The Official Russell Westbrook Thread

Good set shooter and 3 pt. shooter RW no
Ability to lock down opposing point RW yes
Naturally set up the offense RW no
Distribute creatively RW no
Finish a fast break RW yes
Coach on the floor confirm assignments RW ??
Create own shot at end of shot clock RW yes

Russell Westbrook is not a championship point guard. With that said I really really like him as a back up guard or even playing next to Roy some with the first unit…. if Roy is the offensive point guard. RW would ideally take the defensive assignment of those pesky point guards we are all so worried about i.e. Chris Paul, Deron Williams & Tony Parker.

I’ve been waiting for this thread a very, very long time. I’ve wanted Portland to take Westbrook for an even longer time, before I even heard of Blazer’s Edge, sometime during the winter. In actuality, I don’t even know where to start. I might just have to cut and paste from nbadraft.net then explain:

Strengths: Athletic and explosive combo guard with the length to make up for his lack of height … Attacks the basket with a lethal first step and crossover ability … Can handle the rock well and gets into the lane effortlessly … Finishes well at the rim and is unafraid to go up in traffic … Huge wingspan allows him to play much bigger than his 6-3 height … Gets good lift on his jumpshot and has a quick release … Solid passer with unselfishness, always looks for the open man … Has an excellent mid-range game … A gym rat, really works hard to improve … Has a great attitude, extremely coach-able … Has the potential to be a bigtime scorer when given the chance … Really excels defensively and has a chance to develop into a great defender … His anticipation for steals and his on ball defensive ability are special … Solid passer who shows the ability to play the point guard position …

Weaknesses: Playing at UCLA he has had a hard time gaining steady playing time (9 mpg) … He’ll likely come off the bench as a sophomore, but should see increased action … Showing the ability to run the point position as well as play the 2-guard will upgrade his draft potential … Must become better at handling ball pressure at the point guard position … Must continue to improve his body strength … UCLA system will likely limit his ability to fully showcase himself … Needs to improve upon his free throw shooting (55%) …

That pretty much speaks for itself, actually. But I did happen to see UCLA play (on FSN in California, not live) Arizona, USC, and many other teams this season. I was very impressed. As was draftexpress: “Defensively, Westbrook is nothing short of outstanding, as evidenced by the phenomenal work he did locking down the three top scoring guards in the Pac-10 this season, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, and James Harden. He is long, strong and very fundamentally sound, getting into a terrific defensive stance on every possession, moving his feet incredibly well, and being absolutely tenacious getting after his matchup. His wingspan, combined with his huge hands and outstanding anticipation skills make him a terror in the passing lanes, and this is a big factor why he spends so much time in transition offensively.” They also say he has more upside than any guard in this draft other than Derrick Rose. His flaws are correctable and his talents unteachable. As mentioned in the quote above, he locked down O.J. Mayo. I watched that game, and Mayo, a gifted offensive player, had what might have been his worst game of the year on Feb. 17. He had 4 points, 10 turnovers, shot no free throws and shot 25%. After what I saw, I’m convinced. Obviously there are no guarantees, I realize that, but I think Westbrook is the right choice.

Frank Madden over at Brew Hoop really likes how Westbrook would fit in with the Bucks at #8 (scroll down to the comments). I think he’s probably too good (or too hyped?) to last until #13. Everyone is jumping on board with the “PG Defense” and this may be enough for him to go as early as #6. Remember Corey Brewer last lear? He was drafted mostly on defensive ability in the mid-lottery. I think the same thing happens this year.

If he does last until #13, I think it might be a good idea to get him, that is if we want him to back up Sergio. If we don’t make any major moves, we once again have 4 point guards, but this time we have 2 ball-handling shooting guards as well. I smell 2 years of D-league cooking. Still, in a couple of years he could turn into a very nice piece for us. And in this year’s draft, I think that is the best we can expect.

Most of you know I’ve wanted this kid for awhile.

I will say this, though: Westbrook was 5-10 or 5-11 as late as his senior year in high school and then hit a big growth spurt during his freshman and sophomore years of college. We know him to be an athletic freak, but the fact is that he’s still figuring out his body, and he may even still be growing. He could be scary athletic in a couple years when his body matures and he learns how to properly use his physical gifts to his advantage.

I’m not too worried about the shooting. Few players billed as good shooters actually come into the league lighting it up. It takes a lot of work to improve this area, and by all accounts Westbrook has an impeccable work ethic.

To answer the question of where he goes, I really think KP is going to try to move up to the 6-8 range to get him. Leave nothing to chance.

A lot of people like him.

But to me, that adds up to “gone before 13”, and I mean well before 13.
We’re gonna have to move up to the 5-8 range to get a pick which we KNOW will bag him.
(He might be had somewhere in the 9-11 range, but draft day is no time to find out that
you traded up for a pick just to take Westbrook and he ain’t there – NO GAMBLING!)
And as I’ve pointed out before, the top 9 is just sick with teams that need a point guard.

My point? He’s a bit more available than Rose, which is to say “forget it” unavailable
rather than “Chris Paul” unavailable.
At the very least, getting him would mean giving up a key player just below Roy/LMA/Oden range;
we’re talkin’ Trout, Webster or even Rudy here, as JJ, Sergio, or Blake won’t do the trick.

If we were picking somewhere in that 5-9 range, Westbrook would be a prime target,
and he is still exactly that for the teams in that range.

It’s committing to the concept we saw so much of last year: a ton of point guards with different skill sets are better than a solid all around true point guard. We just need a solid floor general that can hit the open shot from deep and defensively destroy the opposition. Is that so hard to find? Yep. I’m all for trading this pick unless we have no decent takers and can address the 3.

...who believes we don’t need a franchise player at PG. I like Blake and would keep him as a starter. I can live with the possible exit of Jack and/or Sergio. The glaring need we have is a fiesty disruptor on defense. We give up way too many uncontested jumpers and seldom challenge our opponent’s 24-second clock.

In my mind, Westbrook epitomizes the kind of player who could meet that need. He would need some time to season but he has the tools. He is a ferocious competitor, has that toughness we’re looking for and would complement Oden and Aldridge on the defensive end very well.

Generally I prefer to get more veteran leadership in the mix but if Westbrook is available at the 9th pick, I would deal for him. I think that would be doable without sacrificing Martell or Outlaw.

From what I have seen of Westbrook and from what I have heard from people that have seen him play even more extensively than I ever have… he does not sound like a huge upgrade over Jarrett Jack – and he is about 30lbs lighter. On defense? Yeah, most likely the biggest upgrade over Blake/Jack/Sergio are Westbrook’s defensive capabilities, but is he the point guard Portland needs?

I don’t see the benefit nor the upgrade at PG with Westbrook – especially considering Portland is going to be in win-now mode next season and many seasons thereafter.

If he falls to 13 he could be a good pick up with the potential to challenge for minutes at the PG position over the next few years. I don’t think I would trade up to get him. I like him but not that much.

I didn’t watch much college ball this year so I haven’t seen him.

I’m also in agreement with Dr. Dave.

I can’t say I believe as some of you that he’s the answer to what we need at PG, but overall, I’d have no problem with drafting Westbrook.

which is pretty good in my opinion. Needs to develop a jumpshot though.

I like Westbrook and was initially really high on him, but lately I’ve come to think he’s become a little overrated… Some of this is based on watching Westbrook play and some of it is based on comparing Westbrook to previous prospects.

-He played for a good team that was frequently on television. Non “super-stars” on these type of teams tend to be overrated in the draft. Think Corey Brewer (Florida 07), Tyrus Thomas (LSU 06) and Shelden Williams (Duke 06), Raymond Felton (UNC 2005), etc.

-In principle, he fits the Blazers needs really well. He is exactly the type of PG that most (including me) think the Blazers need. Drafting for need has a pretty bad track record in the NBA…. And, as Dave so astutely pointed out, people tend to overvalue players that seem to meet a need.

-It’s fine to want the Blazers to get a “role-player” at PG, but many NBA role players weren’t role-players in college; they were the best player on their team or close to it. Westrbook’s production at UCLA was relatively modest: 13 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg, 46.5% shooting. He did play some great defense, but he’s definitely a project as an NBA point guard. He could not start next season, for example.

-When he was relatively unknown, analysts enjoyed talking about him as a sleeper late lottery pick, since he was on no one’s radar about 6 months ago. Then, because there are so many teams needing guards in this year’s lottery, the teams that need a PG in the 5-10 range and look at Rose, Bayless, and Mayo already being gone see Westbrook as attractive in the 10-15 range and think, “he fills our need better than anyone else” and all of sudden Westbrook is a top 10 pick, when his talent really doesn’t justify it.

In short, if he were available at the 13th pick, he makes a lot of sense for the Blazers, I just wouldn’t give much away to get him. In my view, he’s worth the 13th pick and some one like McRoberts, Sergio, Kopponen, etc or maybe a couple of them. The 13th pick and Jack? Maybe. Even that seems like too much because there’s a decent chance that Westbrook will be no better than Jack. The 13th and Frye? Maybe. I definitely would not let go of Webster or Outlaw for him.

Fortunately, my guess is that as the draft nears, his stock will fall somewhat and there’s a chance that the Blazers can get him without giving up too much (maybe the 13th and their #1 next year?). As it stands now, some mock drafts have an unprecendented number of guards under 6-6 in the top 11: Rose, Mayo, Bayless, Gordon, and Augustin.

I’m a big college hoops fan (go Ducks), and I was very impressed by this kid all year. I watched a lot of UCLA games to check in on local guy Love, and found myself asking “who is this Westbrook kid”? As the saying goes, he can’t hurt us. He’s impressive. I specifically remember one game he was on fire and I was just in awe.

Rudy will fit that spot as a combo guard.

I to liked what I read about Westbrook’s defensive skills until I looked for supporting facts.
The implication was that he had this great lock-down capability to shut-down quick PGs.
I researched it game by game stats and found:
That he had always played SG except for 6 games when Collision was injured.
These are the PGs that Westbrook guarded as a PG himself:
Porland State – J. Dominguez
Youngstown State – B. Davis
Cal State / Santa Barbara – M. Pierce
Maryland – E. Hayes
Michigan State – K. Lucas
Yale – E. Fato
That is the sum total of his PG coverage.
Westbrook played only SG in high school.

Westbrook is credited with great defenses of “three top scoring guards in the Pac-10 this season, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, and James Harden”. They are all 6-3 0r 6-4 Shooting Guards like Westbrook. UCLA played Rose and DJ Augustine but Collision guarded them.

OK I said, “Westbrook is NOT a PG”. What did he do offensively while guarding those SGs?
For those that still “believe”, look it up for yourselves.

If we get him, fine. If not, no biggie. I’m not looking for much from the 13 spot in this draft, so if we get anybody who can contribute, it’s a bonus.

hmmm… why I am thinking about Aaron McKie?

but these accusations are getting to be a bit much. He plays defense, so he’s the next Rajon Rondo. Or maybe he’s Corey Brewer. Or Aaron McKie.

He’s only completed one year of college. He’s young. His game has some weaknesses. He hasn’t played much at point. But none of that is especially important.

We’re talking about a player expected to go anywhere from #6 to #13 in this draft, which the pundits, gurus, and prognosticators say is pretty level after the top two picks. I’m not advocating Westbrook because I think he’s the answer for the Blazers at PG. I’m saying he already is athletic and plays great defense, two things we need at PG. That means he has the potential to be a solid contributor to the team. He could also be a bust, or somewhere at Jarrett Jack-level. If he turns out to be a stud, and he could, then he’ll be a great pick for us, even if we go all the way to #3 to get him. If he turns out to be a dud, then he’s just another late-lottery pick that didn’t work out for us.

I like Westbrook at #13, where the risk/return ratio looks good. I’m even fine with moving up to make sure we get him, as long as the price is right, but that’s where it gets dicey. My ideal trade in that scenario is Jarrett or Sergio, since we need to unload a guard to make room for Westbrook if we do draft him. I’m not fine with trading Martell, Travis, or Channing for him instead.

As for picking the best player in the draft, that’s great - when you know who the best player at your pick is. In a draft like this, it’s pretty level from #3 down to the twenties - KP said so. That’s why I’d have no problem with the Blazers trading-up to get Westbrook, as long as we trade the right player(s).

he completly crumbled, ...rose walked all over him on offense and defense.

was real frustrated. I was saying that he crumbled like Augustine against Rose. I can’t remember who was on Westbrook, though.

Why hasnt anybody talked about getting him?

Of all the players in this draft that i would love to see the Blazers end up with, Mayo is my favorite and most realistic one. However, i would hate to see Joel go, he has been one of the most consistent players on the team and he is one of my favorites. If it meant getting Mayo i would consider it. But trading Joel would hamper Oden’s development because with Joel gone there is only one true center on this team and that being Oden. If Oden were the only center on the team he would not get as much quality time due to foul trouble. SO if we are to go after Mayo i really dont think it would be wise to include Joel in the deal

Then I feel he is conceding that he’s not that great of a talent evaluator at the point guard position. How many point guards has he drafted so far?

As for Westbrook, I feel he’s a poor man’s OJ Mayo. If KP has to make moves to get his man, he might as well get the better man. I think Westbrook is great, I just would rather have the better tweener of the two.

Steve Smith is tired of being an announcer in Atlanta. We’re getting him back, and moving Roy to the point.

which shows westbrook falling to the Blazers at 13.