Some high-flying fan fodder, and they get an expiring contract. Good deal for OKC, good deal for the Cavs (who otherwise would have had to pay Delonte West too much), and also for the Bucks a good deal good way to correct paying too much Mo-ney.

OKC: Don’t think they want to let Mason expire (but of course they could). He comes from Oklahoma (or at least has played there in college), like not many players in the NBA, and can provide some highlight dunks. He could become a local favorite. Plus, they get an expiring contract in Joe Smith, who a) isn’t a bad player and b) could be either traded again for draft pick(s) near the deadline a la Thomas last year or c) really expire and bring them further under the cap next year. And finally, they manage to move Ridnour, solve their PG conundrum and free up playing time for Westbrook. I really like that deal for them, Presti is solid. Oh, and Serge Ibaka won’t even play in the NBA next year (three year deal in Europe), does that qualify as bust already?

Cavs: They get a solid young player who can score (definitely not a pure PG), but is badly overpaid thanks to the crazy contract the Bucks gave him (five years and $44 million). On the other hand, they did something to appease their fan base and James, and can now let Delonte West walk (or at least threaten him to do so), who is a free agent and wanted the same money Boobie Gibson got. And they gave up two players they don’t really need. Smith played solid in the playoffs, but they should be able to pick up a decent PF somewhere along the road to the playoffs.

Bucks: A little harder to understand why they did the deal. They definitely didn’t upgrade their roster by giving up Mason and Williams for Ridnour, Griffin and Jones. Probably they realized that they overpaid for Mo Williams, and last year he played lackluster defense for them. Maybe Sessions really is their best answer on PG, and they don’t need another scorer besides Redd. But they won’t save money for the next two years, and until then they just got worse. I also wonder what Richard Jefferson thinks of the deal. First they upgrade a position seemingly to make a push for the playoffs, then they downgrade the point guard position (they now have four, and neither of them proven great) and make Alexander their best backup for him. Strange.

but I’d feel icky if I didn’t. While O.J. Mayo was my top choice for Portland to get in the draft (I knew it was virtually impossible), I did a lot of talking in defense of Russell Westbrook around here leading up to the draft. Why? It seemed like there was a blog-wide smear campaign going on against him. Obviously that’s an exaggeration, but there was some funny stuff said about him. Unless he really is the second coming of and/or is “just like” Jarrett Jack, Rudy Fernandez, Tyrus Thomas, Aaron McKie, Corey Brewer, Fred Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Monta Ellis, Rajon Rondo, or anybody else he was inexplicably compared to here. It just doesn’t go with what I saw when I watched UCLA play, which was a lot since I was living in California. Yes, plenty of people talked positively of him, but I hate the term “drank the kool-aid” or “drank the hype” or any other implication that somebody drank something that somehow affected their judgment someway and I heard a LOT of that “drink” talk when discussing Westbrook and it irked me beyond belief. So, here I go. My last stand for why Russell Westbrook might not suck as much as people want him to.

12.7/4.3/3.9. No, those numbers do not jump off the page. Do 14.9/4.7/4.5? Better yes, but still not “spectacular.” Those were Derrick Rose’s numbers. They’re better, he was drafted higher. No, he wasn’t known as a terrific jump shooter in college. His FGA/FGM were 10/4.7 and his FG% was 46.5. Derrick Rose’s were 10.9/5.2 and 47.7. His 3pt.A/M were 2.0/0.7 for 33.8%. Derrick Rose’s were 2.6/0.9 for 33.7. Westbrook was said (on one of the overviews on nbadraft.net) to have nice form and lift on his shooting form, which should result in him becoming a better shooter with time and practice. John Calipari said the exact same thing about Derrick Rose’s shot. Also, Westbrook showed a more consistent, improved jumper in his workouts which carried over to Summer League. From day two of Summer League (draftexpress.com): “Russell Westbrook again had a very eye opening performance, only reiterating everything we said about him yesterday while looking even more comfortable trying new things. He drilled a 3-pointer when his defender went underneath a screen, had a ridiculous offensive rebound putback dunk, posted up before drilling a turnaround jumper, and was always in attack mode looking for spots to blow by his man (especially in transition) and/or pull-up off the dribble—making 8 of 10 shots in just 24 minutes. Westbrook looked for his teammates as well and did a good job finding them unselfishly. Defensively he was outstanding as usual…there are very few people you’ll find in this gym that aren’t almost completely in love with his skill-set at this point. Most of the European executives who did not follow college basketball very closely keep wondering how in the world Derrick Rose was drafted ahead of Westbrook solely based off what they are seeing here.” I’m definitely not saying Russell Westbrook = Derrick Rose and I’m not even a big stats guy, but it is interesting to compare the two. No, Russell Westbrook did not prove himself to be a great ballhandler in college, but he did average slightly more assists than Darren Collison and showed good court vision. No, Russell Westbrook was not his team’s “starting PG”, but so what? He stood out on a team full of talent. And let’s not forget that defense. It’s not good, it’s great. Mix in his “freakish athleticism” and reputation as extremely hardworking and coachable to all that and I don’t think he’s all that sucky. Worthy of a fourth pick? Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know. Was it a horrible pick? I don’t know, but I do wonder how a Bayless/Durant offensive duo would have worked if Bayless hadn’t fallen in the draft. I’m not even saying he’ll be good. I’m just saying I don’t think he’s THAT bad, and that simple athleticism isn’t all he has to offer.

Yeah I have. And yeah Cryptograms was a great album, I was actually thinking of putting it up this week. And to be honest i haven’t been to any live shows, but I’m going to college now so I should have the opportunity to do so.

Anyway:

Now that he appears to be on the hotseat, we can trade our valuables for the final piece of the puzzle: Delonte West!

I say we push RLEC, Frye, and Bayless to get Delonte “Wild, Wild” West. His shy, kind demeanor and top-5 PG skills will put us on cruise control through the season.

Delonte! MVP 08-09! Hands down, man’s down, man. Hands down, man’s down.