James Harden >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> One Year Russel Westbrook Bye Felicia. You MUST appease one of the GOATS - thats is common sense right? YOu want him here? Bring him "his" guys. You want him to bounce and leave you holding your nuts? Force WEstbrook on him and the rest of the team. Wall will provide better floor spacing and chemistry and will know his role. What is so hard to understand about that? Westbrook wanted out at all costs, he didnt report and was ready to turn it into a soap opera because he is petty like that. Keeping him because "he was the better" player was not even possible and to return an guy like Wall who could be hungry and provide more with less gives you SOMETHING. Add a 1st round pick to sweeten offers in trades and it was a "good" deal. I just wish they could have thrown in EG for Davis Bertans.
Teams make changes all the time. It really doesn't matter if Harden had any influence. It has to be frustrating to make it all the way to the conference finals, only to lose Chris Paul to a hamstring injury. If you all remember that game correctly, Paul was doing too much, and should have passed the ball on that play. It's not his fault he was injured, but with him getting older, I can see why the Rockets pulled the plug on Paul and went all in on Westbrook. Regardless of whether Harden and Westbrook are best friends, Westbrook is a former MVP who averaged a triple double two seasons in a row before the Rockets acquired him. If you don't have Paul, Westbrook is a fantastic option. Two elite superstars stuck on a team with a coach who refused to adjust, with a GM who decided to go all in on small ball. Harden gets blamed way too much. We need to all remember that Paul and Westbrook are two players who feel they're on the same par with Harden, and refuse to change their game. Westbrook is leaving because he wants to play the game his way. No one can blame Harden for that. Chris Paul was a ticking time bomb. No one expected him to do what he did with OKC. The Rockets are lucky to be able to now have Wall to pair along with Harden, regardless of how he got here, or who was here before. Harden "preferred Wall over WB" but Westbrook wanted out, so this doesn't make any sense. It just sounds like the media low key bashing Harden as usual. Harden needs to stop being passive aggressive and speak up. That's my only knock on him. It translates onto the court. He needs to stop allowing the media to control his narrative. Westbrook is hard headed. He always has been since his days in OKC. As good of a shooter as Kevin Durant is, Westbrook would refuse to pass him the ball in the clutch. Westbrook needed to go, and we should just leave it at that. It was fun while it lasted.
Comparing WB heath concerns with Wall is like comparing a small wave with a tsunami. We can pretty much rename ourselves to the Houston Hospitals with Wall and Cousins here.
100% imo. I know it’s easy for an outsider to say this because harden means so much but either sign the extension or publicly declare you’re here for the remainder of your contract (which really means nothing without an extension) or Tillman has to get serious and field all offers like now. I’m really fearful for you guys that he’s gonna pull the rug out from under you- play nice all year and then use his leverage next season. Cant let that happen! Get Philly on the horn and get serious ab moving him imo
I cannot believe a grown superstar doesn't understand that the honeymoon phase is going to end, can't be that naive. Ty Lawson's example sufficed for me to see that he is not a good evaluator of long term plans. If he were a connoisseur of big men, that would have been a completely different narrative.
we’re gonna find out Idk what level Wall will be on, but if he can provide something like 15 and 9 with above average defense then I think that will be fine as long as he’s not a shell of himself, I like him as a better fit next to Harden than Russ...there’s something to be said for not taking 20+ shots every game on trash efficiency or constantly making bad decision after bad decision...there were so many instances this past year where Russ was dribbling like he had broken fingers and his passes were so off target they were flat out embarrassing for an NBA guard...Wall plays fast, but still manages to be under control and have a plan...Russ just runs around clueless we’ll see how much Wall’s athleticism is affected tho
This is silly. Westbrook demanded a trade completely separate from James Harden. Russell Westbrook said he wanted a trade so he could “play his game” which doesn’t mesh with the Rockets style. James Harden even changed his game and gave the ball to Westbrook cat key points in the playoffs and that wasn’t enough. Westbrook doesn’t want to play with the Rockets. He didn’t report to camp. He requested a trade and had told the Rockets he would hold out. Of course Harden would rather have John Wall than THAT. Whatever, it sells for ESPN to sensationalize. Howard, Paul and Westbrook were all know as very difficult teammates and the Rockets are being in another one in John Wall... maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t ...
Honestly, this isn't true. Wall has a much worse injury history, but in the end, Westbrook cannot be anything but close to 100% and be a positive asset. While Wall has a much higher shot of being completely done for a season, Harden is better without an injured Westbrook holding him down and messing up chemistry like we saw last year. You're a Bucks fan too, I don't know why you're so negative on here now. @Nook John Wall isn't a negative teammate though. He's not a vortex (like Russ). He's not a curmudgeon (like CP3). He's not a weirdo with thousands of exotic snakes with an addiction to candy (Dwight). John Wall makes all of his teammates better. Not off the court (Russ does that) but on. CP3 is the only one of these guys I'd rather have if both were fully healthy.
Good. Westbrook didn't want to be here and if Harden wanted Wall; better chance Harden stays. This is nothing but a win. Even if Russ stays healthy, his fit is a net negative, especially during the playoffs. Even if Wall never returns to 100% he has something to prove and will be more willing to accept a secondary role
i'd like to think that his trade request was more of a threat to the rockets front office to make sure that they make some moves instead of cost-cutting. just like when kobe asked to be traded to chicago in 2007. kobe was for sure thinking about it, but you know his heart wasn't truly set on wanting to leave LA. a person 100% wanting to be traded wouldn't be actively recruiting christian wood, boogie cousins, and john wall throughout the offseason. the front office got harden all 3 of the players he personally recruited this offseason.
So we traded a toxic injury prone player who's a worse fit for an injury prone player who wants to be here and is a better fit, and got a first round pick. Sign me up!
I'm of the opinion that Wall isn't going to ever play more than 40 -45% of a season. And, he's another 40/yr guy. I would have rather seen it put into 2, maybe 3 positions of need with much less risk. The pick isn't as bad as many are making it out to be. I could see that conveyed in a few years in the 12- 15 range. Also, I wish they could have let him play some more value back into a deal. Maybe the relationship was cached so they didn't have a choice. I totally agree with you from a basketball/on the court perspective. But that's IF he can stay healthy. That's a HUGE IF, to my way of thinking.
No, Westbrook asked for a trade first and separate from Harden. Westbrook wanted to “play his game” and said he couldn’t do that in Houston.
