TripleThreat wrote:

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/houston-rockets/russell-westbrook-6141/

Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis, Russell Westbrook was scheduled to make $38,506,482. The former MVP was averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in his first season with James Harden and the Rockets.

Westbrook is set to make $41,358,814 in 2020-21 and $44,211,146 in 2021-22. He has a player option worth $47,063,478 for the 2022-23 campaign.

https://fansided.com/2019/04/22/nylon-calculus-westbrook-struggling-peaked/

It’s been well-recorded that NBA players peak anywhere from ages 24 through 29 and even 30 (differences largely occur from the scope of data being looked at). Typically, players suffer a steep decline in production after the age of 30 years old.

The Vice Sports article linked above describes the age effect in the NBA, from research conducted on pay and performance linked here. In it David Berri writes,

When it comes to NBA player performance, age really matters.

Younger players, of course, can get better with age. In general, though, once players reach their 30th birthdays, they start to curdle like milk.

And we know that Russell Westbrook just turned 30 years old.

The analytic Rockets shoot the most 3s and take the fewest midrange shots in the NBA. Westbrook is the worst 3-point shooter ever with at least 2,500 attempts, and famous for a midrange pullup “cotton shot” that’s the ultimate no-no for mathematical minds such as Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.

Morey halted that train of thought, his microchip brain perhaps calculating the impossibility of Westbrook surpassing the 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game in his MVP season of 2016-17, or his league-leading assist totals the past two years.

Or maybe Morey, inventor of the “true shooting” statistic that measures scoring efficiency, was thinking about Westbrook’s 50.1 percentage last season — 145th among 185 NBA guards who took at least 100 shots, and well behind not only sharpshooters such as Stephen Curry (64.1) and Lillard (58.8), but a certified bricklayer like Ben Simmons (58.2). Time may be running out for Westbrook. He’s had at least four knee surgeries in six years, including one this offseason that sidelined him for early preseason practices and games.

Russell Westbrook is regarded as one of the NBA’s best overall players. Before being traded to the Houston Rockets this season, he spent 11 productive years as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Here’s what he’s been able to accomplish during his career:

828 games played
23 points per game
8.4 assists per game
43.5% shooting on field goals
80% shooting on free throws
21.9 Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
97.5 win shares
Two-time scoring champion
2016-2017 NBA Most Valuable Player
Eight-time All-Star game selection

During Westbrook’s last three years in Oklahoma City, he averaged a triple-double for the entire season. That’s a feat that only one other player (the great Oscar Robertson) has accomplished even once, let alone three times.
Three-point shooting

One area of Russell Westbrook’s game that could use improvement? His three-point shooting. His career three-point shooting percentage is 30.7%. The issue is it’s declining. In Westbrook’s MVP season of 2016-2017, he shot 34.7% from the three-point line. Look at his totals from the ensuing three seasons since:

2017-2018: 29.8%
2018-2019: 29%
2019-2020 (so far, through seven games): 25.8%

That’s trending downwards. Westbrook has shown the ability to create offensive opportunities for himself almost at will off the dribble. But a startlingly low percentage of those opportunities have led to actual baskets.

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Westbrook would get the Knicks to the playoffs every year. He would carry their offense. He will never win you a championship. But he is a future Hall Of Famer and is still an exciting player to watch. He's a stat padder but since the Knicks don't have a ton of talent, he's not stealing quality touches for the most part. He plays hard all the time. You could argue he plays too fast and loose sometimes for his own good.

Houston would probably want Mitch Robinson, Frank Ntilikina and a late 1st round pick. Dumping contracts is non viable. Tilman Fertitta wants to save money and the large trade exception is more valuable than any players the Knicks could dump on them.

At this point, they'd probably throw in Danuel House for free.

The push/pull is if he would be the best usage of that open cap space. Let's get real here, it's not a huge ton of great options out there. Westbrook would be far more useful to the Knicks than he would many other teams, esp playoff teams.

Thoughts?

No. Including Mitch would seems like we're taking one step forward, two steps back. It's looking more and more like Westbrook's MVP season was a fluke year and it's unrealistic to expect any meaningful improvements in three point shooting. Like I said in the Paul thread, the majority of guys in the league aren't going to improve physically as they get older. No telling when Westbrook will hit the wall. Daniel House has the potential to fill the off court entertainment void I've felt since JR was traded, but it's still not enough. Also,Fertita makes Dolan look like Ghandi. I'd be hesitate to do the guy any favors just on principle.

smackeddog wrote:No- horrific contract, about to start declining athletically

His decline will be like d rose in the next few years.

Knixkik wrote:I prefer Chris Paul 10 times of 10. No interest in westbrook even for free. He would destroy our young guys development.

unstopaball12 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:I prefer Chris Paul 10 times of 10. No interest in westbrook even for free. He would destroy our young guys development.

That's what Houston was saying also this series lol

Watched a lot of OKC games when Melo was on there. Shocked on the low level of BBall IQ Westbrook possesses. That contract can only be justified by a couple of players in the NBA. Russ is not one of them. Hopefully we stay away from all of these 30/40 FA's. Guts over 30 making over 40. Unless OKC wants to give us a whole bunch of those draft picks they have to take on the CP3 contract?

Knixkik wrote:I prefer Chris Paul 10 times of 10. No interest in westbrook even for free. He would destroy our young guys development.

I prefer Ntilikina 9 times of of 10. We just paid the price of the early years of a rebuild, let's enjoy its rewards by fielding a young, exciting team.

I can't even comprehend the desire to throw it all away to become a nursing home for over the hill, NBA geriatric patients. Why not sign Steve Francis fercrissake.

Westbrook was worthless in the playoffs - less than worthless - virtually unwatchable.

Are you guys really Knicks fans or just ticket scalpers or bettors. Some of these ideas are just awful.