trade idea revisited: rondo for westrbook

[Chris]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

Westbrook is an injury concern as well. 

The point is though, why mess with what works for OKC?  It made a little sense when you had three elite scorers, couldn't afford to pay them all, and you could concievably trade one max guy for a guy who not only is locked in at a more reasonable contract number, but who also is an All-Star player who might fit with Harden and Durant better.

But once Harden was gone, it made much less sense, because Durant needed that second scorer with the way this team is built.  And once Rondo got hurt it made even less sense, because then not only are incorporating a new guy, who you aren't sure how he will mesh, but you are incorporating a new guy who is returning from major surgery, and is probably at least another 6 months from even having much of a chance to be back to 100% of what he was before.

It just doesn't make sense.

[Tr1boy]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

RW efficiency could be a little better. But he can at any point of the game make difficult baskets to stop the bleeding or continue the assault.

Rw and rondo both present similar risks in terms of their health. RW is a great athlete and should recover. He just cameback a little too early.

[boscel33]

No way OKC goes for it.

no way danny does it.  i think okc would jump on having someone pass first to kd, plus, they get a 1st?  wow.

[BballTim]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

RW efficiency could be a little better. But he can at any point of the game make difficult baskets to stop the bleeding or continue the assault.

  Or he could take bad shots and continue the bleeding. He's generally near the bottom (in terms of efficiency) among the leading scorers in the league, and that's when he's sharing the court with the best scorer in the league.

[BballTim]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

Westbrook is an injury concern as well. 

The point is though, why mess with what works for OKC?  It made a little sense when you had three elite scorers, couldn't afford to pay them all, and you could concievably trade one max guy for a guy who not only is locked in at a more reasonable contract number, but who also is an All-Star player who might fit with Harden and Durant better.

But once Harden was gone, it made much less sense, because Durant needed that second scorer with the way this team is built.  And once Rondo got hurt it made even less sense, because then not only are incorporating a new guy, who you aren't sure how he will mesh, but you are incorporating a new guy who is returning from major surgery, and is probably at least another 6 months from even having much of a chance to be back to 100% of what he was before.

It just doesn't make sense.

  I don't think the trade makes sense (for the Celts, at least). But I'm also fairly skeptical about whether  Durant really needs that second scorer. Are the Thunder struggling to score without Westbrook?

[Chris]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

Westbrook is an injury concern as well. 

The point is though, why mess with what works for OKC?  It made a little sense when you had three elite scorers, couldn't afford to pay them all, and you could concievably trade one max guy for a guy who not only is locked in at a more reasonable contract number, but who also is an All-Star player who might fit with Harden and Durant better.

But once Harden was gone, it made much less sense, because Durant needed that second scorer with the way this team is built.  And once Rondo got hurt it made even less sense, because then not only are incorporating a new guy, who you aren't sure how he will mesh, but you are incorporating a new guy who is returning from major surgery, and is probably at least another 6 months from even having much of a chance to be back to 100% of what he was before.

It just doesn't make sense.

  I don't think the trade makes sense (for the Celts, at least). But I'm also fairly skeptical about whether  Durant really needs that second scorer. Are the Thunder struggling to score without Westbrook?

Let's look at it another way.  Is Durant having any trouble finding shots with Westbrook there?

I just don't think Durant needs Rondo to get him shots, and two of the top 5 or 6 scorers in the league creates massive matchup problems in the playoffs, when you need guys who create their own shots because defenses get turned up.

[Endless Paradise]

No way OKC goes for it.

no way danny does it.  i think okc would jump on having someone pass first to kd, plus, they get a 1st?  wow.

No, they wouldn't. Aside from the fact that Westbrook fits their roster better and has great chemistry with Durant (as teammates and friends), Westbrook and Durant are the same age and can continue to evolve together, whereas Rondo is older and coming off an ACL tear.

This false narrative of Westbrook being some ultra-selfish gunner who's stealing Durant's shine has been disproven so many times over the years, yet people still bring it up as though it's true. 

As far as the proposed trade: OKC can manage without Westbrook in the regular season, but absolutely no one who closely follows that team thinks they'd have a shot at a title with Durant being the only significant offensive threat. The Thunder's system pretty much requires both Westbrook and Durant - not only to draw attention away from each other, but from their role players as well.

[BballTim]

Why?

It's pretty much a lateral move, IMO, and you're giving up a 1st rounder to boot.  Makes no sense to me.

They are diff kind of pgs. Rondo would make okc better while westbrook has been butting heads with durant from day 1

But the celts could use westbrook who can score and wants to be the star.

You mean Rondo, if he regains his old form, I assume.  Which no one can guarantee.

I have felt that way before too, although I question it a bit more now, as Westbrook has developed more as a distributor, and I have seen how OKC has evolved as a team as almost a two pronged attack machine. 

Having two kind of unstoppable scorers just creates such matchup problems, I am not sure they would be better with a distributor...particularly without Harden.  I thought Rondo was a great fit for them when they still had Harden.  Not as much now.

  Westbrook isn't a very efficient scorer, more of a high volume shooter. And if you're worried about Rondo regaining his form, what are your thoughts on RW's health?

Westbrook is an injury concern as well. 

The point is though, why mess with what works for OKC?  It made a little sense when you had three elite scorers, couldn't afford to pay them all, and you could concievably trade one max guy for a guy who not only is locked in at a more reasonable contract number, but who also is an All-Star player who might fit with Harden and Durant better.

But once Harden was gone, it made much less sense, because Durant needed that second scorer with the way this team is built.  And once Rondo got hurt it made even less sense, because then not only are incorporating a new guy, who you aren't sure how he will mesh, but you are incorporating a new guy who is returning from major surgery, and is probably at least another 6 months from even having much of a chance to be back to 100% of what he was before.

It just doesn't make sense.

  I don't think the trade makes sense (for the Celts, at least). But I'm also fairly skeptical about whether  Durant really needs that second scorer. Are the Thunder struggling to score without Westbrook?

Let's look at it another way.  Is Durant having any trouble finding shots with Westbrook there?

I just don't think Durant needs Rondo to get him shots, and two of the top 5 or 6 scorers in the league creates massive matchup problems in the playoffs, when you need guys who create their own shots because defenses get turned up.

  Westbrook isn't a great scorer and he looks for his own shot to the detriment of the team at times. Durant obviously doesn't need either of them to be effective.

[LarBrd33]

I'm holding off on creating Rondo trade ideas until he starts to show a pulse.  With the way he has played so far, you'd be lucky to get a pack of cigarettes for him. 

6.7 points, 5.7 assists,  3.8 rebounds, 1 steal, 3.3 turnovers, 28%/23%/50% shooting...

His EFF of 6 isn't even in the to 60 for PGs.  Right now, Austin Rivers is outperforming him.  We haven't won a single game with Rondo on the court.   

It's still super early... he has a bit of a grace period.  But until he starts playing above d-league level we can forget about trading him.  Right now, You have a better shot of trading Chris Johnson for Westbrook.

[Moranis]

http://nesn.com/2011/11/report-celtics-offered-rajon-rondo-jeff-green-for-russell-westbrook-kendrick-perkins-after-last-seas/

Per this rumor above if true, danny would jump at the offer. Okc is the one reluctant. But now I think its diff. Especially with how durant is playing.

Yeah but at that time Rondo was hurt and Westbrook wasn't.  Maybe things have changed a bit for them now.

[pearljammer10]

Doesnt make sense for OKC right now. If Rondo was playing complete Rondo ball then there is something to think about I guess, but with Rondo's status this year unknown i dont think OKC breaks up what they have, even with Westbrook injured.

[scotto1205]

I don't think okc would pull the trigger unless they think Jackson or lamb can step up and out up a lot of point. Rondo lamb durant with Jackson off the bench would look good. I like the idea of a Westbrook exum backcourt :0 for Boston

[scotto1205]

I don't think okc would pull the trigger unless they think Jackson or lamb can step up and out up a lot of point. Rondo lamb durant with Jackson off the bench would look good. I like the idea of a Westbrook exum backcourt :0 for Boston

[Endless Paradise]

http://nesn.com/2011/11/report-celtics-offered-rajon-rondo-jeff-green-for-russell-westbrook-kendrick-perkins-after-last-seas/

Per this rumor above if true, danny would jump at the offer. Okc is the one reluctant. But now I think its diff. Especially with how durant is playing.

Yeah but at that time Rondo was hurt and Westbrook wasn't.  Maybe things have changed a bit for them now.

Westbrook is coming back next month, so I don't see how it would really matter to them if he's hurt now and missing some midseason games.  As long as he's around for the postseason, they'll be alright.

[Moranis]

Three team trade that conceivably could work

Boston - Westbrook, Perkins
Oklahoma City - Jennings, Monroe, Villanueva (filler)
Detroit - Rondo, Green

Boston gets a better fit for a rebuilding team at PG (who also happens to be hurt and thus helps the draft position) and shaves a year off Green with Perk.

Oklahoma City gets a Westbrook like PG in Jennings (who obviously isn't as good, but can provide a fairly consistent second scorer role) and a nice young PF/C.  Obviously they have to believe Monroe and Ibaka could play together to make the trade and would have to be willing to pay Monroe (though with no Perkins and the much lesser salary of Jennings to Westbrook they would have the money).

Detroit gets an upgrade at PG (and Smith's friend) and with no Monroe, Smith slides to PF with Green playing SF and they have a better constructed roster and don't have to worry about paying Monroe this summer.