Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

We're exactly 50% done with the season.

I don't need to see how well he does with Davis or James.

He's awful.

His advanced stats are awful, too. He's also poor against legit competition.

Demote him to the bench or trade him.

Period.

 

Doesn't mean it shouldn't.

But politics and ego...

 

Russ needs a Melo/Dwight like humbling moment. Those two were top players at their positions once upon a time and only recently accepted their role as a role player. Dwight was able to win a championship and Melo found his way back into the league.

Problem is so much of Russ’ game is predicated on his athleticism. Dwight has the size and defensive IQ to still be effective. Melo is one of the best bucket getters. What can Russ rely on when he’s no longer the fastest, springy-est one out there?

For our sake I hope he realizes he needs go change and work on new skills because he’s damn near impossible to trade this season and just slightly easier to trade next season. (And honestly we might be stuck with him for a few more seasons if this team wants to improve, see contract extension for lower cap hit but more years).

 

Realism? You want to talk about realism? We're 21-20 and Russell hasn't worked @ any other precious stop and he's not going to change his game.

Goodness.

Realism? Look at the freaking standings. Every team deals with injuries and COVID.

Cry me a freaking river.

 

Yes, if LBJ were healthy all season, we would be better.

We probably would have won OKC twice, and I'll add another 2 victories that we probably blew, so that would put us in the top 5.

Nevertheless, by my standards, we still wouldn't be winning a ring. The goal would be just to avoid GS and Phoenix the first round and go from there, which is still quite possible.

On the Russ front? You or I don't know what Rob is thinking or what he has going on. There has been "talk" already of "covert communication between he and other teams with respect to Russ.

Sure, there may be no "trade" right now. But stuff and negotiations are always happening in the NBA, and they are FLUID.

Does anything happen this year? Probably not. Does it happen this summer? Quite possibly.

Russ doesn't work for this team. That's my opinion. And UNLESS LBJ and AD play like top 5 players, which is possible, we'll be out the second round.

 

And that's in part due to DECLINING athleticism.

 

Batman hears all, and he's taking notes.

 

What's disappointing to me is he still has enough athleticism to explode with quickness and hops and coordination to get to the rim in all kinds of impressive ways off either foot, whether the "right" foot or not, with either hand ..... and then has such a low degree of touch to lay it in when he's right there and that part should be easy.

 

It can’t be declining athleticism. He was finishing at 65% for the season at the rim just 5 games before. You don’t decline in athleticism in 5 games.

 

Maybe he’s getting tired out. He is only human, after all.

 

You guys are nuts. Russ is fine, the issue is that Nunn has been out all year and playing alongside him was the plan, so when he’s finally available, Russ will turn into All Star Beast Mode on both ends of the floor! (I’ll let you guess which particular font this text was written in).

 

That’s why I believe we have time to turn this around

 

Russ under the weather.