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Durant, Westbrook, and OKC
Tequilla
Member Posts: 19,815
Game 5: 31 shots for Westbrook; 24 for Durant
If you look at the box score, you see that Westbrook had 31-10-13 last night and would say that he played a great game. He had a steal at the end of regulation to push the game into OT.
But when you watch the game, you see a team that is so far gone from the standpoint of being a good offensive team that it's borderline painful to watch.
1) Let's get the KD stuff out of the way. He's the best scorer in the game right now going up against arguably the best perimeter defender in Tony Allen that takes away enough air space from KD that he's forced into taking tough, tight, and contested jumpers. Kudos to Allen for his defensive play - it's fun to watch. However, there are areas where you see KD's two biggest current weaknesses exposed combined with a great example of how Scott Brooks is a FS coach. Regarding Brooks, the OKC offense is designed to function in transaction and basically turn itself into street ball. It has minimal direction in the halfcourt other than an endless stream of whoever has the ball either jacks up the shot or it turns into one pass and a shot. You could easily have a drinking game that is tied to OKC having 3 or more passes in the halfcourt prior to a shot attempt. The biggest advantage that KD has over Tony Allen is his height. One way that you can take advantage of KD's height (without having to tap into his weakness) is to continually run KD off of screens and curls such that you get KD moving TOWARDS the basket. On the last play of the game last night, the play drawn up was a screen for KD having him move AWAY from the basket. However, KD needs to do two primary things in the offseason. First, he needs to develop a post game that punishes teams for putting smaller players on him like Tony Allen. When he develops this, he's certain to be doubled. He needs to become a better passer and creator for his teammates such that he isn't throwing up 6 TO games against 2 assists in a Game 5 that is a borderine must win.
2) Normally I bag on Westbrook for the fact that OKC's assists to field goal relationship is so terrible. Last night, again on paper, it looked good with 24 assists on 36 field goals. That's a fairly decent ratio. However, so often last night you'd watch possessions and it was Westbrook (or at times Jackson) just pounding the ball into the court, looking for a screen in the pick and roll so that they could attack the rim. IF there was a pass, it was often a single pass and a shot. In contrast, if you watch Memphis play, they are able to at least 3-4 times per quarter generate an easy basket simply because they are able to move the ball throughout their team and allow the ball to beat the defense. What ends up happening to Westbrook, regardless of what his stat line shows is that as the game gets into the latter stages, everybody knows that he isn't going to pass. You really only need to defend anybody that is within a single pass of Westbrook with everybody else able to provide help in the lane which ends up leading to a very difficult drive for him to get to the basket. The fact that he is 0 for the series in OT is telling to me and speaks to the fact that he's putting everything on his back and isn't creating for his teammates.
IF OKC was smart at all, they'd be looking for a replacement for Scott Brooks as soon as this series is over (and they will lose the series). They also should immediately be looking for possible trade partners for Westbrook to not only bring back more of a pure PG, but also to find an opportunity to establish greater depth on the team so that they can surround KD with more weapons. At that point, the onus is on KD to address his weaknesses and step up and put the team on his back. Additionally, without moves, I can't see any chance that KD stays past his contract as you could see him standing in the corner last night of the court watching Westbrook going 1 on 5 and just shaking his head.
If you look at the box score, you see that Westbrook had 31-10-13 last night and would say that he played a great game. He had a steal at the end of regulation to push the game into OT.
But when you watch the game, you see a team that is so far gone from the standpoint of being a good offensive team that it's borderline painful to watch.
1) Let's get the KD stuff out of the way. He's the best scorer in the game right now going up against arguably the best perimeter defender in Tony Allen that takes away enough air space from KD that he's forced into taking tough, tight, and contested jumpers. Kudos to Allen for his defensive play - it's fun to watch. However, there are areas where you see KD's two biggest current weaknesses exposed combined with a great example of how Scott Brooks is a FS coach. Regarding Brooks, the OKC offense is designed to function in transaction and basically turn itself into street ball. It has minimal direction in the halfcourt other than an endless stream of whoever has the ball either jacks up the shot or it turns into one pass and a shot. You could easily have a drinking game that is tied to OKC having 3 or more passes in the halfcourt prior to a shot attempt. The biggest advantage that KD has over Tony Allen is his height. One way that you can take advantage of KD's height (without having to tap into his weakness) is to continually run KD off of screens and curls such that you get KD moving TOWARDS the basket. On the last play of the game last night, the play drawn up was a screen for KD having him move AWAY from the basket. However, KD needs to do two primary things in the offseason. First, he needs to develop a post game that punishes teams for putting smaller players on him like Tony Allen. When he develops this, he's certain to be doubled. He needs to become a better passer and creator for his teammates such that he isn't throwing up 6 TO games against 2 assists in a Game 5 that is a borderine must win.
2) Normally I bag on Westbrook for the fact that OKC's assists to field goal relationship is so terrible. Last night, again on paper, it looked good with 24 assists on 36 field goals. That's a fairly decent ratio. However, so often last night you'd watch possessions and it was Westbrook (or at times Jackson) just pounding the ball into the court, looking for a screen in the pick and roll so that they could attack the rim. IF there was a pass, it was often a single pass and a shot. In contrast, if you watch Memphis play, they are able to at least 3-4 times per quarter generate an easy basket simply because they are able to move the ball throughout their team and allow the ball to beat the defense. What ends up happening to Westbrook, regardless of what his stat line shows is that as the game gets into the latter stages, everybody knows that he isn't going to pass. You really only need to defend anybody that is within a single pass of Westbrook with everybody else able to provide help in the lane which ends up leading to a very difficult drive for him to get to the basket. The fact that he is 0 for the series in OT is telling to me and speaks to the fact that he's putting everything on his back and isn't creating for his teammates.
IF OKC was smart at all, they'd be looking for a replacement for Scott Brooks as soon as this series is over (and they will lose the series). They also should immediately be looking for possible trade partners for Westbrook to not only bring back more of a pure PG, but also to find an opportunity to establish greater depth on the team so that they can surround KD with more weapons. At that point, the onus is on KD to address his weaknesses and step up and put the team on his back. Additionally, without moves, I can't see any chance that KD stays past his contract as you could see him standing in the corner last night of the court watching Westbrook going 1 on 5 and just shaking his head.
Comments
Trade Westbrook. Are you serious?
Kobe and MJ were selfish ball hogs early in their careers. A better coach could hone Westbrooks game so he is more efficient in his scoring and setting up other players.
Also Memphis is a really good team. 56 wins last season and 2nd in the west. After a slow start they were one of the best teams in the entire league. Memphis is exposing OKC's weaknesses. If OKC could genuinely get over that hump (not a tight 4-3 series win), it would take them to another level.
Thanks guys.
Thunder still have a 40% chance of winning the series. Every game has been close. Thunder could take this one, and have an opportunity to play at home in game 7. Durant and Westbrook have rough series. If one of them plays at their normal level, this series is over. Tony Allen has played great D, but at some point, Durant's going off.
Kind of like 12 page resumes. I move on to the next when I get shit like that.
But I don't see a team right now that looks like they like playing with each other. There appears to be a lot of tension.
IF they go out this season, you have to make some major changes one way or another as the status quo isn't good enough. If you stay status quo and go through next year and get a similar result, then you have KD with one year left on his deal and at that point probably not even thinking of signing an extension.
I also absolutely positively disagree with the idea that the West is getting older. You could argue that the Spurs, Mavs, and Memphis are getting older. However, the Clippers are still relatively young. Portland is in a really good position going forward as long as they can ink up LaMarcus Aldridge going forward. Golden State is still very young. Houston is still in good shape going forward. Phoenix came out of nowhere but they are young. You have an emerging young team in New Orleans. The Lakers will be better than you think sooner than you think. Denver still has a reasonably strong roster. Utah has a good shot to be decent in a year or two depending on the outcome of the lottery as they have some nice pieces to build around in Hayward, Favors, Burke, Kanter, and Burks. Minnesota probably gets blown up when Kevin Love says that he won't re-sign with them.
They have the 2nd best player in basketball and another top 10 player. You don't break up that core. Even suggesting it at this point is stupid. Trading stars doesn't work. They wouldn't get back pieces as valuable as Westbrook. You build around it, keep developing guys, and get a new voice in there to replace Brooks.
They are finished. Kobe is old. Gasol is old. Even with Love or Carmelo theyd struggle to make the playoffs in the loaded west.
If Kevin Durant shows up for a must win game 5, drops 2 assists and gets out shot by Westbrook, that's on Kevin Durant.
It's well known that they basically have cleared their cap at this point except for Kobe (2 years remaining) and Nash (retires next year). They will have at worst a Top 7 pick this year. Since they are the Lakers and we all know how the lottery works, they'll get a Top 3 pick this year (and probably the same with Boston).
Next year, they'll continue to be brutal and that will allow them to keep their 1st round pick in 2015 instead of sending it to Phoenix as long as they have a Top 5 pick. The only contract they'll have on the books for 2015-2016 at that point is Kobe. They'll go sign Kevin Love. When Kobe comes off the books, the only contracts that they'll have on the books will be Kevin Love and the 1st round picks from the '14 and '15 draft. They'll have a ton of cap room in a loaded free agent pool.
IF they don't get KD in the fold after 2016, then they'll get Westbrook in 2017. Combine either with Kevin Love, and what will most likely be 2 really good players from the '14 and '15 drafts, and then round out the roster with role players and guys looking for titles, and you'll have a title contender by the '16-'17 season at the latest.
The Lakers also have little Buss running the show. He could be a disaster. Picking D'Antoni over Phil put him on the fast track to disaster. Kevin Love is a really good player, but he also can't guard anyone. So far, he's been a stats guy. A lot of things have to go right to be a title contender by 16-17. Not to mention, even if they hit home runs with the draft picks, it normally takes guys awhile to truly learn how to win in the NBA. It's not easy, even if you are the Lakers. This isn't fantasy basketball.
The young kids will take time, but we're talking about some high end young players that are going to be coming in and ultimately won't be asked to star early with Kobe shielding for the next two years and some high end talent coming in after that.
In my opinion, Kevin Love gets a bit of a bad rap because the teams he's been on are brutally bad. He's not a great defender ... but just about every other part of his game is great. If you can find another big to pair with him that is a decent defender, then that takes a lot of pressure off of Love.
And yes, most free agents stay home. Most of them aren't widely acknowledged to be dead set on leaving their current team and playing for the Lakers like Love appears to be.
People will rationalize it that Westbrook shoots too much and they need more options.
Westbrook is having a bad series but so is Durant. Brooks isn't helping but playing Perkins and Fisher in crunch time.
Presti has assembled a terrible roster. I watched in game five as they were making a comeback Caron Butler miss three straight wide open three pointers. Sad part is he was one of the only guys on the bench not playing terrible.
I really don't see Durant staying there. After this year I think he'll face heat on not winning a title. He'll come to realization that Lebron did in Cleveland that he doesn't have the ownership group capable of winning a title. He'll take his talents to another place.
RE: Lakers. Remember Kobe's contract comes off the books in two years and Nash, Gasol will be off too. They'll get a top tier lotto pick this year and most likely next year. I think the Lakers can turn it around rather quickly especially if a Durant, Kevin Love, or Westbrook go there. Probably need two of them which they could haul in.