There is no way Harden and Westbrook combination will work

Yea, sore quad takes weeks to overcome. When I have a significant injury in a major part of my kinetic chain, I lose nearly a minute on my mile time. Takes 4-6 weeks to recover my original conditioning/pace.

I am not discounting the possibility that a combination of CoVID-19, deconditioning, rush to return to game space, and subsequent injury played a heavy factor in Westbrook's somewhat putrid postseason.

But I hope that the team is convinced that it was only injury and coaching that kept us from beating an LA team that is a far cry from the Warriors squads that we went to battle against.

If there is a shred of doubt as to whether Westbrook works, and the right trade is available, we have to be ready to pull that trigger. We are not getting another talent like Harden any time soon - the last guy to have this sort of impact was Hakeem. Mac and Yao were blips compared to Harden. Before Hakeem, Moses Malone. Before that, did we have anybody at that MVP level? Maybe Elvin Hayes for a year?

You simply cannot replace the walking win machine that James Harden is in the short term.

 

Neither Denver nor Miami had absolute superstars before this season.

Yeah, Murray, Jokic and Butler were only 'stars', now they are somehow reborn as 'superstars' because they delivered.

I think it is possible.

People are scared of the rebuilding process I get it.

Decades of not having a Top 3 pick other than Yao did that to the fans.

Doesn't have to be this year or next but the time is nigh.

 

Idk why the blame is all on Westbrook. Even if he was healthy we would not be able to beat the lakers. We are not constructed to beat the lakers. The advantage lebron has is too overwhelming and when they go “small” they not only still dwarf us but are faster and more athletic also. We go small to have a speed advantage but don’t have one against bron and AD. There is just really no chance this roster was going to beat them unless they kept playing javale and d12 like normal.

 

I just don't know either.

 

To trade Harden? I disagree. What Dallas did with Dirk is the right thing to do, especially if he wins a ring. You cannot rewrite the Dirk narrative if they trade him after the failures. Dirk is now synonymous with success and loyalty.

We can do the same thing with Harden. We don't really owe that to Westbrook. If we got to a point in a year or two where we were hitting a brick wall, then maybe it's time to have that talk. Not next year, though.

Jokic has been in the "superstar" conversation for at least two years now. Murray is coming into his own. But Butler has had the superstar tag a long time.

 

I can't help but wonder if Covid had any effect on Westbrook.

"We’re seeing people with cognitive problems, for example; they’re just not as sharp as before the illness. They feel like they have “brain fog”—problems with memory and concentration."

https://www.berkeleywellness.com/he...s-disease/article/and-now-post-covid-syndrome

 

The easy thing to do is to make up excuses for pair that was doomed from the beginning. We knew everything about Westbrook before he became a Rocket. We knew he wasn't a three point shooter. We knew he could get triple-doubles but needed the ball a lot to do so. Westbrook never has or will be a good fit with Harden.

 

Even without covid, he would've made the same low ball IQ decisions because that's who he is and that's what he has been his whole damn career. I would drop his ass like a bad habit if they can get something, anything for him.

 

There is only one way that a D'antoni, James Harden and Russell Westbrook trio can work. Only one.
Westbrook has to develop a 3 pt shot. I mean like shoot a million 3s over the offseason. That'll get him ready.

 

Well Morey had the bright idea to put all the money into 2 guards starting back with Paul, when the winning teams over the past few years actually signed some star forwards and Centers. Small ball in a big man's league isn't working, especially when there isn't much left to recruit guys surrounding your guards.

 

Westbrook can NOT shoot threes. The remainder of Harden’s prime will be squandered with Russ. The ship is sinking.

 

I think Moreyball with the help of MDA also did transform JH into a super scorer but someone who can't move off ball very well.

It's a bummer but that harm is already done.

 

Small ball worked as skill ball.

The Centers and PFs learned to dribble and have guard skills.

That is small ball too.

 

LOL at learned to. What would have been better would have had guys who already knew how to, and at a much higher level. But, they decided to throw all the star money into 3 guards and take mid level forwards and little forward/centers.

 

Learned to as in developed from a younger age....

 

So do you like throwing the majority of the team salary on guards and having no top stars at any other position?

 

If we keep them together it will have shut Harden's window.

Russel Westbrook is a broken player, one who feasts on meaningless stats in the regular season by playing harder than most NBA players, but when other talented players turn it on in the playoffs he falls apart.

Westbrook has to go, for the Rockets to be successful they are BETTER without him than with him.

DD

 

I think it is similar to JVG making Yao a low post monster. Yao showed some great high post play making skills. And he certainly had the shooting touch to be a threat away from the basket. But he was never used anywhere else once he became great down low.

I can never really decide whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. I see merits on both sides of the argument.

 

I still think the criticism is pretty harsh. People defended the hell out of Harden when was shooting a ton of 3's to fatten his stats, even when shooting terribly almost every regular season. He also didn't do much good at playoffs more than once.

When is the last time we had one of the top 20 forwards in the league? We had a decent scoring center we gave up for who? Was it worth it? We were better with Clint, and we could have been a lot better by now if Morey hadn't traded everyone for Paul and just kept Harrell, Lou, and those guys until and a star forward or 2 became available.

 

We were actually just going to sign Paul. We did the trade because he wanted to help his old organization get things and help us clear up space to pick up his boys Luc and Tucker. Gettin paul was a great trade and it paid off... trading for Westbrook however... uhg...