Russell Westbrook

[Kingster]

http://clipperblog.com/index.php?itemid=579

I think this analysis is accurate. Personally, I think he'll better than Rondo, however.

 

[Jespher]

Love the write up. I'm growing into a Westbrook fan, as he is consistently described as the best guard defender in the draft. I lke the way this link describes his playmaking ability as a passer too. In the pros that will be a major plus and extend the longevity of his career. That finishing ability in the highlight video is also pretty amazing.

 

[=LarryLegend=]

I am sure Artest would love the pick, Westbrook and Artest would def help out defensive break down....but we need to know for sure he can be a ft point guard....

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

westbrook is 'officially' my pick ... at least for now, i just dont feel like there are good enough big man where we pick and westbrook could be a stud who will create mismatch problems at the point because of his size .. as far as his abililty to play the point, i think he will be much better than delonte west at running it ( i dont think delonte is that bad at all, but he wasnt a pg coming out of college ) annd god knows we need defensive help.

 

[bajaden]

westbrook is 'officially' my pick ... at least for now, i just dont feel like there are good enough big man where we pick and westbrook could be a stud who will create mismatch problems at the point because of his size .. as far as his abililty to play the point, i think he will be much better than delonte west at running it ( i dont think delonte is that bad at all, but he wasnt a pg coming out of college ) annd god knows we need defensive help.

Here's the deal. This is a rare draft, because for a change, there is a surplus of very talented big men in it. There are players that in other years would be lottery picks that will be pushed down in the draft. And there are players that in other years would be first round picks, that will be pushed down into the second round.

With the 12th pick, if we do our homework, we have a chance to aquire a big man that should be pretty good in this league. If were lucky, maybe a star. This is not a year to take a 6'3" maybe he can play point guard, unless your damm sure he's head and shoulders above any big man you can take. Westbrook is a gamble. If I have to take a gamble, I'll take it with someone who is 6'11". A lot has been made of Westbrook's defense and rightly so, but Douby was noted for his defense and people aren't that excited about him at the moment.

The old rule of thumb is that if you have to choose between a good big man and a good small man, you always take the big man, because their harder to come by.

 

[SacKings7]

Here's the deal. This is a rare draft, because for a change, there is a surplus of very talented big men in it. There are players that in other years would be lottery picks that will be pushed down in the draft. And there are players that in other years would be first round picks, that will be pushed down into the second round.

With the 12th pick, if we do our homework, we have a chance to aquire a big man that should be pretty good in this league. If were lucky, maybe a star. This is not a year to take a 6'3" maybe he can play point guard, unless your damm sure he's head and shoulders above any big man you can take. Westbrook is a gamble. If I have to take a gamble, I'll take it with someone who is 6'11". A lot has been made of Westbrook's defense and rightly so, but Douby was noted for his defense and people aren't that excited about him at the moment.

The old rule of thumb is that if you have to choose between a good big man and a good small man, you always take the big man, because their harder to come by.

I disagree. This seems like any normal draft to me with regards to how many big men are available. If anything, I'd say there's a surplus of quality PG's in this draft.

I agree with the last part of your post however. You always take the risk with a good big man

 

[Smills91]

Barring we move up in the draft(1-3) and that Love doesn't fall to 12, I'd really REALLY hope Westbrook is there at #12 and that Petrie selects him.

 

[PurpleHaze]

The Kings will not draft Russell Westbrook with their first rounder, IMO. He came out of nowhere this season to rise so far up on projected boards. Before past season no one had him in the first round and just about no one had him going in the second. I'm not saying he's not an impressive little 6'3" 187 lb. guard, but the risk is there. One year wonder, maybe can't be converted to PG, etc. Petrie is well aware that in reality there's a good sized list of "Westbrook like or Westbrook lite" players out there for the choosing - several in the 2nd round. Looks too much like Douby for me. If QD gets traded then maybe (and a big maybe) I'd consider Westbrook with Kings first pick. Otherwise, better to pick a Westbrook type in the 2nd round.

It's simply got to be the best quality big man available to shore up rebounding for the Kings, show some kind of intimidating force on the inside - which is totally lacking as the team is currently constructed.

 

[MassachusettsKingsFan]

Here's the deal. This is a rare draft, because for a change, there is a surplus of very talented big men in it. There are players that in other years would be lottery picks that will be pushed down in the draft. And there are players that in other years would be first round picks, that will be pushed down into the second round.

With the 12th pick, if we do our homework, we have a chance to aquire a big man that should be pretty good in this league. If were lucky, maybe a star. This is not a year to take a 6'3" maybe he can play point guard, unless your damm sure he's head and shoulders above any big man you can take. Westbrook is a gamble. If I have to take a gamble, I'll take it with someone who is 6'11". A lot has been made of Westbrook's defense and rightly so, but Douby was noted for his defense and people aren't that excited about him at the moment.

The old rule of thumb is that if you have to choose between a good big man and a good small man, you always take the big man, because their harder to come by.

agree to disagree then i suppose, i just feel that with this draft the dropoff of bigmen talent isnt that great where after the first 15 picks all the good pgs are gone .. for big men you have mcgee, speights ect in our range .. then later in the first / second rounds you have koufos, hardin, lopez, hibbert, anderson and the euro bigs teams take chances on ...

of course this all changes if we win the lottery or at least move up a bit

 

[Vlade4GM]

I disagree. This seems like any normal draft to me with regards to how many big men are available. If anything, I'd say there's a surplus of quality PG's in this draft.

I agree with the last part of your post however. You always take the risk with a good big man

Dude, there is not a surplus of quality PG's. Sure it has a great one in Rose, but outside that the next real PG is DJ Augustin and after that the next real one is Ty Lawson who is way down on mocks right now. And that's about it for true PG's in the first round. The rest are all combo guards at best.

 

[bajaden]

I disagree. This seems like any normal draft to me with regards to how many big men are available. If anything, I'd say there's a surplus of quality PG's in this draft.

I agree with the last part of your post however. You always take the risk with a good big man

Well, we can agree to disagree. I've been following the draft for a long time and I watch a lot of college bb. I could name around ten players that I would have taken over Pervis Ellison. As far as Pt guards go, there's only two that I would consider lottery picks. One is Rose and the other is Augustine. I don't consider Mayo a true pt guard and I don't consider Westbrook a true pt guard. If I had to pick between the two of them becoming a pt, I would lay my money on Mayo, who reminds me of a Wade type of player. Nothing wrond with that, anyone would love to have Dwayne Wade on his team.

 

[bajaden]

agree to disagree then i suppose, i just feel that with this draft the dropoff of bigmen talent isnt that great where after the first 15 picks all the good pgs are gone .. for big men you have mcgee, speights ect in our range .. then later in the first / second rounds you have koufos, hardin, lopez, hibbert, anderson and the euro bigs teams take chances on ...

of course this all changes if we win the lottery or at least move up a bit

Hey, if we win the lottery, we'll have a different conservation. Hope springs eternal...

 

[Gary]

I disagree. This seems like any normal draft to me with regards to how many big men are available. If anything, I'd say there's a surplus of quality PG's in this draft.

I agree with the last part of your post however. You always take the risk with a good big man

HUH??? You got to be kidding.. This is a HUGE draft for PF/C.. I counted 13 players that are in the latest mock draft that can play PF. That's almost half the first round at one position.

As for players that can play PG there are 5. 7 If you count Lawson, and Chalmers, but imo one of the two or maybe even both won't be drafted int he first round, because there will be "best available" players that are better than both of them in the 20s that will be drafted above them.

 

[Gary]

Well, we can agree to disagree. I've been following the draft for a long time and I watch a lot of college bb. I could name around ten players that I would have taken over Pervis Ellison. As far as Pt guards go, there's only two that I would consider lottery picks. One is Rose and the other is Augustine. I don't consider Mayo a true pt guard and I don't consider Westbrook a true pt guard. If I had to pick between the two of them becoming a pt, I would lay my money on Mayo, who reminds me of a Wade type of player. Nothing wrond with that, anyone would love to have Dwayne Wade on his team.

You forgot Bayless But you are right.. There are at least 3x the quality PFs in the first round (even the second as well) then there are PGs.

 

[SacKings7]

Well, we can agree to disagree. I've been following the draft for a long time and I watch a lot of college bb. I could name around ten players that I would have taken over Pervis Ellison. As far as Pt guards go, there's only two that I would consider lottery picks. One is Rose and the other is Augustine. I don't consider Mayo a true pt guard and I don't consider Westbrook a true pt guard. If I had to pick between the two of them becoming a pt, I would lay my money on Mayo, who reminds me of a Wade type of player. Nothing wrond with that, anyone would love to have Dwayne Wade on his team.

I don't watch much college basketball (other than a few games during March Madness) so I'll take ur word for it. I just remember hearing throughout the season that this draft would be be full of starting caliber PG's. And the lottery kind of is IMO with Rose, Augustine, Mayo, Westbrook, and Bayless. I think they'll all have successful careers, although I see Mayo playing more SG

 

[Vlade4GM]

Mayo will be a SG most likely since most of the teams that are in the place to get him have an opening at the 2. Bayless will probably end up being a PG, but he'll by no means play like one; I don't even think he has as much playmaking ability as Arenas. Until Westbrook dramatically improves his ball handling ability he is in no fashion a PG.

 

[Gary]

Mayo will be a SG most likely since most of the teams that are in the place to get him have an opening at the 2. Bayless will probably end up being a PG, but he'll by no means play like one; I don't even think he has as much playmaking ability as Arenas. Until Westbrook dramatically improves his ball handling ability he is in no fashion a PG.

Yah, Mayo Screams Dwane Wade (position wise). While Wade doesn't play traditional PG you will see him lead the team he's on in assist year in and year out. Same will probably hold true for Mayo. I think it would be a tragedy to see a team try to mold Mayo into a pure PG. I just don't see it working out. Mayo is a baller, and trying to change him would take away from his overall game.

 

[bajaden]

You forgot Bayless But you are right.. There are at least 3x the quality PFs in the first round (even the second as well) then there are PGs.

Man, how could I forget Bayless. Don't get old dude. Now if I can just remember my wife's name...

 

[Vlade4GM]

Yah, Mayo Screams Dwane Wade (position wise). While Wade doesn't play traditional PG you will see him lead the team he's on in assist year in and year out. Same will probably hold true for Mayo. I think it would be a tragedy to see a team try to mold Mayo into a pure PG. I just don't see it working out. Mayo is a baller, and trying to change him would take away from his overall game.

I think he can play PG just like I think Wade can play PG, coming out of HS Mayo got a lot of hype as a big PG. He can have success either way and he'll probably play pretty much the same game regardless, but he'll never be a true PG, although a Billups type game isn't out of the question. Chances are he'll be slotted as a 2 though.

 

[mm16]

he has my vote. i hope we pick him up.

 

[Big Cuz 15]

i wouldn't be upset if we picked this kid up not in the top 3

 

[Kingster]

Here's the deal. This is a rare draft, because for a change, there is a surplus of very talented big men in it. There are players that in other years would be lottery picks that will be pushed down in the draft. And there are players that in other years would be first round picks, that will be pushed down into the second round.

With the 12th pick, if we do our homework, we have a chance to aquire a big man that should be pretty good in this league. If were lucky, maybe a star. This is not a year to take a 6'3" maybe he can play point guard, unless your damm sure he's head and shoulders above any big man you can take. Westbrook is a gamble. If I have to take a gamble, I'll take it with someone who is 6'11". A lot has been made of Westbrook's defense and rightly so, but Douby was noted for his defense and people aren't that excited about him at the moment.

The old rule of thumb is that if you have to choose between a good big man and a good small man, you always take the big man, because their harder to come by.

Douby was known for his scoring, not his D

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Russ has got my vote aswell. With point guards like Paul, Williams, Rose in the league now we are going to need an Athletic defensive point to slow them down.

Spencer will be taught the passing that Vlade taught Miller so we wont need a true point like when we had Bibby.

Wouldnt it finally be nice to see a point guard not penetrate at will on us? Especially with the lack of shotblockers we have.

I do reconize that we need a PF but I just dont see the PF star that we need in this draft..

Point Guard skills can be learned and this kid as all the tools to learn them. If we do get Russ and train him properly we could have our very own Baron Davis type point on our hands and how sick would that be!!!

SELECT RUSSEL WESTBROOK GEOFF!

 

[Vlade4GM]

PG intangibles really can't be learned and ball handling skills (which Westbrook lacks for a PG right now) aren't really that easy to improve.

 

[Dime Dropper]

PG intangibles really can't be learned and ball handling skills (which Westbrook lacks for a PG right now) aren't really that easy to improve.

I agree on your main point that Westbrook will probably never be a "true" PG, but I disagree on the ball handling. Ball handling is easily improved if you put in the hard work. If he works hard in the off-season for a few seasons his handle will be very good. It's already solid, but that's all. I'm not trying to nitpick or anything, just saying what I feel (as a PG myself, obviously not comparable to this situation!).

 

[Smills91]

My assessment of Russell Westbrook:

YES PLEASE!

 

[Vlade4GM]

I agree on your main point that Westbrook will probably never be a "true" PG, but I disagree on the ball handling. Ball handling is easily improved if you put in the hard work. If he works hard in the off-season for a few seasons his handle will be very good. It's already solid, but that's all. I'm not trying to nitpick or anything, just saying what I feel (as a PG myself, obviously not comparable to this situation!).

Well the scouting reports I've read and gotten from people I know generally agree that his ball handling is just average, and not very good under pressure. The very first thing I'd want from our PG if they're not even going to be a true PG is that they can handle the ball under pressure, that's my biggest requirement. Westbrook hasn't shown he can do that. Also, Westbrook has no shot to speak of. Having avg handles and a mediocre at best shot? That's a really long way to go for a PG, he's not a PG and betting on him dramatically improving his game to become a PG is a really bad bet.

Examples of players who have significantly improved their ball handling to PG level?

 

[beb0p]

My rule of thumb is you should never draft a similar player that you can sign via FA. If you really want a big athletic combo guard who can't shoot or make plays, by golly, just go sign Keyon Dooling.

Btw, those of you who think Westbrook is the next Baron Davis are dreaming.

 

[Arby's Roast Beef]

Another reason why I'm so high on Westbrook is that it sparks memories of Rajon Rondo; I remember at the 2006 NBA Draft, I was calling for Rondo, but instead we got Douby, and while Douby's had his flashes with us, Rondo's absolutely thriving with the Celts. I know I've got a huge preference for athletic speedsters with built in defensive reputations from the moment they step into the league, but the truth is those attributes are hard to find, and really explains why Westbrook is that high up in the draft. I mean, the UCLA system limits athletes of his caliber, he's not putting up the best numbers, and as all of you have already delineated he's not really polished--suspect shot, suspect ballhandling skills--but polish is really improvable, and he's young and he's got years to hone that in the league. Physical tools--you either have it or you don't. Westbrook is up there solely on potential, but his strengths are placed in areas which are rare in the NBA, making him an even greater commodity; keep in mind he wasn't even on the draft radar prior to the start of his sophomore year, and now he's all the rage and has even arguably "kicked" Darren Collison out of this year's draft, not to mention surpassed him in terms of draft stock. I mean, there's a reason why guys like Tyler Hansbrough have to stay all four years in college despite putting up gaudy, great numbers, and why guys who can't even match Hansbrough's productivity for even a single season can even be a lottery pick; the NBA preaches physical tools.

 

[Dime Dropper]

Well the scouting reports I've read and gotten from people I know generally agree that his ball handling is just average, and not very good under pressure. The very first thing I'd want from our PG if they're not even going to be a true PG is that they can handle the ball under pressure, that's my biggest requirement. Westbrook hasn't shown he can do that. Also, Westbrook has no shot to speak of. Having avg handles and a mediocre at best shot? That's a really long way to go for a PG, he's not a PG and betting on him dramatically improving his game to become a PG is a really bad bet.

Examples of players who have significantly improved their ball handling to PG level?

I'm not saying you're wrong, nor am I disagreeing with you. I was just making a sweeping statement about improving ball handling skills. Maybe not the best arguement (sweeping statements), but just a little input.
You're right about his shot not being a strong point. I've only seen him manning the PG spot a few times and his handle has been nothing special. However I haven't seen him turn the ball over a lot due to poor ball handling. That's why I used the word "solid". Of course, this is college and he will have to do it in the NBA.
The 12th pick is almost always going to be a pick based on talent and potential. Westbrook would be an exciting pick. Not that I'd be against taking someone like Speights or McGee or anything.