Word on the street is Josh Jackson had a temper tantrum vs the Clippers.


LOL...already suffering PTSD from Lonzo's masterclass I see.

Cousins ------>Lakers confirmed.

SmooshCHN:
So Lonzo had - 22 plus minus when Lakers tied the game but Luke Walton brought Lonzo back for no fûcking reason. They even give you the stats while the game is going on.. The boy ended up with - 26. Talk about trying to please the Mumu fans and riding the media hype instead of doing your job.

To Luke's credit, he benched Lonzo from the 3rd quarter until the 6th minute of the 4th quarter during which the Lakers rallied and even took the lead at some point before bringing Lonzo. His hands are kind of tied even though he knows Lonzo needs to be more aggressive considering he coached a scoring point guard.

AndrewFarms:


that's cuz you were blaming Westbrook for making Harden, Durant and oladipo go like he was the cause were as its all business that made management allow Harden and oladipo go while Durant left on his own accord....

the current OKC coach was employed cuz of Kd, to make him stay and not Westbrook, harden was let go cuz they were looking at the salary cap, oladipo ain't better than pg13 and both were in their last year of their contract, so OKC management got the better out of pacers, so how's Westbrook the cause of all these transactions......

Guy!! You have played penalty to throw-in.

I didn't write any of those. You can go back and read. Chill with the Westbrook defense and read who wrote what.

Super Saiyan mode......Pending.

Gotta love D wade. Did what's best for the team, will now come off the bench and lead the second unit. With all 5 starters being capable shooters (Rose's 3s are looking good so far) the spacing is bound to improve.

Dont like this Bledsoe to Cavs rumour, especially if it dwindles the resources we need to get boogie. There IS a good case for trading Bledsoe for IT though. Healthy, much better defender, and capable 3 shooter.

as much as I like victor oladipo,he always get disgraced..if its not a crossover,he gets dunked on..anyways dat dunk was crazy fom james johnson...

lolawilliams:


Lol, Hmmm Na Birdman cause all this. How TF did i end up with a team like this in the first place AAAHHH

no be my fault ooo... i gentle for my corner. The injury gods are strong this seson

Christ.....actually thought the game was tonight FFS.




Off to bed abeg.

rotimi9:
bro getting to the western conference finals ain't shit bro.ask Chris Paul one of The greatest point guards of all time.with 2 all stars the clippers were all talk,not getting past d second round.ask T- Mac a recent inductee in the hall of fame,he never got past d second round in his prime with yao ming. But James harden got there being [b]the only all star [/b]that team,yet u mention it like it's nothing.

If harden and Westbrook switched teams,okc would do better.not just an opinion but a fact Cus harden is a way better leader Dan russ,who seldom trust his team mates.harden or kd wouldn't have gotten better like they are now if they stayed in okc.

He had the help from Dwight Howard and secondly the coach system was organized to his own advantage.....

SmooshCHN:
Guy!! You have played penalty to throw-in.

I didn't write any of those. You can go back and read. Chill with the Westbrook defense and read who wrote what.

calling Westbrook not a leader is like throwing shade on a man respected by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.....

that's the kinda level Westbrook is on....
people tend to underrated him alot....

Karl-Anthony Towns' screen on Paul George that freed Wiggins was ruled to have been illegal, based on Towns' stance being too wide. The report notes Towns was stationary but his leg was out, which clipped George.

"I ain't looked at it but I'm pretty sure, it looked like it [was illegal]," Russell Westbrook said after the Thunder's 115-113 loss to the Timberwolves. "I haven't seen it but I think it is, just based on the conversation we had in the locker room."

I guess it's one of those games.......
The shot shouldn't have counted......

How did rockets blow that lead?

AndrewFarms:


calling Westbrook not a leader is like throwing shade on a man respected by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.....

that's the kinda level Westbrook is on....
people tend to underrated him alot....

Bruh!! Go back and read. I didn't write any of those things you wrote up there. Please don't mention me anymore if you won't make an effort to even discuss with the right person you started this Westbrook ish with.


And BTW, he's pretty much rated equally for someone who loves to fill the stats sheet.

aliondo:
How did rockets blow that lead?

by allowing Harden and Gordon do the whole work and blocking out the other three players....

WeissBarlow:
Dont like this Bledsoe to Cavs rumour, especially if it dwindles the resources we need to get boogie. There IS a good case for trading Bledsoe for IT though. Healthy, much better defender, and capable 3 shooter.

I had that feeling this might be the case. He worked out with James in the summer and i was thinking is Eric planning to leave to the Cavs but now that's its all in the open that he requested a trade before the new season.Since Kyrie was leaving, he needed another PG .I thought Eric was going to the Cavs but surprised it was Isaiah.

Skywalker5:


I had that feeling this might be the case. He worked out with James in the summer and i was thinking is Eric planning to leave to the Cavs but now that's its all in the open that he requested a trade before the new season.Since Kyrie was leaving, he needed another PG .I thought Eric was going to the Cavs but surprised it was Isaiah.

Cavs tried to get Bledsoe and Josh jackson for kyrie but the Sun's refused to budge on the latter. Getting Bledsoe now is unrealistic considering how many guards the Cavs already have. Except if they can convince the Suns to take IT for him. Otherwise using other resources like the picks and TT would be myopic. Much better to use that to get boogie because he can improve the team much more than bledsoe will, that's if he's an improvement over IT to begin with. Is the team more better off with a more defensive PG in Bledsoe or a more offensive one like IT?

AndrewFarms:


calling Westbrook not a leader is like throwing shade on a man respected by Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.....

that's the kinda level Westbrook is on....
people tend to underrated him alot....

Not joining in the debate o. But he is signed to the Jordan brand and is an LA Native like Kobe is. I would hardly read meanings into their praises of him.

Not saying Russell is not a good player because he is. But he may need to learn to sacrifice a little more to see more Ws in the win column. My stance on him on this thread is well known.

rotimi9:
WTF do u mean not to loud it bro.

Oladipo scored 28,17 and 22 points in each of the pacers last 3 games.hez averaging 22 points,5 rebounds and 3 assists.Those right there are solid numbers and guess what, his team has the same record as d overrated okc team.he be a solid player now bro. It all boils down bro,Westbrook ain't a leader he makes no one better.

Calm down. I am on your side.

??

Eruditor:


Calm down. I am on your side.

AndrewFarms:


He had the help from Dwight Howard and secondly the coach system was organized to his own advantage.....

so did cp3,he had griffin(5 time all star),Crawford(3 time sixth man) , deandre Jordan,and doc rivers who led the Boston Celtics to a championship run back in 2008.All these yet cp3 never got past the 2nd round.

So did Tmac who had yao ming(7 time all star) and dikembe muntumbo(4 time defensive player of the year).yet, never got past the 2nd round.

Making it to the Western conference finals ain't easy bro,its fully stacked with the best players in the league.

Eruditor:


Not joining in the debate o. But he is signed to the Jordan brand and is an LA Native like Kobe is. I would hardly read meanings to into their praises of him.

Not saying Russell is not a good player because he is. But he may need to learn to sacrifice a little more to see more Ws in the win column. My stance on him on this thread is well known.

Kobe Bryant says Russell Westbrook is closest to him in intensity

The future Hall of Fame guard thinks Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is the closest player in the NBA to him in terms of intensity, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:

That Westbrook “rage” Kobe speaks about is a big reason why the Thunder has rebounded from a slow start to the season to win seven games in a row. Entering Thursday’s must-see matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook leads the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (34.55 – he’s only played in 11 games, but impressive nonetheless) and is playing at an MVP level. From Anthony Slater’s Thunder-Kings observations blog:

He's playing with a controlled chaos that's so rare. He's darting to the rim with that same breakneck speed, but routinely maneuvering around the basket with a smoothness we're not used to and tossing in feathery layups with either hand. His shot selection has always been criticized. His efficiency has always been used as an argument against him. But that's not a crutch his biggest skeptics can lean on right now.

Link: http://newsok.com/article/5377218
Link: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19009433


Michael Jordan says Russell Westbrook reminds him of younger self

In a promotional video for the Air Jordan XXXI shown in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, Michael Jordan compared Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook to a younger version of himself. Westbrook, as you can imagine, was a little overwhelmed by the compliment.

Westbrook, who'd never seen it before, knelt on the couch facing backwards, poking his head out from the curtains to watch his own highlight-reel clips on the big screen. Then they cut back to Jordan. "Thirty years ago, that's me," he said of Westbrook. "The attitude, trying to prove myself, showing so much passion for the game of basketball. You see it in his play. You can tell he loves the game, he plays with energy and flair."

This certainly wasn't the first time Westbrook had been compared to a young Jordan, but for Michael himself to do it, well, that was different. "That's crazy," he told us during his interview. "I really don't know what to say. To have the best player who ever played the game to say that about you as a player and as a person is something that is going to keep me striving."

Link: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-says-russell-westbrook-reminds-him-of-his-younger-self/

A few thoughts:

Jordan doesn't say that kind of thing lightly. Yes, Westbrook is a Jordan Brand athlete, but Jordan is not a man who doles out empty praise. A couple of years ago, he told ESPN's Wright Thompson that only four modern players -- LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki -- could be nearly as successful in his era. Jordan generally does not like being compared to those who came after him.

In most ways, Westbrook is nothing like Jordan. He plays point guard, not shooting guard. He is always pushing the pace, rather than sizing up the defense. He shuns media attention, appears indifferent to stardom and does not care what critics say about him. It's kind of a weird comparison.

The way Jordan framed this, it actually makes sense. The legend mentioned Westbrook's attitude, energy and passion. These three traits define him, and people around Jordan talked about this kind of thing all the time, too. Both share a maniacal drive to win, and neither of them tried to hide that on the court.

The obvious connection to make here: Next season, Westbrook will truly need a Jordan-like approach for the first time in his career. Kevin Durant will no longer be around to take late-game shots or to be the face and voice of the organization. As well as being the Thunder's most talented player, Westbrook is their longest-tenured aside from backup big man Nick Collison. As CBS Sports' Ethan Skolnick put it, he will unquestionably be the leading man, and this might be the role for which he's best suited.

rotimi9:
so did cp3,he had griffin(5 time all star),Crawford(3 time sixth man) , deandre Jordan,and doc rivers who led the Boston Celtics to a championship run back in 2008.All these yet cp3 never got past the 2nd round.

So did Tmac who had yao ming(7 time all star) and dikembe muntumbo(4 time defensive player of the year).yet, never got past the 2nd round.

Making it to the Western conference finals ain't easy bro,its fully stacked with the best players in the league.

that's why you need to appreciate Westbrook and the OKC for making it to the western conference finals twice, once with durant and harden, and the other alone

AndrewFarms:


Kobe Bryant says Russell Westbrook is closest to him in intensity

The future Hall of Fame guard thinks Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is the closest player in the NBA to him in terms of intensity, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:

That Westbrook “rage” Kobe speaks about is a big reason why the Thunder has rebounded from a slow start to the season to win seven games in a row. Entering Thursday’s must-see matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook leads the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (34.55 – he’s only played in 11 games, but impressive nonetheless) and is playing at an MVP level. From Anthony Slater’s Thunder-Kings observations blog:

He's playing with a controlled chaos that's so rare. He's darting to the rim with that same breakneck speed, but routinely maneuvering around the basket with a smoothness we're not used to and tossing in feathery layups with either hand. His shot selection has always been criticized. His efficiency has always been used as an argument against him. But that's not a crutch his biggest skeptics can lean on right now.

Link: http://newsok.com/article/5377218
Link: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19009433


Michael Jordan says Russell Westbrook reminds him of younger self

In a promotional video for the Air Jordan XXXI shown in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, Michael Jordan compared Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook to a younger version of himself. Westbrook, as you can imagine, was a little overwhelmed by the compliment.

Westbrook, who'd never seen it before, knelt on the couch facing backwards, poking his head out from the curtains to watch his own highlight-reel clips on the big screen. Then they cut back to Jordan. "Thirty years ago, that's me," he said of Westbrook. "The attitude, trying to prove myself, showing so much passion for the game of basketball. You see it in his play. You can tell he loves the game, he plays with energy and flair."

This certainly wasn't the first time Westbrook had been compared to a young Jordan, but for Michael himself to do it, well, that was different. "That's crazy," he told us during his interview. "I really don't know what to say. To have the best player who ever played the game to say that about you as a player and as a person is something that is going to keep me striving."

Link: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-says-russell-westbrook-reminds-him-of-his-younger-self/

A few thoughts:

Jordan doesn't say that kind of thing lightly. Yes, Westbrook is a Jordan Brand athlete, but Jordan is not a man who doles out empty praise. A couple of years ago, he told ESPN's Wright Thompson that only four modern players -- LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki -- could be nearly as successful in his era. Jordan generally does not like being compared to those who came after him.

In most ways, Westbrook is nothing like Jordan. He plays point guard, not shooting guard. He is always pushing the pace, rather than sizing up the defense. He shuns media attention, appears indifferent to stardom and does not care what critics say about him. It's kind of a weird comparison.

The way Jordan framed this, it actually makes sense. The legend mentioned Westbrook's attitude, energy and passion. These three traits define him, and people around Jordan talked about this kind of thing all the time, too. Both share a maniacal drive to win, and neither of them tried to hide that on the court.

The obvious connection to make here: Next season, Westbrook will truly need a Jordan-like approach for the first time in his career. Kevin Durant will no longer be around to take late-game shots or to be the face and voice of the organization. As well as being the Thunder's most talented player, Westbrook is their longest-tenured aside from backup big man Nick Collison. As CBS Sports' Ethan Skolnick put it, he will unquestionably be the leading man, and this might be the role for which he's best suited.

Intensity does not translate to leadership. Having two of the most selfish players of all time comparing you to themselves does not in any way say anything good about your leadership.

And BTW Jeffrey is a ruthless business man, stop saying he wouldn't just say things like this for the sake of it because he will.

I like Brodie. Is he a better leader than Durant? Sure. But stop trying to make him out as if he's some transcendent Jesus reincarnate. He's not.

AndrewFarms:


that's why you need to appreciate Westbrook and the OKC for making it to the western conference finals twice, once with durant and harden, and the other alone

Westbrook has never made it to the WCF without Durant.

AndrewFarms:


that's why you need to appreciate Westbrook and the OKC for making it to the western conference finals twice, once with durant and harden, and the other alone

nah he never made it alone

AndrewFarms:


Kobe Bryant says Russell Westbrook is closest to him in intensity

The future Hall of Fame guard thinks Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is the closest player in the NBA to him in terms of intensity, according to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:

That Westbrook “rage” Kobe speaks about is a big reason why the Thunder has rebounded from a slow start to the season to win seven games in a row. Entering Thursday’s must-see matchup against the Golden State Warriors, Westbrook leads the NBA in Player Efficiency Rating (34.55 – he’s only played in 11 games, but impressive nonetheless) and is playing at an MVP level. From Anthony Slater’s Thunder-Kings observations blog:

He's playing with a controlled chaos that's so rare. He's darting to the rim with that same breakneck speed, but routinely maneuvering around the basket with a smoothness we're not used to and tossing in feathery layups with either hand. His shot selection has always been criticized. His efficiency has always been used as an argument against him. But that's not a crutch his biggest skeptics can lean on right now.

Link: http://newsok.com/article/5377218
Link: http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=19009433


Michael Jordan says Russell Westbrook reminds him of younger self

In a promotional video for the Air Jordan XXXI shown in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago, Michael Jordan compared Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook to a younger version of himself. Westbrook, as you can imagine, was a little overwhelmed by the compliment.

Westbrook, who'd never seen it before, knelt on the couch facing backwards, poking his head out from the curtains to watch his own highlight-reel clips on the big screen. Then they cut back to Jordan. "Thirty years ago, that's me," he said of Westbrook. "The attitude, trying to prove myself, showing so much passion for the game of basketball. You see it in his play. You can tell he loves the game, he plays with energy and flair."

This certainly wasn't the first time Westbrook had been compared to a young Jordan, but for Michael himself to do it, well, that was different. "That's crazy," he told us during his interview. "I really don't know what to say. To have the best player who ever played the game to say that about you as a player and as a person is something that is going to keep me striving."

Link: https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-says-russell-westbrook-reminds-him-of-his-younger-self/

A few thoughts:

Jordan doesn't say that kind of thing lightly. Yes, Westbrook is a Jordan Brand athlete, but Jordan is not a man who doles out empty praise. A couple of years ago, he told ESPN's Wright Thompson that only four modern players -- LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki -- could be nearly as successful in his era. Jordan generally does not like being compared to those who came after him.

In most ways, Westbrook is nothing like Jordan. He plays point guard, not shooting guard. He is always pushing the pace, rather than sizing up the defense. He shuns media attention, appears indifferent to stardom and does not care what critics say about him. It's kind of a weird comparison.

The way Jordan framed this, it actually makes sense. The legend mentioned Westbrook's attitude, energy and passion. These three traits define him, and people around Jordan talked about this kind of thing all the time, too. Both share a maniacal drive to win, and neither of them tried to hide that on the court.

The obvious connection to make here: Next season, Westbrook will truly need a Jordan-like approach for the first time in his career. Kevin Durant will no longer be around to take late-game shots or to be the face and voice of the organization. As well as being the Thunder's most talented player, Westbrook is their longest-tenured aside from backup big man Nick Collison. As CBS Sports' Ethan Skolnick put it, he will unquestionably be the leading man, and this might be the role for which he's best suited.

I bet you more than half of basketball greats and legends will tell you westbrook is their favorite player today because he plays like the days when the NBA was not soft.

Even Iverson says westbrook is his favorite. As an OKC fan,to be honest...Westbrook needs to leave the stats,work on his decision making (esp.during vital times in the game like 4th quarters) and focus on how to win a ring except he will tell me he plays for stats. I trust him to do that this season now he has Melo and P.G and lets see how it turns out.

aliondo:


I bet you more than half of basketball greats and legends will tell you westbrook is their favorite player today because he plays like the days when the NBA was not soft.

Even Iverson says westbrook is his favorite. As an OKC fan,to be honest...Westbrook needs to leave the stats,work on his decision making (esp.during vital times in the game like 4th quarters) and focus on how to win a ring except he will tell me he plays for stats. I trust him to do that this season now he has Melo and P.G and lets see how it turns out.

You just hit the nail on the head but that dude is just all about standing up for Westbrook as if we compared him to Jeff Teague.. OKC last two games showed Westbrook still hasn't learnt how to run the floor as a leader in dire moments. They still played ISOs like Melo did in New York and PG in Indiana. There is still time for "THE TEAM" to adjust and I think they will adjust. But I hope they keep playing ISOs and Westbrook keeps filling the stats sheets cos it'll make the playoffs so easy



Westbrook ins't better leader than Kevin Durant!!!

WeissBarlow:


Intensity does not translate to leadership. Having two of the most selfish players of all time comparing you to themselves does not in any way say anything good about your leadership.

And BTW Jeffrey is a ruthless business man, stop saying he wouldn't just say things like this for the sake of it because he will.

I like Brodie. Is he a better leader than Durant? Sure. But stop trying to make him out as if he's some transcendent Jesus reincarnate. He's not.

I endorse this message apart from the KD part