National Basketball Association Action.

[Rookie Okie]

Rubio is among the elite in the NBA when it comes to a pure point guard.  He is very methodical when it comes to breaking down the defense.  

Thunder's Westbrook is not a true point guard; however, he does complement the pieces and deficiencies OKC currently have in place.

Rubio is not an elite PG, and not in the top 5 or 10 best at the position (exclusive of injured D. Rose and just returning R. Rondo). While he has good stats for assists, steals, and rebounds, his overall play is not as impressive as that of the leaders.  Off the top of my head he is not in the class of C. Paul, S. Curry, T. Parker, J. Wall, D. Lillard, T. Lawson, K. Irving, and D. Williams.  I could go on.   His team was predicted to be a playoff team this season and started out promising, and they have underperformed to this point in large measure due to his inability to score (either won't or can't get going offensively).  His shooting is so horrific that defenders just leave him alone to double other players.  Little JJ Berea gives much more of an offensive punch coming off the bench.  Rubio is currently the subject of a lot of trade rumors, but has been difficult to unload.  As the #5 overall pick and the 1st PG taken in the 2009 draft, more was expected of him and he has not lived up to the hype.  Not only did the T-Wolves take him and Flynn as PG's with the #5 and #6 picks, they also took another PG Ty Lawson with the #18 pick in the same draft!  They traded him right away to the Nuggets where he's worked out great.  Did they trade the wrong guy out of the 3?

[Laramie]

Rubio is not an elite PG, and not in the top 5 or 10 best at the position (exclusive of injured D. Rose and just returning R. Rondo). While he has good stats for assists, steals, and rebounds, his overall play is not as impressive as that of the leaders.  Off the top of my head he is not in the class of C. Paul, S. Curry, T. Parker, J. Wall, D. Lillard, T. Lawson, K. Irving, and D. Williams.  I could go on.   His team was predicted to be a playoff team this season and started out promising, and they have underperformed to this point in large measure due to his inability to score (either won't or can't get going offensively).  His shooting is so horrific that defenders just leave him alone to double other players.  Little JJ Berea gives much more of an offensive punch coming off the bench.  Rubio is currently the subject of a lot of trade rumors, but has been difficult to unload.  As the #5 overall pick and the 1st PG taken in the 2009 draft, more was expected of him and he has not lived up to the hype.  Not only did the T-Wolves take him and Flynn as PG's with the #5 and #6 picks, they also took another PG Ty Lawson with the #18 pick in the same draft!  They traded him right away to the Nuggets where he's worked out great.  Did they trade the wrong guy out of the 3?

Good points, you're very knowledgeable about the NBA.

[RecycleMichael]

I have Paul, Rubio, and Westbrook on my fantasy basketball roster. I compare the stats of all players by position and make many roster moves per season looking for the hot player.  You guys watch basketball and compare other skills besides stats. All I care about is production.

Rubio is a top five point guard this year in almost every category.

Stats are math, not opinion.

[Laramie]

I have Paul, Rubio, and Westbrook on my fantasy basketball roster. I compare the stats of all players by position and make many roster moves per season looking for the hot player.  You guys watch basketball and compare other skills besides stats. All I care about is production.

Rubio is a top five point guard this year in almost every category.

Stats are math, not opinion.

Agree,  Rubio's' stats are impressive...

That was my point about Rubio being more of a pure point guard than Westbrook.   Rookie Okie and I were discussing the elite status.  One source I checked had Rubio at 16 among the top 30 point guards in the NBA.  Post Westbrook, most NBA teams are shifting toward a point guard who is a shooter as well as a distributor.

http://www.complex.com/sports/2013/10/nba-point-guard-rankings-2013-14/

My overall assessment of Rubio; he is a pure point guard.  I'm was surprised hearing that Minnesota T-Wolves might be trying to unload him.  Rubio is on the books making roughly $3.7 million.  He (Rubio) wants to play for New York, Chicago or Los Angeles.  It's not likely that he's going to get into any of these markets anytime soon.

[Rookie Okie]

Rubio is probably a good fantasy pick.  It just doesn't jibe with reality.   I believe some of what makes Rubio a good fantasy pick also heightened the buzz around him at draft time that led the T-wolves to overreach for him in their selection.  On top of that he opted not to join the team until 2 seasons later (maybe he knew he wasn't ready).  

I agree stats are math, but when used effectively they can help us understand weaknesses or areas of opportunity for improvement.  His shooting is poor, scoring is paltry and both have declined in his 3 seasons.  When opponents are doubling and tripling K-Love at his expense, he simply must up his offensive game.

Now with Westbrook, the fantasy is the REALITY!

AND THE THUNDER JUST COMPLETED A FANTASY LIKE FINISH OF THE TRAILBALZERS 105 - 97!!! Talking about some payback!  Another 40+ night (46 points) for the league's MVP K.D.!

[RecycleMichael]

Rubio a good guy...

http://deadspin.com/ricky-rubio-practices-bounce-passes-with-little-girl-du-1506336074?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

[Laramie]

Rubio started playing professional basketball in 2005 with the Spanish ACB League at age 14. 

He is currently on the books for $3.7 million annually with the Timberwolves.  His stats are not all that impressive; however IMHO he is a true point guard.  Through 41 games he currently logs 31.4 MPG, averages 8.6 PPG, 85% FTM, 8.2 APG, .371 FTP, 2.7 TOPG.

MPG=minutes per game
PPG=points per game
FTM=free throws made
APG=assists per game
FTP=free throw percentage
TOPG=turnovers per game



 

[RecycleMichael]

Rubio also rarely turns the ball over averaging less than 2.4 per game. Curry is over 4 per game and Westbrook is over 4.4.

Rubio also leads the league at his position for steals per game at 2.7 per game. Curry is 1.9 and Westbrook is 1.8.

Point guard play ain't all about points scored. Half the turnovers and 50% more steals is worth noting.

Don't get me wrong, I love Westbrook and Curry is a beast, but you guys act like Rubio is cat food.

[Laramie]

NBA All-Star Full Roster & Reserves for 2014.   List and Analysis for East and West

Eastern Conference Starters

Starters
BC Dwyane Wade  
BC Kyrie Irving
FC LeBron James
FC Paul George  
FC Carmelo Anthony

Reserves
BC John Wall
BC DeMar DeRozan  
BC Joe Johnson
FC Roy Hibbert  
FC Joakim Noah
FC Paul Millsap

Western Conference Starters

Starters  
BC Stephen Curry
BC Kobe Bryant
FC Kevin Durant
FC Blake Griffin  
FC Kevin Love

Reserves
BC Chris Paul  
BC Damian Lillard  
BC Tony Parker
BC James Harden  
FC LaMarcus Aldridge  
FC Dirk Nowitzki
FC Dwight Howard  

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1942347-nba-all-star-reserves-2014-full-roster-list-and-analysis-for-east-and-west

[Rookie Okie]

Rubio also rarely turns the ball over averaging less than 2.4 per game. Curry is over 4 per game and Westbrook is over 4.4.

Rubio also leads the league at his position for steals per game at 2.7 per game. Curry is 1.9 and Westbrook is 1.8.

Point guard play ain't all about points scored. Half the turnovers and 50% more steals is worth noting.

Don't get me wrong, I love Westbrook and Curry is a beast, but you guys act like Rubio is cat food.

More like cat smoot than cat food is what comes to mind. 

RR is alright, just saying what others have stated in that he is somewhat disappointing from all of the hype.  PG guard play isn't all about points but his scoring needs to rise since his team is underachieving.  Again, due to his offensive deficiencies teams totally ignore him as a threat to shoot and score, and double and triple his teammates.  He isn't even a threat if and when he is in the lane near the basket. He'll just go underneath the goal or run the baseline and pass it back out.  If Curry and Wesbrook consistently give me 20+ points a night as they do, I can live with 4 turnovers because they are delivering solid productivity.  Westbrook is hustling and really getting after it, so his highly energized style of play and athleticism may lead to a turnover here or there.  He is often willing to take more risks which lead to an occasional turnover, but more often than not his extra efforts create advantages for him and his teammates. 

Stats can be effective when they are used to improve a situation (and apparently RR and his operatives aren't using them for said purpose), otherwise they can be meaningless.

[RecycleMichael]

Westbrook hasn't played for a month and his team is playing better without him. How valuable can he be?

[Laramie]

Westbrook hasn't played for a month and his team is playing better without him. How valuable can he be?

Million dollar question?  It's going to be tough for a small market team like OKC to resign Kevin Durant, Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and  Thabo Sefolosha for the upcoming seasons.  Will there be enough money to retain what Westbrook's market may demand?   

[Rookie Okie]

Westbrook hasn't played for a month and his team is playing better without him. How valuable can he be?

You will see when he returns.  Clearly the 2nd best player on the team, and inarguably one of the league's 10 best.  With him, OKC could/ should be favored to win the NBA title this year.  Without him, those odds are lessened.  What we're witnessing now in addition to Durant's MVP in the bag performance is the other players feeding off his play and improving their own.  The Thunder definitely need to get as much out of everyone, but it will not be enough without Westbrook if they get into June.  The further a team goes in the playoffs, it will need consistent production from its stars because the role players (especially the inexperienced) will not always step up and be counted on under the mounting pressure.  If the Thunder make it to the finals against either the Pacers or Heat more than likely, they will be facing extremely tough defenses.  Westbrook could be the x-factor when Durant is doubled or tripled and the other teammates don't respond.  Westbrook is a fearless warrior who is not afraid of pressure.  I've not seen him freeze up.  His previous finals experience will be to the Thunder's advantage.

[Rookie Okie]

Million dollar question?  It's going to be tough for a small market team like OKC to resign Kevin Durant, Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and  Thabo Sefolosha for the upcoming seasons.  Will there be enough money to retain what Westbrook's market may demand?   

A lot of this will hinge on Durant.  Many insiders who are close to him believe he wants to win more than be paid the king's ransom that Brooklyn, the Lakers or other suitors will dangle in front.  So the current indicators point to him remaining with the Thunder.  The Lebron James model of sacrificing salary for success has now been well proven, so it might make sense to follow that here as well.  Most teams can no longer afford to retain all of their core (not necessarily star) players in any sized market over multiple seasons, so it likely isn't possible or necessary to sign each of the other 3 you mention. 

Remember the Thunder couldn't resign Harden after 2012, but now have completely overcome that loss (mainly the disruption in chemistry that it caused).  Last year some observers said the team was no longer championship caliber, but now in just the 2nd season since his departure they are definitely back to the upper echelon.  Understand the priorities for signing are Durant and Westbrook, continue to run a class organization, keep doing the best to manage the rest, and the Thunder should remain successful.  Keep in mind, good players would like come to play with Durant no matter where he is or lands, so it may not be as difficult to acquire and maintain talent (to offset players lost to free agency) in OKC as it might appear given the small market size.

Thunder 120 - Nets 95!  Go Thunder! Go Thunder!

[Laramie]

You will see when he returns.  Clearly the 2nd best player on the team, and inarguably one of the league's 10 best.  With him, OKC could/ should be favored to win the NBA title this year.  Without him, those odds are lessened.  What we're witnessing now in addition to Durant's MVP in the bag performance is the other players feeding off his play and improving their own.  The Thunder definitely need to get as much out of everyone, but it will not be enough without Westbrook if they get into June.  The further a team goes in the playoffs, it will need consistent production from its stars because the role players (especially the inexperienced) will not always step up and be counted on under the mounting pressure.  If the Thunder make it to the finals against either the Pacers or Heat more than likely, they will be facing extremely tough defenses.  Westbrook could be the x-factor when Durant is doubled or tripled and the other teammates don't respond.  Westbrook is a fearless warrior who is not afraid of pressure.  I've not seen him freeze up.  His previous finals experience will be to the Thunder's advantage.

Good 120-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Interesting point Rookie Okie: Jackson's height is becoming a concern because he has trouble passing the ball when trapped by a double-team as was seen in the Thunder-Heat game on Wednesday night.

Critics will be putting Westbrook under the microscope when he returns to see if the team plays better with him.  Thunder plays better with Durant, Westbrook & Jackson on the floor.

Reports are that the Thunder made $30 million last year season (2012-12); however, the owners were hemorrhaging money after purchasing the team from Starbucks' magnet Howard Schultz group losing nearly $60 million before relocating from Seattle.

We'll see how much they value the potential of winning an NBA championship vs. the financial aspects of the bottom line on the books...