Why haven't the KD-RW duo won rings yet?

[Kool Bob Love]

^^^^

[racm]

Because one is a beta and the other one is in the Transparent Closet.

[Katherine Robinson]

Neither are first options on a championship team. Durant was born to be a #2 and Westbrook isn't a good leader.

[OKC]

Because Miami is better. OKC wasn't going to beat Miami last year, or the year before last. I don't care if Westbrook was healthy and I don't even care if they still had Harden. They weren't beating Miami. Miami is still their achilles. Beyond that, yes Westbrook has room to improve, especially in playoff and clutch situations. He's a phenomenal player and creator on offense, but there is room for improvement there in terms of some decision making on the floor. This whole "Westbrook is a cancer" BS is just about the most retarded take on a player I've ever heard. If you think Westbrook is a cancer because he's not a "true" PG, you're an idiot. Gary Peyton claims there's 3 point guards in the NBA - Parker, CP3, and Rondo. I think he's right. Also..they start an offensive liability at the center position. Kendrick Perkins is not part of the championship puzzle, period.

[Captivus]

A team needs more than just 1 option in cluth situations.

[Leetonidas]

Westbrook thinks he's a #1 and Durant is too much of a bitch to be the alpha

[OKC]

Back to Durant, who benefits from a goodly number of those Westbrook-created shots. Where does he fall in Creation Ratio? As it turns out, he looks like a big man. He's down with the Dwight Howard (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21602/dwight-howard)s and LaMarcus Aldridges and Kevin Loves and Paul Millsaps. And, as Strauss suggested, he is lower on the scale than all of the superstars you'll find in Best In The League conversations. Lower than them all ... except for Dirk Nowitzki (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21721/dirk-nowitzki).

That's right: Dirk, the man who didn't do enough to win the ultimate prize until he did win the ultimate prize, the poster child for monodimensionality, the forgotten superstar of the past decade (until the championship changed everything). Consider the backwards-as-funk logic on Dirk: all along, he was too limited to be counted among the very, very best the league can offer. Sure, he's an amazing scorer, they said. But he doesn't do enough outside of that. He's an OK rebounder for a power forward. An OK defender. A poor passer. You can never win a championship if he's your best player, they said.

So much for that bulls--t. Let me be clear that Strauss and Schiller aren't making any judgments on Durant's ability to win: they are talking about qualitative comparisons among players, not championship readiness. But while Strauss and Schiller are exacting and measured in their concerns, the wider world of sporting punditry won't be. If Durant doesn't win soon, he'll face the same critiques Dirk did. "Sure, he can score. But that's not enough. You'll never win if he's your best player."

Let's make sure the response to that is a middle finger, a digit pointed at the Mavericks (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/dallas-mavericks)' 2011 Championship banner, and another middle finger.

[Killakobe81]

Lebron.

[OKC]

I just think people want to put in a mold on what it takes to win a title. KD is the #2 player on the planet, so there's no way OKC can win with Westbrook "trying to be the alpha dog" just for the sake of wanting to be an alpha dog and having the FG attempts that he does and that KD needs to somehow take the best shot creator in the league and put limitations on him. I think that's absurd. But yes, WEstbrook has room to improve in court management.

[Killakobe81]

I just think people want to put in a mold on what it takes to win a title. KD is the #2 player on the planet, so there's no way OKC can win with Westbrook "trying to be the alpha dog" just for the sake of wanting to be an alpha dog and having the FG attempts that he does and that KD needs to somehow take the best shot creator in the league and put limitations on him. I think that's absurd. But yes, WEstbrook has room to improve in court management.

Russ is only a minor issue. Flipping Harden for garbage and keeping both Perkins and Ibaka is the main issue. I would of sacrificed either to keep harden. You could find a filler big to replace Perkins. He just hasnt been the same since Baby Drew blew up his knee. Sure he added some toughness but in the end OKC had the only team athletic enough to play miami in their type of game. They just lacked maturity as Harden pissed the bed in the Finals. but considering he torched SA just the series before ...letting him walk even though he is a bit overrated ...may cost OKC a title. Someone else may rise up during the window after the Heat falls. Keeping the Beard would of made OKC the favorites to take that torch.Even if russ never gets back to 100% James would of helped carry that weight.

[OKC]

Russ is only a minor issue. Flipping Harden for garbage and keeping both Perkins and Ibaka is the main issue. I would of sacrificed either to keep harden. You could find a filler big to replace Perkins. He just hasnt been the same since Baby Drew blew up his knee. Sure he added some toughness but in the end OKC had the only team athletic enough to play miami in their type of game. They just lacked maturity as Harden pissed the bed in the Finals. but considering he torched SA just the series before ...letting him walk even though he is a bit overrated ...may cost OKC a title. Someone else may rise up during the window after the Heat falls. Keeping the Beard would of made OKC the favorites to take that torch.Even if russ never gets back to 100% James would of helped carry that weight.

I agree on Perkins. WHen they acquired him, it was a decent move, all things considered (ie they were starting Green and Krstic as their frontcourt). Perkins just isn't what they need at the center position, other than being a role player against certain rotations (ie Memphis). Why Brooks even played the guy against Miami is beyond me. Brooks is a little stubborn and doesn't like to deviate in some ways. Perk had no reason being on the floor against Miami really. Hell, I would've even started Fisher over Perk. Put Fisher at the 2 and Ibaka at the 5 against Miami.

[spurraider21]

Wasn't the disagreement with Harden for about 4 million annually? he wanted a max worth something like 16 mil a year and they were offering 12. not sure on the exact figures, but it was something in that ballpark iirc, while fucking Perkins was making 8 mil per year :lol. It's not a matter of choosing Ibaka, it was a matter of keeping P:lolrkins. Could have had a core of Durant, Harden, Westbrook, Ibaka all locked up

[spurraider21]

I just think people want to put in a mold on what it takes to win a title. KD is the #2 player on the planet, so there's no way OKC can win with Westbrook "trying to be the alpha dog" just for the sake of wanting to be an alpha dog and having the FG attempts that he does and that KD needs to somehow take the best shot creator in the league and put limitations on him. I think that's absurd. But yes, WEstbrook has room to improve in court management.

OKC fan feeling 2004 Lakerfan's pain. Beta taking alpha number of shots just because he wants to be an alpha

[HarlemHeat37]

1- Miami in 2012..poor matchup, obviously..the 2012 Thunder were a great team, they would have won a title in other years, but they ran into a better team that matches up very well with them..

2- No offensive scoring ability from their front court..Ibaka's offense was virtually useless with Westbrook out, he cannot create his own shot to any extent..Perkins is a massive liability on both ends of the floor in today's NBA..

3- Coaching..poor system, poor decision making, he allocates too many minutes to liabilities, etc..

[2pac > Kobe]

cuz westbrook is an overrated ducky from land before time looking chucker

[OKC]

1- Miami in 2012..poor matchup, obviously..the 2012 Thunder were a great team, they would have won a title in other years, but they ran into a better team that matches up very well with them..

2- No offensive scoring ability from their front court..Ibaka's offense was virtually useless with Westbrook out, he cannot create his own shot to any extent..Perkins is a massive liability on both ends of the floor in today's NBA..

3- Coaching..poor system, poor decision making, he allocates too many minutes to liabilities, etc..

Can't disagree. Not sure I'd go with poor as the sole word to describe coaching, but I think it leaves something to be desired.

[OKC]

OKC fan feeling 2004 Lakerfan's pain. Beta taking alpha number of shots just because he wants to be an alpha

Not really. I mean only Westbrook knows what he thinks, but in that offense, which really lacks any type of system or flow, and without really anyone on the floor with him other than KD who can create anything, combined with the fact that Westbrook can really create clean looks for himself like just about no other player in the league, I think it's easy for him to do what he does...or easy for him to lack any type of filter as to when to pass. Yeah KD can create, but he can't create his own shot as efficiently as RW, and defenses are keyed in on him heavily anyways. For the first 2 seasons, Ibaka had a hard time catching a pass from Westbrook. Thabo hits the wide open 3 at a decent clip, nothing more really. It's pretty easy to see why Westbrook does what he does. Westbrook is not a point guard. You can'ta guy with that type of freakish athleticism, put him at the PG, and ask him to run some Rajon Rondo horseshit (which really isn't horseshit, but it would become horseshit with Westbrook running it). He just needs the filter. I wouldn't stop the guy from playing the way he does.

Would OKC be better with Westbrook at the 2? If you're a guy who is a proponent of a pass first PG, then playing Westbrook at PG would be retarded tbh. 1-because he's not going to do it. 2-because you're wasting his physical capabilities. If that's the case, you might as well put him at the 2 and let Jackson or Fisher dish it out.

[spurraider21]

He just needs the filter. I wouldn't stop the guy from playing the way he does.
I agree with this. if he's not being aggressive, he's taking away his greatest attribute. but he needs to recognize when he's hurting the team. too many times he will have the ball in transition and do his midrange pull-up jumper when he's the first guy down the court, they haven't had a chance to run offense, and there is nobody there to rebound

[ambchang]

Didn't get enough FTAs .... just kidding.

[TDMVPDPOY]

durant is overrated as hell who loves the 3pt shot, a guy that big should be able to penetrate into the lane and get to the line...

[OKC]

durant is overrated as hell who loves the 3pt shot, a guy that big should be able to penetrate into the lane and get to the line...

He does? He wasn't even in the top 50 in 3 point attempts last year.

[Clipper Nation]

a guy that big should be able to penetrate into the lane and get to the line...
Durant spends 90% of every game at the line, he actually should get less free throws per game :lol

[Michael Jordan.]

http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/James+Harden+Houston+Rockets+v+Los+Angeles+vzxJ7fl XECdx.jpg