Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

LOLOL …. at the comments. Some are hard realistic but more are it’s the team and now Jokic’s fault for them not using him properly. IE letting Russ cook. Letting Russ be Russ. Teams of course don’t defend him outside and it’s effing up all the spacing. The missing layups, the whole Russ experience.

 

Yea, man! We all assess other teams - esp. ones in the West 'cuz the Lakers are competing more with them - as being better due to adjustments, adding players who are good... and, sometimes, losing bad players, although this is rare, because bad players don't last. But one of them does. Fer crissakes: Why?

Here's one guy: makes the Clippers better (probably) for him being gone; the same dude makes the Nugs worse by being on their team. RARELY do we see this kinda thing. He mos def made us worse. Brick w/Rockets and Wizards? Does it matter?

What will leave me wondering: Brick and making Oscar Robertson's averaging a triple-dub for a season look like a deceptive stat: I grew up thinking this was an AMAZING stat: Big O averaged a triple-dub for a season, yo! Totally bad-a**. Everyone agreed. It was almost like hitting safely in 56 straight games or something like that. But then Brick comes along and does the trip-dub avg in FOUR different seasons. And never won a ring. Takes all the shine off Oscar's pants. Big O didn't deserve Brick tarnishing his rep.

Brick won the scoring title TWICE. He led the league in assists 3x. He won 2 MVPs. It sure seems like he'd decline, slowly, and coast into the HoF. But there was a drastic drop-off at some point. Why? Or, more weirdly: he was never all that great, but a sort of anomalous player who could indeed fill up the stat sheets, but didn't make his teams better, which is an all-time WTF? idea for me.

I mean: I remember Jason Kidd being a 10/11/13 guy...and he seemed to make his teams better. He never averaged a t-dub for a season, but he was that kinda guy. 12/6/8 for his career. Lots of t-dubs. Close to a ring, but a certain team led by Shaq and Kobe said maybe next year, Kidd-o.

First, I wonder what happened, on the deepest levels, to Russ. He showed a maddening lack of self-knowledge with us. Was he always like that? Maybe he was always a prick? I don't know. I remember that story of his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs, who collapsed and died on the court. That doesn't explain anything for me. But maybe it should? I don't see how.

Second: what other stats in pro sports seem totally amazing but maybe aren't?

The Brick Enigma - as this all shall henceforth come to be known as - is something to ponder. He filled up the stat sheet...and we didn't win! Then: we remember how "good" this guy was, so let's get him and see if WE can avoid "mismanaging" him: that has proven to be nothin' but a fast train to Loserville. WTF? How long before all 30 teams say, Naw...naw: pass!? The scout who said "he needs to retire" sometime over the past 48 hours wanted to remain anonymous. I would think the next people will be non-anon. Then it's only a matter of time...and...playing in China? Indonesia? I suddenly hear the theme "music" to 60 Minutes...It's comin' for Brick...

Some reporter at some point in the future will write the definitive post-mortem of Brick and his career. I hope. 'Cuz I confess I feel a long way away from cracking the Brick Enigma.

 

I don’t care THAT much. Just glad he’s not here. If he can implode our competition at the same time? Even better.

 

Shane Young
@YoungNBA
Russell Westbrook is now 11/45 from the field to begin this season.

That's 24.4%, by far the worst in the NBA with at least 40 shot attempts.

Nuggets are -51 with him on the floor.

 

Pretty sure its really Jokic's and Murray's faul.

 

I’m told +/- is an unreliable stat. I’m sure he’s fine. Let Russ be Russ.

 

He's still got it


He did manage to scare the living s*** out of Gobert, so that's something

 

meh, maybe he only got up for OKC. I don't see it lasting. You don't throw up those stat lines along with one good game and say it's better. No way!