Topic: 2019 NBA Pre-Season - page 111. (Read 921455 times)

Westbrook is a very high flying athlete, he is fast and he can jump high and he has a keen eye for rebounding as well. Well at least he used to be like that, I do not know how his body is anymore to be fair, but if he is still good enough, then I think he can command a second unit easily, he is still better than most bench players in the league, so he could just rebound and help with fast breaks and keep the second unit period under control.

But I highly doubt that he is a starting caliber player anymore, it doesn't matter which team he is on, he is not good enough to start, you should either have a better one, or a young kid with potential, nobody is as bad as westbrook as first option. So, he should probably be leading the bench to getting some points and getting scores. If he finishes the season at plus on +/- then he should be a good signing, it is not that easy but it can be done, he is good enough to make that happen if he agrees on coming off the bench again.

Correct, maybe he thought that he can stay in the league without outside shooting, because he is a very old school player and looking to pass more and scoring inside and going in the paint more. But as the league has evolved specially with Steph's leading the way with shooting from the outside and then the big man as well getting into it, Westbrook didn't go and try to improved or maybe he has attempted to, but his form is really that bad.

So it really hurt his career in the last couple of years, and then the diminishing playing time as well. Same with Carmelo Anthony, he is not that explosive and didn't have the athleticism in him, and he didn't bother to go to the gym like Lebron and others players, and once age caught up with him, it's over.

It's already given fact though, if you are athletic then sooner or later age will catch up on you and so your game is going to decline. The problem with WB is that he didn't developed that outside shooting of his, and just rely on his pure and brutal strength to go to the basket for dunk. But as he age, he might have lost his steps and his jumping abilities and he is now being challenged when he goes inside.

And compare to Lebron, he has a good shooting form as compare to WB who has not and even teams are allowing him to shot and dare him. But a 2 year contract and a huge one, still the Nuggets could have a blue print on how they will utilized WB.

For me one of the main reason why Russell Westbrook's performance hasn't improved is because of his age. As players get older, their athleticism and stamina naturally decline (except LeBron lol), which key strengths for Westbrook. I also consider Westbrook constantly changing team/mates, for sure its impacts his chemistry and consistency in his game. Frequent trades and role changes  likely made it difficult for him to adjust, preventing him from maintaining his great performance. Compared to LeBron age and Staying in one team is different story.

Sad true, with how the game works nowadays its important that you have that outside threat,  WB can drive straight to the basket though due to good adjustments of the defense he may not be able to easily penetrate and also with his age changes is now being showed up,  like you mentioned he has been traded from team to another but haven't got a ring still, let see what he can contribute this time and not to conclude his chances to win a title.

He hasn't been in his whole career.
In his whole NBA career, he is only shooting 30.4% from 3-pt range, and in the current era of NBA, that's very low. The average ones are at around the 35% and if you shoot 40%, you're considered one of the most efficient already.

His career was tarnished when the Thunder traded him, and it became worse when he went to the Lakers. After that, he became a role player, moving from one team to another right after he became the MVP, and nobody look at him as a superstar anymore. I guess having those kind of contract is good for him as he continues to rebuild his career, but now as a role player. Now that he's with the Nuggets, the whole team didn't even upgraded when it comes to threes made. Last season, they're dead last in three-point attempts and it seems like it will be the same this year.

You chose them, but there are certain conditions. That doesn't make the Timberwolves a strong team then hence, they will not win the title IMO.
Not against your opinion, but if the Timberwolves are at the level of the current Boston Celtics right now then they can get that first title, but as of now, I don't think that they can. They lost Anderson which is a good defender, and they aren't that stacked compared to the Celtics that has a very deep roster.

Just by looking at the roster of the West, I think it will be either the Mavericks, or the Thunder that will win the Western Conference, but to win the title? I'd go with the Celtics again, and this is a random pick, but I think the Knicks can also win as well if Thibs can lead a small ball line-up.

That's a fact. Westbrook could have been one of the most unstoppable PG if he worked on his mid-range and long range shots. I don't know why, but he doesn't seem to have improved it a bit. The game is evolving so as the new players. They are as explosive as Westbrook and more importantly can score anywhere. I even came to realize that a basketball player must-have is always going to be the ability to score everywhere. Without mid-range and 3 point shooting ability, you'll not getting anywhere. Westbrook got traded 5 times after he won MVP. I mean I'm starting to doubt if he's really valuable when he has been traded around and been into 4-5 teams after OKC.

I would say that any shots outside the paint are not Westbrook's strong suit, not just shots from the three-point line. Overall, in my opinion, Westbrook's best strength has always been his power layups, and when he was in his prime, not every center could stop him at that point.

Yeah, he's logged in recently so for sure that he's going to check into this thread and will change what has to be changed.

If they had kept most of these players, they're for sure going to reach that far but.....

The OP will surely update the thread title, so give him time. It should be edited once the new regular season officially starts.


The decision made by the Lakers was still wrong because they did not improve after firing Vogel. It was also a mistake to release the players who helped them win the championship, such as Howard, Rondo, McGee, Kuzma, and KCP.

I think OP needs to edit the original post as we've got the 2024 NBA champs already - the Boston Celtics.

Also, he needs to change the poll and let's see the pulse of everyone in the forum that are also into NBA to see who are they eyeing for this upcoming season.

They're good and they're able to reach that far with that young Edwards.

You've mentioned Suns, there were likely the most favored team last season before it started. They're packed with superstars and yet didn't go far so I agree to that.

While some GM's may not be valuing some coaches, I think there is a huge difference between Mike Budenholzer situation and Frank Vogel situation. Yes Frank won a title with Lakers, but it was Lakers with Lebron and AD and they were in bubble and had a great squad around them, give that squad to me this year (and ages reverted back) and I would do at least playoffs and I am not even a coach, add in a coach and bubble, suddenly you have a team that can win it, so Frank wasn't really considered the main reason for that win, he was never considered any part of that equation, people thought any coach could have done that.

The thing is that Mike was not in a team because he couldn2t find one that fits him and his requirement, he requires championship coach money, and he wants a team that could be champions as well, not some rebuilding team. So that is why he hasn't found a place yet but I am sure that he will find it eventually and he will be hired by some team for sure.

I’ve officially chosen the Minnesota Timberwolves as my pick to win the 2024-2025 NBA season. I think they may have peaked last year but Ant is certain to be better. With the right coaching I think they can get it done. As long as Giannis and Embiid get injured at some point and the Suns don’t figure out how to play together…

Westbrook was never a good three point shooter, and while he had a marvellous career at OKC, it was done as soon as he left because he was getting stat padding and friendly leadership benefits there, the moment he left it meant that nobody cared about what they can do for westbrook and only cared about what westbrook could do for them. He got famous for a moment about being mad at "westbrick" memes, and the reality is that if he doesn't want to be memed, then he should stop shooting so awful from three point line.


The exchange for getting paid tens of millions of dollars a year, maybe even near 100 million at his peak with his endorsement deals, is that if he plays awful then he will be mocked, you take that deal when you sign the contract, if you do not want to be mocked then do not do this job, it's that simple, it is not a shock to any player that when they play badly they will be mocked, this has been the case for the past fifty years, learn to live with it. He is one of the few players I truly hate, not just dislike or anything, like truly hate.

The Nuggets have been known for their depth when they won the title 2 years ago. Now? Who's the most reliable bench player that they have right now? What's worse is that, they gave a 4-year contract to somebody that doesn't have that much playing time at all. They gave Nnaji a 4-year $32M contract, but he only has an average playing time last season of 9.9 Minutes with only 3.2 PPG. You're too optimistic about them TBH, and yes they have a good starting 5, but their bench is like... MEH!!!. You see them having another shot at the title? I see them ending the regular season at the 6th-8th spot. No offense, but it's my opinion. I've seen them how they won that title, and they don't have it currently.

As for Westbrook, he averaged 11.1 PPG, 5 APG, 4.5 RPG with around 22 minutes of playing time per game. He's the best role player that the Nuggets have right now, but can they rely on him? Now in his current state? It's too early to predict, but let's see how the acquisition of Westbrook will improve their roster.

Getting the point yes indeed, Denver might have another shot for the title if they all perform well this upcoming season considering that there's no major injuries, not sure if how coach Malone will use his key players and jive the players together and be more competitive, though as we know from time to time teams from both sides are really catching up and will try their best to be more competitive, so with Denver.

Speaking about WB, not concluding yet but let see if what he can bring for them and if he can bring that help that the sqaud needs out from him.

Yes, a good relationship between management and coaches/players definitely affects the size and length of contracts. In Pop's case, it's no surprise because he's undoubtedly a legendary coach who has significantly contributed to the Spurs franchise. By the way, he's been with the Spurs for 27 seasons.
As for Spoelstra, he is definitely one of the best coaches at the moment, but in his case, luck was involved. He was an assistant coach in the 05/06 season when the Heat won their first Finals, and then he was lucky enough to lead the big trio that brought him and the Heat a couple more rings.

I remember Monty Williams, he coach the Pistons after the suns with a huge conract.
Monty Williams’ $78M Contract Impact Endures After Pistons Firing


There was a chance to win a championship with the Suns, but they really struggled against the Bucks. Actually, they were the first to score at home, starting 2-0, and then the Bucks won four consecutive games to become champions. A coach is never really safe, and their salary isn't as high compared to the players, so it's easier to replace them. There are many skilled coaches just waiting for their chance to sign as head coach. Just like Joe Mazzulla, when Ime Udoka was terminated due to an internal affair, Mazzulla got the opportunity to take the team to the finals and eventually won the championship last season.

As they say, nothing personal, just pure business.

His inconsistency is really a problem with Westbrook and I guess there's something bad happen on his mental side since maybe he can't take to much bashing and maybe that affect his total performance.

Maybe he just need to have a good role on the team and also a good atmosphere then maybe we can see a Mr triple double Westbrook. But I also think that if Nuggets cannot release a superstar Westbrook and he remain to be inconsistent even if he is in strong team now, maybe the Nuggets will be the last team he play since for sure that lots of NBA teams will avoid to sign him due to those issues he currently facing inside the court.