Is Westbrook the best player in the NBA?

[testies]

Watching him now reminds me how scared I was everytime he decided to penetrate on everyplay

honestly, I was even more scared of Russel than when Bron had the ball in his hands, he's too tentative

he outperformed Durant in the playoffs, and he will carry OKC now that Kevin is injured. Lets not forget how pathetic OKC looked when roles were reversed and Russel was injured in '13 playoffs

[BatManu20]

Not you again.

[Silver&Black]

can we pink this loser already?

[Dverde]

Cue the gif of him jacking up that airball 3 in the playoffs last year...

[DesignatedT]

Watching him now reminds me how scared I was everytime he decided to penetrate on everyplay

honestly, I was even more scared of Russel than when Bron had the ball in his hands, he's too tentative

he outperformed Durant in the playoffs, and he will carry OKC now that Kevin is injured. Lets not forget how pathetic OKC looked when roles were reversed and Russel was injured in '13 playoffs

NBA Forum.

[Cry Havoc]

Pink.

[z0sa]

Cue the gif of him jacking up that airball 3 in the playoffs last year...

[100%duncan]

Top 5.

[Juggity]

he's probably the eighth-best player in the league.

[Splits]

http://i.minus.com/iMu7oirUK9G7b.gif

[007nites]

Haven't seen any other player other then LeBron attack the lane like he does. Also, he gives it a 100p on defense as well. Just a physical specimen like LeBron.

[Ice009]

Time for you to be pinked with all these threads you're unnecessarily starting.

[Ice009]

Haven't seen any other player other then LeBron attack the lane like he does.

So you never saw Dwyane Wade or Manu play? When they were younger, they were the two best penetrators in the NBA for a good stretch of years.

[scanry]

So you never saw Dwyane Wade or Manu play? When they were younger, they were the two best penetrators in the NBA for a good stretch of years.

Westbrook is much much better though. Manu & Wade were good for a 3-4 year stretch and they were still a little tentative. Westbrook on the other hand is fearless.

[313]

http://i.minus.com/iMu7oirUK9G7b.gif/thread

[Ice009]

Westbrook is much much better though. Manu & Wade were good for a 3-4 year stretch and they were still a little tentative. Westbrook on the other hand is fearless.

I'm not sure if Westbrook is better than a prime Wade or Manu at attacking the rim (quite possibly is), but that's not what I was answering. He said Westbrook is the best he's seen since Lebron. I disagreed with him picking Lebron as I wouldn't even put him in the conversation over Wade or Manu when it comes to attacking the rack in the last 10 seasons or so. Manu and Wade may not have been the last the last 3-4 years, but before that, they were two of the best in the NBA at doing it since Michael Jordan. And they did if for more than a 3 or so year stretch like you're trying to say.

[100%duncan]

I'm not sure if Westbrook is better than a prime Wade or Manu at attacking the rim (quite possibly is), but that's not what I was answering. He said Westbrook is the best he's seen since Lebron. I disagreed with him picking Lebron as I wouldn't even put him in the conversation over Wade or Manu when it comes to attacking the rack in the last 10 seasons or so. Manu and Wade may not have been the last the last 3-4 years, but before that, they were two of the best in the NBA at doing it since Michael Jordan.
Well Lebron is som uch better in driving to the hoop than mJ

[Galileo]

Anthony Davis is the best player in the NBA. He is the next Tim Duncan.

[Arcadian]

Anthony Davis is the best player in the NBA. He is the next Tim Duncan.

I endorse this view. Lebron is still the best player currently, but Davis will surpass him soon.

[tlongII]

His team lost by 17.

[benstanfield]

Depends, did we lose by DD yesterday?

[Robz4000]

Pink.

[FireMicoHalili]

I feel bad for this guy. Without Durant, his supporting cast: Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb, Andre Roberson. Jones and Lamb are streaky, and, while Roberson is a beast defensively, he has nothing to offer on the other end. Could have had Gobert, Crabbe, Rice Jr., or Ennis.

[Sean Cagney]

Testies in this posting thing you really suck, honestly stop making stupid threads and fall back.


He is top 10 easily, best? LOL come on.

[testies]

its a crime to have an opinion here ... so unfair the treatment i get

[ontheraise]

doesn't matter who the best player is, the only thing you need to know is that SPURS are the best team...

[Uriel]

Serious question: Is testies timvp's troll? :lol

[boutons_deux]

I expect Westbrick to put up some HUGE numbers (and minutes), and like Kobe, in losing, or at best barely winning, games. aka, "carry the (stat padding) load"

[minuzzo21]

Anthony Davis is going to be the best player in the League.

[spursparker9]

lol are Westbrook and Kobe in a same situation?

[UZER]

His antics after every damn play are horrendous.

[hater]

Hubie Brown said Chimp is top 15 in the league. I agree :lmao

[CitizenDwayne]

No.

[Cowboys_Wear_Spurs]

No, Westbrook is not the best player. But he is the most athletic player in the league right now.

[benefactor]

Steve Francis 2.0...always has and always will be.

[Biernutz]

Westbrook is always trying to be the man in OKC and now is his chance to carry the team
the same way Durant did when he was injured.....

[Fireball]

I hate Westbrook with every ounce of my body ... dumbest and most selfish basketball player I have ever seen. But even Michael Jordan in his prime would not have won with the current active OKC roster ...

and no, of course he is not the best player.

[Ice009]

Generally, guys that aren't up there with Basketball IQ, I just couldn't ever rate as being the best player in the league. Shaq was probably an exception, but most of the top (best in the NBA) players usually have great Basketball IQs.

[tmtcsc]

No. He's tough, athletic and an incredible competitor but he's often wild and out of control. Too selfish at times.

[spursparker9]

If there is a 1 on 1 tournament, he probably will be the MVP.

But too bad that actual basketball competition is 5 on 5.

[Chomag]

With the super low BBIQ he will be declining like a rock soon ala Steve Frances 2.0

[wildchild]

Serious question: Is testies timvp's troll? :lol

I would lose all of my respect for timvp...ST deserve better trolls. :lol

[look_at_g_shred]

Scores nearly 40 :lol gets blown out :lol

[look_at_g_shred]

:lol pouting at the end of the bench when he gets subbed. :lol not even sitting by durant on the bench :lol not even acknowledging kd at all :lol brooks

[Malice]

Watching him now reminds me how scared I was everytime he decided to penetrate on everyplay

honestly, I was even more scared of Russel than when Bron had the ball in his hands, he's too tentative

he outperformed Durant in the playoffs, and he will carry OKC now that Kevin is injured. Lets not forget how pathetic OKC looked when roles were reversed and Russel was injured in '13 playoffs

Enough of this basic bitch shit.

[Spur|n|Austin]

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--GH9YOmli--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/bdnjptrfzwtqg3id2cfh.gif

[Cry Havoc]

I hate Westbrook with every ounce of my body ... dumbest and most selfish basketball player I have ever seen. But even Michael Jordan in his prime would not have won with the current active OKC roster ...

and no, of course he is not the best player.

Prime Duncan would have this team in the playoffs.

[Gervin44Silas13]

no Brook is a punk.....he wants to be the man in OKC.....did you see him during Durants MVP speech it all wolves in sheep clothing BS

there will be in fighting and That team will be broken up soon bye bye brooks....mark it down and OKC will fade into obscurity

[Fireball]

Prime Duncan would have this team in the playoffs. with the players that were active against the Blazers? ... ok, I am impressed by Mr. Duncan ...

[Cry Havoc]

with the players that were active against the Blazers? ... ok, I am impressed by Mr. Duncan ...

2003 Duncan won a title with a 14ppg player as his 2nd option on the floor.

[silverblackfan]

Anthony Davis is the best player in the NBA. He is the next Tim Duncan.

There will never be another Tim Duncan, but "The Brow" does seem to have similar skill set and mentality. Only good for the league and fans if he does emulate Tim.

[SpurSwag]

He isn't the best player, but he's a lot closer than people give him credit for. Undoubtedly top 5 in terms of the impact he has on a game. Whenever we play the thunder, Westbrook is the guy that worries me the most. Durant is gonna get his, but its when westbrook goes off for 30+ with thunderous dunks that get the crowd fired up and great steals that we get blown out. He's the ultimate momentum player in the league imo

[TampaDude]

Anthony Davis is going to be the best player in the League.

Agreed. If he can stay healthy, his ceiling is virtually unlimited. Can you imagine him and LeBron on the same team? NBA = FUCKED.

[still.focused]

Hes not the best but Id say top 10, no sweat
He might be a top 5 talent but, hisbrainfarts hold him back thankfully
It fuckin scary how good he could be if his head was on straight on BOTH sides of the ball

[Mikeanaro]

Westbrook is much much better though. Manu & Wade were good for a 3-4 year stretch and they were still a little tentative. Westbrook on the other hand is fearless.
Its easy to be fearless when you draw fouls in every play, yesterdays game was atrocious refs were giving him a ridiculous amount of freebies in some calls there was no contact at all, I would love to see him in ¨fearless mode¨ without help like the 2012 finals getting 5 fts per game :lmao.

[Ice009]

There will never be another Tim Duncan, but "The Brow" does seem to have similar skill set and mentality. Only good for the league and fans if he does emulate Tim.

Does Anthony Davis have a post game? Is he the type of player you can give the ball to at the end of the game and have him score every time you need a bucket?

[TampaDude]

Its easy to be fearless when you draw fouls in every play, yesterdays game was atrocious refs were giving him a ridiculous amount of freebies in some calls there was no contact at all, I would love to see him in ¨fearless mode¨ without help like the 2012 finals getting 5 fts per game :lmao.

WERD...Westchuck's game plan is hurl yourself recklessly toward the basket and get bailed out by the refs. BTW, nice airball in WCF Game 6, Russell. :lol

[testies]

"OMG PINK THIS LOSER"



Remember, idiots. I'm NEVER wrong. Better start listening to my opinions.

[DMC]

RW isn't the best player in the NBA. Stats don't make the player. If he's even close to that, why can't him and the MVP and the DPOY win a fucking ring?

[benefactor]

:lol thinking ball hogging and stat padding makes you the best player

You probably think Kobe was better than Jordan too.

[urunobili]

Yep. Hands down.

[Cry Havoc]

Yep. Hands down for players who routinely take 25+ shots on <38% shooting.


Agreed.

[024]

Not in the way that every GM would pick him first if there was a league wide draft. But he is currently playing as the best player in the NBA. Yes he's chucking shots but he's managing triple doubles along the way.

Westbrook could very well win the MVP award next season. It would be hilarious for Durant to win it in 2014, Harden in 2015, and Westbrook in 2016.

[cjw]

He's a combined -21 over the last four games he's played yet the team is still 2-2 (+11). So in the 47:15 he was off the floor, the Thunder were +32.

This is with the two wins coming over teams well under .500 (Indy is playing well though).

[spurs10]

Was lucky not to lose against a team with one of the worst records last night. If the NBA was not a team sport he'd be one of the best.

[Perry Mason]

He's a combined -21 over the last four games he's played yet the team is still 2-2 (+11). So in the 47:15 he was off the floor, the Thunder were +32.

This is with the two wins coming over teams well under .500 (Indy is playing well though).

Raw plus/minus is very misleading and by definition speaks to the entire lineup. Substitute another player in the same lineup and context and who knows how they perform. And you have to make unrealistic assumptions because you can't just drop in another player without training camp, etc.

However, taking the number into account is ok if you combine it with a qualitative assessment of his play and normal stats like usage %, assists, TO's, etc. I.e., the box score and the eye test.

In WB's case, he was a monster on offense but his defense was lacking. Also, I think it is an open question whether his teammates would have performed better, and the team performed better overall, had WB toned down dominating the game himself and involved more of his teammates. This is probably the biggest question with a player like him. He probably tries to do a little too much himself. These things are always fluid, of course, because there are times you need the hero to make plays they are in a position to make.

He's a hard player to assess in terms of overall value to winning. Sure, he is a winner, but at what level relative to other top players?

[eDizzle20]

Westbrook has been outstanding this season. Sure he can be a chucker, but his free throw attempts definitely compensate for that. Without Durant he is the only shot creator OKC has. As annoying as he is with chest pounding and shouting after a dunk there is no better player a getting the home crowd energized. If OKC stays at the 8-seed the first round matchup with Golden State is going to be awesome.

[J_Paco]

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LeBron is still the best all-around player in the NBA hands down, while Durant is still also better than Westbrook at this point. Westbrook is an incredible singular talent and is truly coming into his own, but his deficiencies are too numerous for me to consider him the best. I'd take James Harden and Stephen Curry before Westbrook and his complete dependency on athleticism.

[J_Paco]

Haven't seen any other player other then LeBron attack the lane like he does. Also, he gives it a 100p on defense as well. Just a physical specimen like LeBron.


Westbrook is much much better though. Manu & Wade were good for a 3-4 year stretch and they were still a little tentative. Westbrook on the other hand is fearless.

People scream about his ability to attack the paint and score, yet fail to mention that he finishes below the league average inside the semi circle. Apart of that is him looking to draw contact and get to the line, but another part is his lack of touch scoring inside. He often times wildly goes into the paint throwing up a bad shot and misses but picks up his own rebound - did it last night against Philadelphia - and scores on the putback. Until he learns to fully harness his athletic gifts he'll be nothing more than a better version of Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury, IMO.

[Silver&Black]

One of the best....yes.
The best....no.

[cjw]

In WB's case, he was a monster on offense but his defense was lacking.

Just stating the facts and as we know with our friend Mr. Bonner, +/- can be overused.

I imagine his usage is off the charts as evidenced by his points per shot being 1.21 over that stretch, equating to top 70 among qualified players - Ben McLemore and Evan Fournier zone. Usage does bring down your efficiency. What's hard to figure out though is to what degree his heroballing takes teammates out of the flow. Right now, teams are letting him have his.

Defensively, he takes a ton of chances and is out of position a lot.

[SASdynasty!]

I wouldn't go that far at this point. He basically has a green light right now (over 100 FGA & 50 FTA in the last 3 games :wow). He's still shooting a mediocre 43% this season (his career average). He's putting up monster numbers, but it's highly unlikely that translates to the postseason. Heck, the last 4 years his FG% has DROPPED in the postseason...and that's pretty tough to do when you're a 43% guy.

[Johnny RIngo]

I wouldn't go that far at this point. He basically has a green light right now (over 100 FGA & 50 FTA in the last 3 games :wow). He's still shooting a mediocre 43% this season (his career average). He's putting up monster numbers, but it's highly unlikely that translates to the postseason. Heck, the last 4 years his FG% has DROPPED in the postseason...and that's pretty tough to do when you're a 43% guy.

Same is true for Parker. His efficiency has seen huge drops from regular season to playoffs. Yet I don't see any of the faggot crew(hater, greatyacht, cryhavoc, etc) calling him a chucker.

[K...]

Same is true for Parker. His efficiency has seen huge drops from regular season to playoffs. Yet I don't see any of the faggot crew(hater, greatyacht, cryhavoc, etc) calling him a chucker.

huge difference from a guy (Parker) who plays within a highly structured offense and Westbrook who is the entire offense. If parker isn't good in the playoffs he's not stopping Manu, Duncan and KWHI. Westbrook can't keep the ball out of his hands.

[SASdynasty!]

Yah but Westbrook's playoff TS% is inflated because of the unreal amount of whistles he gets (and it still isn't higher than Parker's). I'm talking about RAW FG%:

Parker 2013/14 Playoffs: 0.486
Westbrook 2013/14 Playoffs: 0.420

[Obstructed_View]

If it takes that kind of effort to beat Philly in overtime, then Kevin Durant is far and away the best player in the NBA.