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OKC Thunder trade Russell Westbrook to Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and a bunch of picks
- Thread starter jbug617
- Start date
I think this was a no-brainer move for the Rockets. They not only get rid of Paul who was old and not getting along with Harden, but they pick up a superstar player in Russ who has history with Harden.
Given the circumstances, I can't see a situation turning out better for them. Getting out of the Paul contract for a guy who was 34 is a coup.
Given the circumstances, I can't see a situation turning out better for them. Getting out of the Paul contract for a guy who was 34 is a coup.
They're going to wish they had those picks back when they get bounced in the 1st round instead of 2nd round completing the a 3 year regression
I feel like they made their decision way back when they traded Harden in the first place instead of just giving him a max contract and keeping that young finals team together. They didn't even wait to see if he would have took less than the max, iirc. That was such an exciting team.
You have Harden right now, when you have a superstar, you have to go for it, hoarding a bunch of picks that might play for 5-6 years down the line isn't going to help you that much.
This is crazy. I didn't get a Woj bomb on my phone, and thought my co-worker was joking when he said Russ to Houston.
What is fuckery ball, WHAT THE FUCK
What is fuckery ball, WHAT THE FUCK
I would take Paul for the next 3 years over Wiggins for the next 4 (at the money each are making) every day of the week. Paul is on a clear decline but he's a better player, and it's not really close. Andrew Wiggins is a fucking scrub.
I don't think this makes
Kawhi did the Thunder a favor.
They were a stupidly expense first round exit team. Ownership wanted to cut salary, but felt public pressure to compete as they had 2 'stars'
Now they can save themselves a ton of money and get a lot of assets to hopefully rebuild to an actual potential championship roster.
Kawhi did the Thunder a favor.
They were a stupidly expense first round exit team. Ownership wanted to cut salary, but felt public pressure to compete as they had 2 'stars'
Now they can save themselves a ton of money and get a lot of assets to hopefully rebuild to an actual potential championship roster.
They didn't even need to max harden, which is crazy in hindsight. The difference between hardens circle and the Thunder was something like 4 million. OKC ownership just didn't want to go into the luxury tax paying that.
So many teams can at least contend this year though. Its a fucking dream come true.
Kawhi isn't particularly a favorite player of mine. But the man is at least 50% responsible for the most parity we have seen in a long ass fucking time. This season is gonna be pretty fucking crazy. There's no way to say who will win it this year honestly.
Kawhi isn't particularly a favorite player of mine. But the man is at least 50% responsible for the most parity we have seen in a long ass fucking time. This season is gonna be pretty fucking crazy. There's no way to say who will win it this year honestly.
OKC is in no rush. They are in a clear rebuild. Why stretch Paul and extend his cap hit 6-9 years down the line?
CP3 is the one that would want a buyout, but if you are 34 years old and probably never seeing another big pay day again, are you settling for $50 million of your $120 million left on your deal?
Fuck Morey! Why did you have to do this man? Not only did you inherit a worse contract, but also possibly killed the chemistry of a team that was a championship contender. This reeks of desperation after getting shown up by Pat Riley. And finally, you are making me cheer for a team that now has Westbrick on it. Fuck you Morey. Yes, I'm pissed.
That was the most cheapest and ridiculous move I can remember in recent NBA history. And it really skeeves me out when franchises don't keep finals teams together.
Damn, Morey really has some big balls.
As a Rockets fan, not sure how it's going to work out, but it should be fun to watch it succeed or fail miserably.
ISO ball v3.0 incoming. Looking forward to a lot of dribbling and bad rushed shots next season. Should be fun watching the collective nba fans hate the Rockets even more.
As a Rockets fan, not sure how it's going to work out, but it should be fun to watch it succeed or fail miserably.
ISO ball v3.0 incoming. Looking forward to a lot of dribbling and bad rushed shots next season. Should be fun watching the collective nba fans hate the Rockets even more.
Wow this is the first former MVP the Rockets have acquired since Charles Barkley. That worked out well...
There's a limit to the amount of salary you're allowed to stretch and CP3 makes well above it.
No-brainer is too early to say. Let's just wait until we see how Harden and Westbrook's games mesh (if they mesh at all). The problem is that you have two iso-heavy guards, with the risk of Westbrook's shooting being worse and his knees having gone through so many surgeries is a legit concern. At least Westbrook can get you more assists, especially when you have a guy like Clint Capela and PJ Tucker that he can feed (better than teammates in OKC save for Paul George). But the scoring is what is concerning.
Westbrook better get used to not averaging triple doubles, and expanding his game further.
Charles played his ass off and sacrificed his touches to make the team better. If it were not for Malone grabbing, with both hands mind you, Barkley on that Stockton 3....I have a feeling we would have been playing Mike in the finals. And I'm not even going to talk about that fucking bum Pippen.
Given the situation, given how hard it would be to move Paul, given that Harden and Westbrook are former teammates ... you have to do this deal if its on the table.
You're not getting anyone better back, while still maintaining a window in which you can go for it.
I'm pretty sure they talked to Harden before doing this.
There was no way Houston at this point was getting any kind of better situation than this.
Chris Paul was regularly maxed, so it's not like that changes a huge amount for the Houston Rockets salary wise.
How long before CP3 gets into a fight with members of his never-playoff team?
This.
They're in the exact same situation this season they were before trading Paul. In fact, arguably worse.
Except with this trade they paid a million first round picks for the privilege of slightly remodeling their hamster wheel.
lol I remember Pippen's brief stint in Houston. That was the weirdest thing...
It's hilarious how much Kawhi totally flipped the Western Conference. Goes to Clipperland and engineers a deal to bring George there with him, then that forces OKC to deal Westbrook to team with Harden in Houston, lol.
He's got that commercial money. He'll be fine and doesn't have to fake injuries during finals.
Idt it's forced. I think OKC realized, "wait, why the hell are we paying luxury tax penalties for a team whose ceiling appears to be maxed at 1st round exit?", and realized that it was time to move on and consider rebuilding.
Especially considering they had all the leverage in the world when PG13 wanted out. Keep in mind, there were tons of reports saying that ownership wanted to stop paying taxes.
You might as well trade Harden if that was the mindset then because he was gonna want out sooner than later in the existing scenario.
By pulling this off, they get rid of the Paul problem and his aging ass contract for a better player who's younger and a legit MVP type talent.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sharing the basketball and all that ... but there's 100-110 points to go around each night, they can both get theirs especially in a D'Antoni run n' gun offence.
put 2 ball hogs on the court at the same time so their combined egos neutralize the opposition
this is next level, you people won't get it
this is next level, you people won't get it
Based on his recent play, Westbrook is absolutely NOT a "legit MVP type talent". His shooting and efficiency are horrendous. His defense is nonexistent. He's He can't play off the ball, and is going to an offense that revolves around James Harden playing ISO. He's probably at the start of a decline, on the wrong side of 30, and is a guy that relies heavily on his athleticism and physical ability. This was a desperation move, not some clear upgrade.
You don't have to trade Harden. You could maybe try and move Paul + filler to a team looking for a "star" player to try and get some flexibility and pieces around Harden that work better with his style of play. Not an easy feat, no doubt, but better than Morey's desperate attempt to just add any superstar that he can find.
ha, i love that morey keeps things interesting
on the other hand, by that point westbrook will be the same age CP3 is right now.
might work, might be a train wreck, will be entertaining one way or another
I just.. knew you were wrong but:
The fuck.. when. How did I miss that.
on the other hand, by that point westbrook will be the same age CP3 is right now.
might work, might be a train wreck, will be entertaining one way or another
They might as well have traded Harden, that would have been better than what they just did.
Absolutely hate this move for the Rockets. Absolutely hate it. It's terrible. That team is going nowhere and they now have nothing to look forward to years down the line.