn’t the player he once was and I feel like he isn’t willing to defer as much as he should. I think it was time to move on from Paul unfortunately.

For those who feel Harden needed CP3 to be there pushing him and holding him accountable...maybe. Harden does need that, but not from a guy who can’t do it anymore. If Harden loses respect for you then it’s just not going to work. I’m trying to think positively here...Maybe Russ with his energy can be the positive force and motivation that Harden needs. Still, yet to be seen.

I don’t like giving up the picks that the Rockets gave up. I think it will be incredibly difficult to improve this team if it’s not done this year or next. The picks in 24/26 could be very good and I feel like the organization may need them.

I have no doubt that Harden and Russ can and will coexist. I think we will see some exciting basketball. I’m just not 100% sure we will see winning basketball, but of course I’m hopeful. My biggest fears moving forward are Russ’s inefficiency, his health and his athleticism moving forward. If Russ and Harden stay healthy the next few years, I think the Rockets will be just fine. That said is just fine a championship? Damn, I hope so.

It’s going to be tough initially to see and root for Russ in a Rockets uniform, but if I can root for Rivers, well, enough said.

Last thing, I feel Morey’s time here is limited and quite frankly I think it will be a big mistake if Tilman feels the same way. I think Morey has NEVER been able to build a team the way he wants to and I’d love to see him get tat opportunity here in the future.

I have a very bad feeling that Tilman will not be the owner that we all want. Guess time will tell.

 

For me it’s not about the move. I’m not too worried about the player swap. I can live with it. I have more hope that it will work than I thought would.

My concern more than anything at this very moment is that Tilman will run this franchise into the ground. Hoping he doesn’t feel he’s the smartest guy in the room, because he’s not. I don’t care what he’s done in business, this is a different animal altogether.

Hope that TF really values Morey and understands that if used properly and he continues to give Morey the necessary resources to be successful that this organization will continue to be a very good to great.

 

Yeah. Capela and PJ got all those rebounds and rebounding wasn’t a major issue last year. NOT

 

"Imagine if Corey Brewer thought he was Steph Curry and you’ve got Russell Westbrook in a nutshell from three-point range."

lol

 

First off, you do a great job with the podcast and all that. There is no doubt you want the best for the team.

The three point shooting numbers are a concern. I just look at this situation and think, why not? It’s not like we didn’t owe incredible sums of money to CP3 anyway, and WB is a younger, better player. I mean, CP3 couldn’t break me down off the dribble last year! I am envisioning the Rockets running the exact same system as last year (or close to it). If I assume that, then I start thinking about how certain situations would look from last year if you substitute WB for CP. I imagine how scary it is going to look to have WB destroying second units, or having him exploit 4v4 or 4v3 when they trap James. It seems like he could do some serious damage without even taking a jump shot. The shooting numbers are definitely concerning. The one thing we can all agree on though, is that James has never had a true elite threat next to him. Even at Paul’s best there are things WB could do that he couldn’t.

It seems like if it doesn’t work out over the next few years, the Rockets will probably take some dynamite to the whole thing anyway, so why not take a big risk now to try and give James some legitimate help?

That’s where I’m coming from.

 

Harden didn't want to play with Chris Paul any more. That's the long and the short of it. Morey/Tilman/Tilman's son simply made lemonade out of lemons. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

LOL
Kind of Accurate

Rocket River

 

I agree with everything you said. I’m just so hyped about this coming season and the newfound parity in the league that I’m pushing off any reservations I have about Tilman at the moment. Who knows, maybe it’s a good thing he gave Morey a nudge to make a move. I don’t want it to become a habit because I think Morey has proven he knows what he’s doing. I’m an avid Morey supporter, and I don’t claim to know what happens behind the scenes, but I do think it’s ok to make a move every now and then based on your gut and not statistical analysis. Time will tell whether or not he’s a help or a hindrance but for now I’m extremely excited about the upcoming season.

 

It's better than having to take on Wiggins. There weren't many other options.

 

basically what @Clutch was trying to say in the article, albeit more eloquently, was... does russ even lift doe?