Is anybody really a Russell Westbrook fan?

Originally Posted by Mez 0ne

You want him to facilitate, but who else is going to score besides Harden and Durant.....

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ibaka and perk are good for a couple of put backs (they both average about 10 pts each)..

cook is good for a couple of 3s..

maynor is good for a couple of floaters or maybe a 3 or 2..

collison is good for a put back or jumper..


hell, thabo might hit a shot or 2.. dude is open all the time



this line gets used way to often.. thunder will be fine scoring wise without russ IF they had a better coach (they would still survive with brooks.. but a better coach would help)

I was a fan, not so much after last season and what he's doing this season. Like someone stated though, he originally was a SG and still needs some time to develop his PG skills.

PS- I think a Rondo for Westbrook trade would've been perfect.

I think if Westbrook just shot more efficiently there would be no issues, but he's off to an erratic start and people are quick to blow up this "tamden" quickly.

I'm sure things will settle down a bit.

You can't make a case against Westbrook then say you wanted the Thunder to get Bayless. Dude is a combo guard just as much as Westbrook is.

I like the kid, I think hes got tons of potential.
Like most have stated though he needs to grow up and let his game evolve.

His attitude could be a problem and detrimental to the team if you don't have the right coach to reing him in if he gets outta control.

I agree as well that Harden is a beast!

being a combo guard is not necessarily a bad thing. rose is a combo guard too. it's just that he's the only combo guard that figured it out so far. marbury was a headcase. ai was absolutely phenomenal in his prime but I don't think he ever truly "got it" at the end. the other combo guards are simply just not as talented to name. westbrook is talented and still in the process of "figuring it out" ... he's still young so who knows, he just might get it eventually.

I'm a fan, a big fan. I know he do well, he's just gotta figure out his role. Hopefully he will, he's a big part of my fantasy team.

hes an idiot

He's a baller .. Hop off

i have both westbrook and wall on my fantasy team
can't wait to see these 2 idiots going at it lol
can't believe i drafted both of em
ruining my whole team

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

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I'm pretty sure that he missed the second 17 footer. He had 5 points that quarter, that I remember.

Yes, you absolutely complain about his shot selection. It doesn't matter if he's wide open on those mid-range shots, the problem is, he connects on a very low%.

But what it comes down to, who do you want taking shots late in games, KD or Westbrook? There are two players who are the other two leading scorers who are SUPREMELY better perimeter shooters.

If I'm Scott Brooks, I say, "Kid, attack the basket, and if you don't have a shot, pass the goddamn ball."

His. Jumpshot. Is. Broke. Can it improve? Sure. Has it? No.

In the paint, and midrange, he's been shooting about 35-36% from both.

Until he starts showing some improvement, and taking care of the goddamn ball, I don't see what's so special about him.

I'd maybe say he's rusty because of time off, but this is the same exact team as he's had for the past few years, and he doesn't seem out of shape, it just seems like he's the same player he's been the past few years. He doesn't take care of the ball, he doesn't have any kind of versatility scoring the basketball outside of the paint, and he (along with the rest of the Thunder players) are very stagnant in half-court basketball.

That's my only problem with considering them contenders. Could they beat someone like the Mavericks in the Playoffs this year? Yeah, probably. But I don't think they'd fair too well against a team like Miami in a seven-game series.

Maybe I'm just a hater though.

Give me some of James Harden though, good God, we want to talk about talented? THAT DUDE. I hate playing against him, but he's easily one of my favorite players to watch.

That ridiculous rant you had earlier proves you're a hater in regards to Westbrook.

Originally Posted by Mez 0ne

People thinks he should shoot less, but in the end they will need his scoring, he just needs to settle down.

Guy is 23 years old man......23.

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That's the thing people need to remember. Durant, Harden, and Westbrook. Those are the only three who can score on that team. Sure the others can hit a few shots here and there, but unless you're swapping Westbrook for a more traditional PG AND a reliable inside scoring threat, I'm not of the belief that he's killing this team's chances to be successful. What kills me it's when critics act like the Thunder have been struggling with this burden and every win they get is in spite of Westbrook and every loss they get is solely his fault. The coach has a lot of blame as well, when their "plays" fail and Durant can't get open, Westbrook has no choice but to try to force and create something.

I'm a big Westbrook fan. Liked him in college, wanted him on the Knicks, and I've still been a fan since he came into the league. He's game is exciting, also frustrating at times, but I still like watching him play. I when people like OP claim you can't have knowledge of the game and still like him.. GET OVER YOURSELF. I'll be damned if someone says who I can and can't like. I'm well aware of his issues and his problems, I'm also aware he's still young and I think can still improve. And I will admit, part of what helps me be a fan is the disdain of everyone else towards him. It's the praise of Durant as perfect, and all others like Lebron and Westbrook has evil and everything wrong with the game. It seems like people really want this kid to struggle and fail, so they can point and laugh at him. I think a huge part of that is everyone loves Durant so much, so an evil combo guard with outrageous confidence and at times too much emotion will be seen as an attack on KD.

This is related to a lot of the "criticism" I've seen of players as of late. Dwight smiles too much and is never serious enough to win. Kobe makes fake intense tough guy voices and even his celebrations copy Michael. Lebron dances on the sidelines and is too Hollywood. Wade complains to the refs too much. Westbrook whines and pouts. I DON'T CARE. Maybe I used to and could find these things annoying in the past, but I don't see the point. If you can play, you can play. If you win, you win. I don't care if you're a *GASP* combo guard, I don't care if you're a tweener, I don't care if you're 7 feet tall and shoot 3's.. whatever you do to win and be successful, go for it.

If people want to try to play psychologist and claim Westbrook is too selfish and will never change, cool. Hell, you might be right and they'll trade him and then it will rain sunshine and lollipops on OKC as they win ten straight titles without him. Or he gives up some scoring and becomes a better distributor. Or he and Durant continue to win despite their "confrontations" and Westbrook's "selfish" play, and they find a way to co-exist and only keep improving. Either way, it seems like the hate for Westbrook is unfair. People are piling on their hatred of combo guards, of emotional players, or those who aren't as perfect as Durant, or their past dislike of players like Westbrook, etc. He's still a kid in my eyes, I think he improves, I like watching him play, and I hope he and Durant are successful for a long time.

I love dude's game. He just needs to calm down.

He is a freak athlete and when he takes a well balanced jump shot, it goes in most of the time. He just needs some fine tuning in his game and his attitude.

He has the best scoring machine on his team, he should use KD's double teams to get himself open and slash to the basket. His timing is off.

I would like to see him in another offense such as the lakers.

He's a great player... But he has to shape up... He will destroy the Thunder, if he doesn't change his attitude...

I think dat' boy nice


I don't respect his jumpshot though. Decision makin' is pretty bad too.

I like his game... I just think he still has to grow as a player & learn to make smarter decisions.

Originally Posted by Big J 33

Originally Posted by JapanAir21

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I'm pretty sure that he missed the second 17 footer. He had 5 points that quarter, that I remember.

Yes, you absolutely complain about his shot selection. It doesn't matter if he's wide open on those mid-range shots, the problem is, he connects on a very low%.

But what it comes down to, who do you want taking shots late in games, KD or Westbrook? There are two players who are the other two leading scorers who are SUPREMELY better perimeter shooters.

If I'm Scott Brooks, I say, "Kid, attack the basket, and if you don't have a shot, pass the goddamn ball."

His. Jumpshot. Is. Broke. Can it improve? Sure. Has it? No.

In the paint, and midrange, he's been shooting about 35-36% from both.

Until he starts showing some improvement, and taking care of the goddamn ball, I don't see what's so special about him.

I'd maybe say he's rusty because of time off, but this is the same exact team as he's had for the past few years, and he doesn't seem out of shape, it just seems like he's the same player he's been the past few years. He doesn't take care of the ball, he doesn't have any kind of versatility scoring the basketball outside of the paint, and he (along with the rest of the Thunder players) are very stagnant in half-court basketball.

That's my only problem with considering them contenders. Could they beat someone like the Mavericks in the Playoffs this year? Yeah, probably. But I don't think they'd fair too well against a team like Miami in a seven-game series.

Maybe I'm just a hater though.

Give me some of James Harden though, good God, we want to talk about talented? THAT DUDE. I hate playing against him, but he's easily one of my favorite players to watch.

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That ridiculous rant you had earlier proves you're a hater in regards to Westbrook.

Originally Posted by Mez 0ne

People thinks he should shoot less, but in the end they will need his scoring, he just needs to settle down.

Guy is 23 years old man......23.

Click to expand...

That's the thing people need to remember. Durant, Harden, and Westbrook. Those are the only three who can score on that team. Sure the others can hit a few shots here and there, but unless you're swapping Westbrook for a more traditional PG AND a reliable inside scoring threat, I'm not of the belief that he's killing this team's chances to be successful. What kills me it's when critics act like the Thunder have been struggling with this burden and every win they get is in spite of Westbrook and every loss they get is solely his fault. The coach has a lot of blame as well, when their "plays" fail and Durant can't get open, Westbrook has no choice but to try to force and create something.

I'm a big Westbrook fan. Liked him in college, wanted him on the Knicks, and I've still been a fan since he came into the league. He's game is exciting, also frustrating at times, but I still like watching him play. I when people like OP claim you can't have knowledge of the game and still like him.. GET OVER YOURSELF. I'll be damned if someone says who I can and can't like. I'm well aware of his issues and his problems, I'm also aware he's still young and I think can still improve. And I will admit, part of what helps me be a fan is the disdain of everyone else towards him. It's the praise of Durant as perfect, and all others like Lebron and Westbrook has evil and everything wrong with the game. It seems like people really want this kid to struggle and fail, so they can point and laugh at him. I think a huge part of that is everyone loves Durant so much, so an evil combo guard with outrageous confidence and at times too much emotion will be seen as an attack on KD.

This is related to a lot of the "criticism" I've seen of players as of late. Dwight smiles too much and is never serious enough to win. Kobe makes fake intense tough guy voices and even his celebrations copy Michael. Lebron dances on the sidelines and is too Hollywood. Wade complains to the refs too much. Westbrook whines and pouts. I DON'T CARE. Maybe I used to and could find these things annoying in the past, but I don't see the point. If you can play, you can play. If you win, you win. I don't care if you're a *GASP* combo guard, I don't care if you're a tweener,o I don't care if you're 7 feet tall and shoot 3's.. whatever you do to win and be successful, go for it.

If people want to try to play psychologist and claim Westbrook is too selfish and will never change, cool. Hell, you might be right and they'll trade him and then it will rain sunshine and lollipops on OKC as they win ten straight titles without him. Or he gives up some scoring and becomes a better distributor. Or he and Durant continue to win despite their "confrontations" and Westbrook's "selfish" play, and they find a way to co-exist and only keep improving. Either way, it seems like the hate for Westbrook is unfair. People are piling on their hatred of combo guards, of emotional players, or those who aren't as perfect as Durant, or their past dislike of players like Westbrook, etc. He's still a kid in my eyes, I think he improves, I like watching him play, and I hope he and Durant are successful for a long time.



This all of it. Westbrook is not hurting that team. They are fine, perfect example of how the media skews people's image. For him to come in the league as a 2 and do what he has is a compliment not a slight. He's the goods

Been a fan since his days at UCLA. I was in the building for this dunk and I nearly jump into the next row of seats when he did this. We had just sat down like a minute earlier, almost missed it. This still stands as the meanest dunk I've ever seen live and in person.


sorry, couldn't embed


And, this dunk was better, I just wasn't there for it haha. Man those UCLA teams were stacked. Wish him and Love would've stayed one more year, they would've won one more banner for us.

Russy reminds me of a little boy running around all excited, but throwing tantrums in between. A little pest.

All of his shooting percentages last season were kind of outliers, and now he's coming crashing down again. He's closer to a 40% shooter (which I'm sure he'll end up getting back to) than he is a 45%+ shooter. He was hardly above that in college, where his athleticism should have given him every reason to be much more efficient.

Whoever said his poor shot selection is overblown... LOL. And 883 turnovers in 250 games speaks for itself.

Combo guards are the worst.

1st Rose is NOT a combo guard.  Dude has been a PG forever and uses his team effectively.  He just is athletic and can score.  Nothing about his game is "combo".

Back to Russy.  In 4 games he's avg. 5.5 asst and 6.2 turnovers.....The dude is outta control.  Yes his #'s last year looked better but how is this even possible for an "all-star" PG?

For all you Westbrook fans....who does he make better?  He doesn't do anything that makes his teamates better...not setting them up to score, not being a leader, not anything.  His whole game reeks of "ME, ME, ME". 

He's lucky KD is a good dude.  Everytime the media ask KD about this headcase KD goes out his way to say something really positive and protect Russell which is what a real leader does.  Imagine if Westbrook pulled this crap with some less media savvy or kind hearted teamates. 

Originally Posted by MonStar1


1st Rose is NOT a combo guard.  Dude has been a PG forever and uses his team effectively.  He just is athletic and can score.  Nothing about his game is "combo".

Back to Russy.  In 4 games he's avg. 5.5 asst and 6.2 turnovers.....The dude is outta control.  Yes his #'s last year looked better but how is this even possible for an "all-star" PG?

For all you Westbrook fans....who does he make better?  He doesn't do anything that makes his teamates better...not setting them up to score, not being a leader, not anything.  His whole game reeks of "ME, ME, ME". 

He's lucky KD is a good dude.  Everytime the media ask KD about this headcase KD goes out his way to say something really positive and protect Russell which is what a real leader does.  Imagine if Westbrook pulled this crap with some less media savvy or kind hearted teamates. 

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Agree 100%

Originally Posted by MonStar1


I'm serious I just don't see what you can like about this guys game besides his dunks. 

I can understand if you are a Thunder fan and root for him by default.  But I don't understand how a person with a good understanding of the game could enjoy him as a player.

He has great potential due to his physical abilities and intensity but he uses those powers for evil not good.  He takes horrible shots, he drives to the hole out of control, and he turns the ball over trying to do too much.

I makes me sick to hear Derrick Rose get put in the same sentence also.  Westbrook will never be the player Derrick Rose is.  He just doesn't "get it".  Either he doesn't care and is selfish or he really thinks he's playing good basketball.  Selfish or Dumb.  Neither are attributes I want in a PG.  He doesn't bring the same mental stability every night.  Its either "oh I guess I'll play within the team" or "Man I going ham tonight IDGAF".  I'm tired of seeing dude drive into traffic and turn the ball over then yell at the refs.

Anyways lettuce discuss...

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@ the bolded.

I'm sure a bunch of people have said their reasons but I'm a RW fan. He's one of the most intense competitors in the league and he's like a freight train on the court. He plays 110% every second he's in the game, whether it's 1st quarter in the regular season or triple OT in the playoffs and he never gets tired. He's not the purest point guard but he's definitely someone you can win with. Even when he's struggling from the field, he's the type of guy who can rip off 9 points in a minute and finish it off with an and-1 on the break that ices the game.

Even though he makes bad decisions at times, I think he has the perfect personality to challenge Durant. You'll never see him play soft or mail in a game. Even when the media was trashing him, he didn't take 0 FGs just to prove a point like some other guys would've done. He didn't budge in the least and that made me more of a fan.

The last part of mgrand's post actually converted me into a RW fan. While all the criticisms in here about him are indeed true, the man plays hard every posession and for as much negative on-court attention he's recieved...he's only continued to play hard and true to his game at this point. That's a lot of character in itself and I respect that. Also, to MonStar....Rose is 100% a combo guard lol. He's been playing "PG forever" due to position title alone.

Originally Posted by gotJz

The last part of mgrand's post actually converted me into a RW fan. While all the criticisms in here about him are indeed true, the man plays hard every posession and for as much negative on-court attention he's recieved...he's only continued to play hard and true to his game at this point. That's a lot of character in itself and I respect that. Also, to MonStar....Rose is 100% a combo guard lol. He's been playing "PG forever" due to position title alone.

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what makes him a combo guard?

He's the primary ball-handler, he creates for teamates, he doesn't play off the ball....I'm confused to whats "combo" about D.Rose.  You are aware point guards are allowed to score right especially if they are the only player on their team that can create a shot.  

Delonte West, Ben Gordon, Toney Douglas, Josh Selby, Jerryd Bayless, Mo Williams...those are combo guards.  Big difference.

  

Turnover machine