Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

The Lakers won the title a year ago beyond AD/Lebron with being a physically intimidating team, defensive mindset, and being an extremely high basketball IQ team.

Westbrook for his position clearly fits the first one but he just makes a lot of dumb mistakes particularly in crunch time on both offense and defense. I hope the rest of the roster works out particularly AC and THT (who just has so much potential) but right now they have no shooting, no depth and as noted gone away from the defense and really smart team approach

Overall, I think it's a great regular season move as you should be able to reduce Lebron's minutes and Westbrook's usage will help thru the dog days of the long season but I just don't know what happens in the 4th quarter against some playoff teams that will just sag the s*** off Westbrook (Beal was hurt but Washington just had nothing on offense in last year playoffs against the 76ers just sat 5 feet from Westbrook). It will help with the non Lebron minutes in the playoffs

The question remains after years of watching Westbrook with how many stars he's played with? (Durant, Harden times 2, PG, Beal) you just can't trust him in crunch time not to do something stupid like a pullup jumper. So you go back to LeIso and the way I could see it work and actually have a lot of potential would be Westbrook essentially playing C like Bruce Brown does for the Nets. The great thing with AD is that it works with his skillset and if you have Westbrook setting picks for James and rolling to the rim you have a guy who has to account for even with a faulty jumper. Russ can exploit the mismatch if they switch a big, grab an offensive board/loose ball, finish lobs/assists of James and generally use that high motor/freak athleticism and you minimize the poor decision making. If Pelinka can add more shooters around the Big 3, that could be a very very difficult to defend if and if it's a big if Russ can stop always trying to be this high usage, low efficiency player and concentrate on his considerable strengths

 

Leave it to Cookie to outsmart all of us.

 

Where have all our Game Time Gripers been through these past several weeks?

 

That would be awesome

 

I think Russ' worst decision is better than JR Smith's best. Russ as a third option is exciting. Bron will be the decision maker in the 4th. Russ will keep him fresh for that moment. When have two walking triple doubles teamed up? I loved watching Bron and KCP play the passing lanes, which resulted in turnovers and fast breaks. While KCP is a much better individual defender, I can't wait to see the havoc that Bron and Russ cause in the passing lanes.

I stand by the old saying, the best ability is availability. Whatever it takes to get Bron and AD to the post season as close to 100% as possible.

If we entered the playoffs today, sure there would be issues BUT I think we'll have a good free agency giving us some spacing options.

Piggybacking off what you said, I think Russ' value to this team skyrockets when Bron sits. Our offense died when Bron sat this year. Russ will push it, get the ball to AD, and run some P&R action. DS failed at all 3 this year.

I don't think you even necessarily have to define it. You have 3 superstars on the court who can each play 2 positions. Vogel has more versatility than any other coach in the league.

Bron and Russ can both QB the full court pass. Like I said, I think Bron is the decision maker in the clutch. I also think Rob will have a cakewalk on free agency. Our first calls are the guys to round out the roster. At the most, the Bucks are the only other team who's calling ring chasers when free agency opens. We should have our pick of the litter.

 

I'm hoping for a reverse Laker shooter's curse. a bad shooter turning into a decent one, Brodie's one of the best in the game he'll figure it out

 

It honestly terrifies me trying to depend on Russ in the clutch: he is just not good in either his defensive rotations (gets lost all time or tries to makes steal instead of sticking with his man) and on offense well I think we just saw that Lakers fans were cheering when he decided to a pull jumper in the playoffs: which he does over and over again.

Westbrook is a clearly talented player but the trick with him is that he isn't a versatile player in the playoffs: I completely agree there is no way you would take the ball of out of Lebron (one of highest efficiency players in NBA hx) for one of the lowest relative to usage in Westbrook. Yet if you take him off the ball, his shooting becomes a problem as teams sag off of him. This is the conundrum if you're going to play Westbrook in the 4th quarter it actually limits what you can do. But if you have enough shooting and use him correct the limits in terms of what lineups/play may not matter as long as the stuff you run is very effective. That will be key to this season (as I was saying that means either you use Westbrook as the screener ala Bruce Brown or you go 5 out and have Westbrook attack off the dribble and pray he gets in his head not to do dumb s*** and it should work out well)

OBTW JR is a knucklehead who'll go down in history for that Finals plays being one of the dumbest in NBA history. That being said 2 years before he went toe to toe with Klay Thomspon and was a huge piece of the title against the Warriors: he changed his game to fit what the Cavs needed, let's hope Westbrook can do the same

 

Still hate it.

Remember the playoffs in the bubble? With Westbrook and Eric Gordon on the court and we defended with a box and 1, with the focus on Eric Gordon! We dared Westbrook to do something and he did plenty of things which worked to our benefit.

Westbrook made bad decision after bad decision, and then Rondo's brother completely took him out of the game by heckling him on the sideline.

Russel is mentally weak. He can't shoot. He's a stat padder. He's not clutch. His athleticism has severely declined. His bball IQ is atrocious. And he eats up $44 million in salary.

I hate this almost as much as I hated the Mozgov signing. As much as Sam Perkins getting traded for Benoit Benjamin. OK he's intense, but what good is that if your skills are lacking and your athleticism is declining?

I don't understand the excitement about this trade. This isn't 10 years ago. We're going to regret this, and I know I'll be screaming at the TV all year, and my liver will suffer greatly.

 

This has been the most surprising thing about this trade: Laker fans completely forgetting how the Lakers just made his life miserable. Dare him to shoot and he's been exposed over and over again

 

To those who don't like this, This is the Los Angeles Lakers. They swing for the fence. Adding buddy wouldn't have made the Lakers the NBA favorites.
Lakers/Lebron badly needed someone who can handle the ball and create. MORE than shooting. Lebron is aging, it was visible last year. He's human.
If the Lakers can resign THT/Caruso and a couple good shooters they will be fine. Shooting is important, but sometimes sheer talent and will gets it done.

 

I can't wait to pay good money to watch this declining athleticism run the floor with Bron and AD in Staples next year.

 

Where was that athleticism in the bubble?

One play means nothing. He can't do that the whole game anymore.

 

Apparently he was playing through a leg injury

 

Great players have a way of working things out. This is not a perfect crew for Lebron and AD but it *might* be just good enough if they all hit an adequate amount of 3s. We need to sign as many shooters as possible

 

I'm stoked, I know he may not be the best fit but I've wanted Russ on my Lakies for his whole career. I've watched him since high school and I know he's extremely happy right now, and will put in the work to fit in and make this team successful

 

I do that diet, modified. I call it the Dudley Dangerfield Diet.

 

I agree, I laughed every time we coaxed him into a 3. Then when Rajon's bro, The Barber, got involved... that was hilarious. But I chalk that up to seeing Beard, MDA, and a 6-7 centers fail.

We have one of the greatest offensive minds in Bron and the best defensive coach in the league with Vogel. If they can figure out how to take Russ out of the game, I have no doubt that these champions know how to put him back in.

I don't know how you can average a triple double and not be versatile.

You have to play him... an and-1 is worth as much as a 3. I think Marc/AD/Bron/Russ + 1 shooter at SF/SG/PG is enough to be a
nightmare for everyone else.

I don't see any mental weakness. I see confidence, forcible will, and determination. I don't think his athletic abilities have dropped. Bball IQ...I see teammates equally culpable.

 

Mag called Westbrook the most electric player in one of his tweets. Hahahahhahahahha. You just can't write this stuff unless you're Mag.