Prediction: Paul George calls out Westy for bad crunch time decisions. Prediction: The Thunder are only scary on paper.
OKC has no spacing...Russ and PG as a duo can maybe win 50 games and get bounced in the 2nd round at best it was funny how scared some people were of them last year...Reeko not worried about them
Am I crazy for wanting to take the $2.03 Unders of OKC 49.5. Roberson out for a little bit and potentially Westbrook. Surely they don't get 50 wins right?
they're little kitties on paper and even worse on court. why the media hypes them up still baffles me. russel turtle and his non existent iq is a bad story.
Unfortunate theory: Westy has tried to be the man for so long that his explosiveness is going to take a hit. One ear says some things are "tight" and he wouldn't be surprised if West injures himself trying to do the things he doesn't need to do....like be S.Adams. Yes, P.George is there, but he can't carry a team in the West. Sure, in the East, but the NBA West is disugstingly good. You never wish injury on anyone (except Karl Malone, Draymond and my arch nemesis (another time for that story) )) but I think Westy is going to be our biggest injury of 2018. He doesn't know how to play low to the ground (ie James) and his game is built on speed. He hasn't developed a post-game for games for tired legs and those layups in traffic are going to hurt him. It reminds me of Stevie and DRose. Had either played a bit lower, safer and used explosion at the most appropriate times, their careers may have ended up differently. (especially DRose.... poor Stevie fell in love with the percs) I despise Westy's game, but I respect his relentlessness. He needs to be careful...those ankles and knees haven't had a break.
Please take no offense to this, but some of you amateur doctors have been saying this about WB ever since Beverly slammed into his knee 5 1/2 years. How long will it be before you get tired of being wrong? The Derrick Rose comparison is just silly. For the record, I can't stand the guy. IMO, he's the most selfish player in NBA history.
No offense taken, and I want to be wrong. I just recognize that with age, and how WB plays, he's a bit more vulnerable to some of those unfortunate injuries that happen to guards who go up against bigger guys countless times throughout 48 minutes. My hope is that he learns to adapt his game so that his explosiveness is used more methodically. He goes at 100 mph at all times. I think he lacks a general rhythm. I wonder if his body will always adapt to the moments of absolute-out of this earth- explosiveness. I firmly believe he'll have a longer career if he can learn how to play below the rim at some points. I know that he goes harder towards the rim when his jumpers are trash, but going for the closer shot doesn't mean you have to dunk over a big man or take the shot that's hard on your knees. Sure, I'm biased, but James has shown he can be explosive (destroying DrayGreen during the WCF) and yet, being just as effective by playing lower to the ground with some finesse. So, "tired of being wrong"? Never. I hope Westy is the guy who beats the odds of his playing style. And, like you, I despise his style of play, and even more, the few times I've met him have been less than...great.
I'd venture to say that Westbrook's days of playing at the level he's played at the last few years are probably gone. He turns 30 in November and has a lot of mileage on those legs. Doesn't mean he can't play at an all-star level for about 3-4 more years. Barring major injury, I think he'll do just that, but I'd be surprised if he's in the MVP conversation again. Dwyane Wade is a good comparison, especially with their similarity scores and reliance on athleticism. By the time Wade hit 30, Lebron was there and Wade was ready to share the load. By the time James went back to Cleveland a few years later, Wade was in decline. That's why it was so important for OKC to re-sign George...now, will Westbrook share the load and work on making his teammates better? He's got to if they're going to stay relevant in the West. Otherwise, they may be looking at opening the playoffs on the road again and another likely 1st round exit.