Westbrook: Fragile and can't play back to backs Refuses to show up to camp because he doesn't like deferring to superior players Can't play off the ball at all because he shoots the ball like an early 90's center The worst contract in the NBA. Is complete trash even with the team bending over backwards to completely cater to him Westbrook has next to ZERO playoff success without Durant carrying him. There. Now we have a complete look at this "trade"
We traded trash for trash that at a bare minimum is not a locker room cancer that we have to adjust the entire team in order to cater to AND fits the team better than the trash we got rid of.
It would be REALLY hard to be a worse fit than Westbrook and if Wall can still hit 36% of his catch and shoot 3's like he was hitting in his last season of play, he'll be a MUCH better fit. And that's not even suggesting that he's improved over his time away from the game while working primarily on his 3 point shot....or talking about how Westbrook has just about the lowest BBIQ I've ever seen in an NBA guard.
Your argument seems to be that Westbrook is addition by subtraction. I don't argue against that. I argue that Westbrook has substantially more cache and trade value than getting back a question mark who may never play at a high level again and a protected #1. This was a shitty deal. You can make the argument that Westbrook forced it or Harden forced it. Whatever. It's still a reach AT BEST. Stone panicked.
Having to watch Westbrook and hope he had a good game in sync with the team (and not at the expense of it) became exhausting, so at a bare minimum this is addition by subtraction. Anything more is gravy.
I think getting anything at all back for Westbrook is an absolute steal. No one was going to be dumb enough to give the Rockets anything like what the Rockets were dumb enough to give the Thunder. He's the worst contract in basketball.
I'm not enamored with this trade because Russ was legitimately very good in that stretch after trading Capela until the Covid break and was hoping lighting could strike twice but I'm definitely willing to see it out. This isn't anywhere close to how bad OKC fleeced us last year in the swap of two bad contracts trade. If Wall is close to pre-injury (HUGE if) it could make some sense. Wall and Russ both rely on athleticism but Wall is a lot more skilled with his ball handling and passing than Russ and his game could age better. He's also younger. Wall has had a better history of making his teammates better than Russ has. Everyone keeps throwing around the 32% vs. 30% from 3 to make it seem like it's almost a wash in their 3P% but it's misleading. Wall has kind of been trending in the right direction as a shooter and Russ has been trending in the wrong direction. Wall has about the same number of 3PA's in his last 4 partial seasons as Russ in the last 3 seasons and Wall is shooting 33.9% while Russ is shooting 28.5%. Wall's injury/recovery concerns are obviously massive but it's not like we could have a ton of confidence that Russ will be healthy going forward and especially towards the end of his deal.
SMH. You're letting your dislike of the player and his style cloud your judgement. You'd make a bad GM.
Did I not call it a week or so ago? yes I did. I said the rockets wanted To trade Russ for Wall but also wanted a first round pick with Wall. “Call me Mystic MAC cause I predict these things” lol and while we’re at it can we get 2015-2016 Conor McGregor back in the UFC. I need some laughs and entertainment at its highest level lol.
I think people are underestimating how much Silas wants to alter the offense so they have different looks and are not be as predictable. Especially come playoffs. Even when Westbrook was here, it really only worked for 6 weeks. I mean Linsanity lasted about that long, and the league adjusted. Of course you are taking a major gamble on Wall being healthy, but you had to with the hand they currently have -- Westbrook and Harden falling out and not a lot of pieces to move, cap room to use, or fully available picks to barter. This way, either they pull it off with Wall being serviceable if not better and become a outside threat. Or it blows up in their face, Harden throws a fit and actively forces a trade, and the Rockets gun for a top 4 pick.
I think if he plays 70% of the games and stays fresh for the playoffs that Wall will be a nice fit. I'd like to see another 6' 9"+ option that can work inside and shoot the 3, but he may have to come at the deadline. Take the Kawhi Leonard Raptors approach and give the man a lot of rest days.
I think this trade helps Houston alot! It actually helps both teams out but I think houston definitely benefited. I think we are receiving a player that can be a better floor general that will make the right decision with the ball. If he can provide reliable passing that itself makes the Houston Rockets a more lethal team. Defense is the only thing I worry about. With his injuries can he still defend?
