An early exit for the OKC Thunder has brought along plenty of criticism of the franchise, and more specifically, Russell Westbrook.
With media members like Colin Cowherd leading the way, critics claim the best thing GM Sam Presti can do is trade Russell Westbrook and begin tanking.
Maybe the most difficult thing for general managers in the NBA to do is land a five-star player.
There’s only a select few out there, and once they are acquired, it can be difficult to retain them. Especially for small market teams like Oklahoma City.
According to NBA writer Zach Lowe, there’s some talk within the league about trading Westbrook.
Most noteworthy, Trading Russell Westbrook would create a quite a butterfly effect. First and foremost, it would break the hearts of most Thunder fans. As anyone who has ever been to a game can attest, Westbrook is a fan favorite. Oklahoma City is his city and breaking that up would turn the fans against Presti.
Beyond that, it would almost certainly ensure the Thunder would begin tanking. And even if they tank for a high lottery pick, that doesn’t always translate into success. We could only hope that the picks or players acquired from the trade would pan out to be anywhere near Westbrook’s ability.
Related: The James Harden trade: Five years later
Case in point, the results of trading James Harden didn’t produce equivalent value. The players returning were Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks, and a second round pick. Those picks did net Steven Adams and Alex Abrines which cannot be discounted, but not much else.
Even for the most staunch Westbrook haters, it’s hard to knock Russ’ athleticism and passion. He’s undoubtedly one of the most athletic players in the league and it would be impossible to replace him. Also, there’s a reason he’s the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double in the regular season twice. So why would Presti trade him away for the purpose of finding another great player to rebuild around?
While Westbrook haters say it’s because Russell will never change and it’s impossible to win with him, I beg to differ.
Paul George with Westbrook OFF the court: -11.6
— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) May 9, 2018
Paul George with Westbrook ON the court: +6.7
Westbrook with Paul George OFF the court: +1.7
Make no mistake, Russell Westbrook is the reason the Thunder win. He put the team on his back last year and did the same to some extent this season. And, he was every bit as much a part of the team that was one win away from what would’ve been OKC’s second finals appearance. The Thunder may have never made it over the hump, but they wouldn’t be in a position to possibly do so if not for Westbrook.
Even though turnovers and questionable shot attempts are a side affect of his high motor, the good far outweighs the bad. For anyone who thinks differently, watch what happens when he’s off the floor. And even though it’s speculated that Westbrook is hard to play with, not one former teammate has stated publicly that the claim holds true.
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Does Russell Westbrook need help if he’s ever going to win a title? Yes. Most of all, OKC will have to keep Paul George or find help elsewhere this off season. But the problem doesn’t lie with the foundation. Hence, the problem lies within the collective pieces around him. The Thunder finished second to last in bench efficiency rating at 29.5 and were dead last in scoring with an average of 25.9 points per game.
Add one of the worst benches in the league to a trio of stars trying to make an adjustment, and a relatively new head coach trying to sort it all out. The end product was a unique group facing a lot of adversity. Westbrook had his issues over the season. Russell Westbrook, like the rest of the team, had to adjust to the new lineup. And, he will have to learn to rely less on athleticism alone as he gets older, but there’s still plenty of time. If anything is certain about Westbrook, it’s that he will always keep competing.
Consequently, if you’re OKC, you have to take the good with the bad. But putting all of the blame on Russell Westbrook is unfair. The Thunder is his team, so it’s expected that he gets the blame when things go bad. But, to consider trading him after a decade of excellence? No way.