# Be Honest- Are you worried that Russell will be a bust?



## jayk009 (Aug 6, 2003)

I know it's ridiculous to say this so early in his career.

But from his draft hype they really made it seem like he was destined to be a superstar.

Do you still think this? Are you nervous from what you've been seeing from him so far?


----------



## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

jayk009 said:


> I know it's ridiculous to say this so early in his career.
> 
> But from his draft hype they really made it seem like he was destined to be a superstar.
> 
> Do you still think this? Are you nervous from what you've been seeing from him so far?


I'm not really worried, although i think that Russell is not in the greatest of situations for a #2 pick who was so highly lauded, wich may hinder his development and probably make it a so-so rookie season.

The Lakers are going nowhere. It's the kind of team (and situation) where guys like Russell (and Randle) should be given plenty of time on-court to develop. It hasn't happened so far (both are hardly over 25mpg). I'm sure it will happen with time, though.

Kobe being there also doesn't seem to be helping, for he is taking plays (and shots) away from Russell (and Clarkson) while stinking up the place (10 threes a game, Kobe? Really?).

It SEEMS to me that Russell was accostumed to be given the free reigns in College (hence thriving) and is kind of struggling a bit with a game plan where he is often the third option on offense.

But time will tell. I'm not worried yet.


----------



## Mrs. Thang (Apr 14, 2011)

Russell was tremendously oversold as being an NBA ready contributor by the draft hype machine and that's been my big contention with the pick. He was just as raw as any freshman big man in the draft and just like with those guys, even if he becomes a player that wins games for you, it's still going to take years.

I said over and over that the further you get from watching him actually play in games, the better his skill package looks. That's not to say he'll never get there. Just that his Ohio State team stunk last year and he wasn't blameless as to why. He was never going to be ready to compete with NBA guards right away.

I don't think he'll be a bust, but I personally would not have been able to pass on Okafor in that spot.


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

Mrs. Thang said:


> Russell was tremendously oversold as being an NBA ready contributor by the draft hype machine and that's been my big contention with the pick. He was just as raw as any freshman big man in the draft and just like with those guys, even if he becomes a player that wins games for you, it's still going to take years.
> 
> I said over and over that the further you get from watching him actually play in games, the better his skill package looks. That's not to say he'll never get there. Just that his Ohio State team stunk last year and he wasn't blameless as to why. He was never going to be ready to compete with NBA guards right away.
> 
> I don't think he'll be a bust, but I personally would not have been able to pass on Okafor in that spot.


Okafor as well as Mudiay for me. I think Russell will be a solid PG in a few years, but I've never seen the potential star quality player others tried to sell him as.


----------



## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

I wish I could find the thread where people were calling Westbrook a "NBDL caliber offensive player" three months into his rookie year.


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

Jamel Irief said:


> I wish I could find the thread where people were calling Westbrook a "NBDL caliber offensive player" three months into his rookie year.


Doesn't matter if you do. I don't know if you've noticed but even if you directly quoted guys of that they'd say they weren't wrong. 

No one around here admits to being wrong, even if you prove otherwise.


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

I think this is the thread you were looking for.

http://www.basketballforum.com/prospect-profiles/393922-russell-westbrook.html

So many posters were wrong. None more than @HB .


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Before the draft, the consensus was Towns = highest ceiling, Okafor = immediate impact and Russell = superstar skills but needed time to develop. Still haven't seen anything to change that besides the fact that Towns is ahead of schedule. Here's the shit that I don't get. Russell hits back to back 3s and gets immediately taken out of the game. BS needs to start adjusting his lineups better. Seems too damn stuck on a pre ordained substitution pattern instead of riding the hot hand. I totally understand that part of learning the NBA game is watching how veterans play in certain scenarios, but there's no reason to be riding with the vets when development should be the priority.


----------



## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

I don't mind most of the minutes stuff but Randle and Clarkson should be getting more time - I hate the Kelly/Bass front court and would rather see Tarek Black paired with one of the other of those two


----------



## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

A 19 year old kid with 76 minutes of professional basketball logged?

A total bust...


----------



## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

No, not really. He'll get more free reign to do what he does later in the season. I just think Byron is limiting his ball handling responsibilities right now, which is going to take some getting used to. I mean he clearly has a big learning curve ahead of him, but that was expected. 



> "I feel more comfortable every night,” Russell said. “The opportunities are so slim. We have a lot of great players. We have a lot of great players trying to do the same thing. You have to figure out your niche to stay on the floor"


Translation: tough to stand out with so many guys handling the ball (JC, Kobe, Lou, etc). He has been reduced to a spot up shooter on many occasions, and has not capitalized. He's also creating some good looks for teammates, they just haven't been converting (two missed lay-ups last night).


----------



## Uncle Drew (Dec 16, 2013)

R-Star said:


> Okafor as well as Mudiay for me. I think Russell will be a solid PG in a few years, but I've never seen the potential star quality player others tried to sell him as.


So Mudiay is averaging 5 more mpg and has a usage rate of 31.5% to D'Angelo's 19%. He's second on his team in minutes and is leading them in FGA. What's he doing with that? Well, he's averaging 4 more points (on 4 more FGA), 3.5 more assists and 4.5 more turnovers. Russell's PER through 3 games: 7.38. Mudiay PER through 3: 3.88. Outside of a great 4th quarter against the Rockets, Mudiay has looked fairly average himself. Should we be worried about him, too?

The answer of course is no. They're both young guards, and there's almost always a learning curve. I think Mudiay is slightly ahead right now, but to say he's clearly going to be the better player is a bit pre-mature, IMO. We'll get to see them go head-to-head for the first time tomorrow.


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

I know we are going to suck no matter what this year but I really have not been pleased with Byron's coaching and Kobe's play...both of their actions seem selfish and stubborn.

WTF is Kobe doing? I know he doesnt have the athleticism to drive to the basket all the time but that doesnt give him a license to shoot 3's and jack up any random shot he likes when he likes! Of course he wont say it but maybe he thinks he is entitled to do that since he just busted his ass in rehab for the last two years. Something like "I didnt put in all this effort to get back just to facilitate mofo's"

Byron- Not enough minutes for the rookies. Taking rookies out when they were actually getting into the flow of the game. Falling in love with Kelly. Hating Black. Weird lineups. Lack of properly used timeouts. No D from a supposedly D coach. What is our offense exactly doing? Seems like on a "good" offensive possession we pass a few times and then chuck it. Went from almost no 3's last year to most 3's attempted in the league this year. Zero identity on offense.

DLo has actually looked slightly better in thee last two games. Im starting to agree the situation he is in is really hindering him. Give him the damn ball and play off of what he does. You cant be an elite PG if you dont have the damn ball in your hands.


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

> And, sure, World Peace isn't what he used to be, but given how the Lakers' defense has looked so far...
> 
> "Probably later on," Scott said after the team's practice at their facility here Saturday.
> 
> ...


...and then they activate Metta before game three.....Oh Byron.....


----------



## HB (May 1, 2004)

R-Star said:


> I think this is the thread you were looking for.
> 
> http://www.basketballforum.com/prospect-profiles/393922-russell-westbrook.html
> 
> So many posters were wrong. None more than @HB .


Glad I was, but anyone who watched him at UCLA, thinking he would be vying for best point guard in the league must be deluding themselves. Folks weren't even sure if he would be a better guard than Darren Collison. The guy had a limited skill set and played frenetically whenever he was on court. Going to wager that many people didn't watch UCLA games, especially considering how much west coast college games are shown on TV. It should be noted that some pundits thought he should have stayed in school one more year to develop his skills.


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

HB said:


> Glad I was, but anyone who watched him at UCLA, thinking he would be vying for best point guard in the league must be deluding themselves. Folks weren't even sure if he would be a better guard than Darren Collison. The guy had a limited skill set and played frenetically whenever he was on court. Going to wager that many people didn't watch UCLA games, especially considering how much west coast college games are shown on TV. It should be noted that some pundits thought he should have stayed in school one more year to develop his skills.


So you're saying anyone who thought he was going to be a top point guard in the league was wrong and people who thought he'd bust were right?

This is what I'm talking about. Why can't people just say "I was completely wrong on this one. Whoops."


----------



## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

My personal rule is to never start closely judging PGs (especially 19 year old PGs) until at least late in their 2nd year or early in their 3rd year. These guys take time to develop. Let's not jump off a cliff just yet.


----------



## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

Damn right I'm worried. It's pretty disconcerting to see Porzingis completely blow him away on the court.


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

His career is fucking over before it began....Im not kidding, this is horrible news

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...c18e4b079a43c0440c8?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

DaRizzle said:


> His career is fucking over before it began....Im not kidding, this is horrible news
> 
> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...c18e4b079a43c0440c8?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592


It would be funny if the Kardashians ruined an entire franchise.


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)




----------



## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

R-Star said:


> I think this is the thread you were looking for.
> 
> http://www.basketballforum.com/prospect-profiles/393922-russell-westbrook.html
> 
> So many posters were wrong. None more than @HB .


That's not it, it was when he was already a rookie, but good find.


----------



## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

Jamel Irief said:


> That's not it, it was when he was already a rookie, but good find.


In the thread I referenced @HKF literally called him a "NBDL caliber offensive player" I'm convinced he paid a admin to delete it.


----------



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Way too early to worry about him. He's three games into his career. Stop overreacting, folks.


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

Screw OJ for murdering his wife.....of all the freaking domino effects....


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

DaRizzle said:


> Screw OJ for murdering his wife.....of all the freaking domino effects....


Great Scott!!! That's the point at which the timeline was skewed!!


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

hahahaha....NOICE


----------



## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

> “I’m not always thinking about necessarily developing, I’m always thinking about trying to win,” Scott told LakersNation.com. “The developing part, it comes secondary to that, but in practice and everything that’s where you really work on the developing part, and then when they get the opportunity in the games, you just kind of hope it takes it’s toll.”


Understandably, winning should be his priority as an NBA head coach. If developing our young core is the teams priority though, it needs to come down from Jim and Mitch. And they need to assure Byron that his job is safe if that's the case.


----------



## MojoPin (Oct 10, 2008)

Just throw his ass in the D-League for a month and see if he can dominate.


----------



## DaRizzle (May 22, 2007)

MojoPin said:


> Just throw his ass in the D-League for a month and see if he can dominate.


No


----------

