Russell Westbrook has signed a five-year, $78 million extension with OKC

[ace3g]

WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski
Russell Westbrook has signed a five-year, $78 million-plus max extension with Oklahoma City, league sources tell Y! Sports. Story soon on Y!

[Sportcamper]

Dang...That guy would have looked good in purple & gold...

[lefty]

OKC :lol

Chucker :lol

Decision making :lol

Overrated :lol

[Spur_Fanatic]

16m per?

Hmm, dunno if he worth that much. Not only that, he seems to have an attitude problem, and he is also not in very good terms with Durant.

[pass1st]

Lol, overpaid tbh

[Juggity]

He's worth half that much.

[benefactor]

Horrible decision by OKC. He might be the reason they never win it all. I don't understand how they think he is a good fit for the long term.

[lefty]

And KD will leave that ship because of Westbrook

[benefactor]

And KD will leave that ship because of Westbrook
Durant is locked in for the next five seasons too. If Westbrook becomes enough of a problem that Durant becomes unhappy they will trade him.

Speaking of that...this could be the beginning of the future S&T that brings Blake Griffin back to his hometown. :stirpot:

[baseline bum]

Good for OKC to get him locked down. They have a championship core that's got tons of good years ahead of it.

[noob cake]

KD is now locked down with Westbrick for years to come.

Westbrook is not worth 16m, but OKC has to lock down their core regardless of price.

[pass1st]

Now imagine if Griffin decided to play with OKC

[Killakobe81]

Good for OKC to get him locked down. They have a championship core that's got tons of good years ahead of it.

I'm with bum. I know we both are Bruins and maybe a tad biased ...butthe kid has come a long way. i wasnt sure he was good enough to be an NBA SG, much less a PG his first year and sure, he likes to cal his own number a bit much, but the guy has gotten better every year. He plays hard and hustles as much as Rondo and only Rose and Wall compare athletically ...

I think that is a bit much but were the Thunder going to lure Cp3 or even Blake to come back to OKC? Unlikely. The question is if Harden keeps improving at the rate he is will they have enough to sign James? And is their owner willing to go over the cap to do so? Perk is also making nice money and Ibaka eventually need to be signed as well.

[baseline bum]

I'm with bum. I know we both are Bruins and maybe a tad biased ...butthe kid has come a long way. i wasnt sure he was good enough to be an NBA SG, much less a PG his first year and sure, he likes to cal his own number a bit much, but the guy has gotten better every year. He plays hard and hustles as much as Rondo and only Rose and Wall compare athletically ...

I think that is a bit much but were the Thunder going to lure Cp3 or even Blake to come back to OKC? Unlikely. The question is if Harden keeps improving at the rate he is will they have enough to sign James? And is their owner willing to go over the cap to do so? Perk is also making nice money and Ibaka eventually need to be signed as well.

I honestly don't think it's too bad a deal. They'll be clearing $8.25 million off their books with the expiring contracts of Robinson and Mohammed this summer, and then they can cut almost $5 million off the summer after by letting Aldrich and Maynor walk and replacing their minimal production with cheap vets looking for a ring. Presti has done a masterful job setting that team up to title threat for a long time.

[manufan10]

Can KD and Westbrook continue to coexist? I'm not too sure they can.

[Killakobe81]

I think the frustration that KD has with Russ is media and fan driven. I have not watched a "ton" of OKC games that are not nationally televised, but they seem to be fine.
Durant has looked to facilitate more this year and he is looking to feed Westbrook.

I do think the Simmon's Avon & stringer comparison to be funny, but not accurate.

[benefactor]

They'll get Hardin re-signed but they will let Ibaka walk. I'm pretty sure they already have their eyes fixed on Griffin, whose contract comes up at the same time Ibaka's does.

[manufan10]

I think the frustration that KD has with Russ is media and fan driven. I have not watched a "ton" of OKC games that are not nationally televised, but they seem to be fine.
Durant has looked to facilitate more this year and he is looking to feed Westbrook.

I do think the Simmon's Avon & stringer comparison to be funny, but not accurate.

I haven't watched a lot either, tbh. I guess I might have bought into the media hype. It seemed that there was a bit of tension last year in the playoffs. I also think that Westbrook should defer a little more to KD. Westbrook, at times, tries to do too much.

[baseline bum]

They'll get Hardin re-signed but they will let Ibaka walk. I'm pretty sure they already have their eyes fixed on Griffin, whose contract comes up at the same time Ibaka's does.

They won't be anywhere close to having the capspace to lure Griffin even if they renounce their rights to both Ibaka and Harden, so Blake to OKC isn't happening. They will definitely re-up Ibaka and then either let Perkins walk or re-sign him cheap the next summer when his deal is up.

[Killakobe81]

I haven't watched a lot either, tbh. I guess I might have bought into the media hype. It seemed that there was a bit of tension last year in the playoffs. I also think that Westbrook should defer a little more to KD. Westbrook, at times, tries to do too much.

No way they sign him to this deal without KD's blessing. Maybe Bill S is right and this ends badly but if it does, KD would be partailly to blame because he could of told management to trade him for a "Rondo" pass first type PG...

[baseline bum]

No way they sign him to this deal without KD's blessing. Maybe Bill S is right and this ends badly but if it does, KD would be partailly to blame because he could of told management to trade him for a "Rondo" pass first type PG...

Simmons is funny, but I don't ever trust his predictions. Remember the hard-on he had for years for the Suns? :lol

[Mal]

Mistake. Not worth it. They could not resing either Harden or Ibaka.

[The Batman]

Simmons is funny, but I don't ever trust his predictions. Remember the hard-on he had for years for the Suns? :lol
That mf'er is annoyingly obnoxious and ALWAYS wrong. He's the kind of tool that Kevin dreams to be.

[Killakobe81]

That mf'er is annoyingly obnoxious and ALWAYS wrong. He's the kind of tool that Kevin dreams to be.

I agree he is wrong a lot. And he reads too much in to body language and the like. He sees a sour look on a players face after a play and he is looking for some type pop analogy that fits. I think he is funny. But I think he should dial back some of his homer stuff. I dont trust anything he writes about the Sox, Pats, Celts or Bruins. A-rod, Peyton, Eli, Kobe, Kareem (he loves Magic), the Colts, Giants, Yanks or Lakers.

and man, considereing all the sports he watches how the hell can he watch that much reality T.V.? and stuff like the wire, mad men and Breaking Bad? He also has two kids and a dog I get he doesnt have a 9 to 5 but I admit im jealous of his lifestyle ...:lol

[TimmehC]

Presti is thinking ahead. Some team desparate for a "star" will probably trade several good complimentary players to OKC for him a year or two down the road.

[baseline bum]

I think you guys who have Presti letting one of Harden and Ibaka walk are crazy. The only expensive contract he has for a marginal player is Perkins, and his deal expires the year after they'll have to reup Ibaka and Harden. I think they'll bite the bullet and pay the tax for a year or two. Besides, that really punitive luxury tax kicking in for 2013-14 will seriously lower the market value of both of them anyways.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

My concern with OKC is whether or not a big 3 of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden will be good enough. The supporting cast is an easily fixable problem, but I don't see that core ever going all the way.

[Giuseppe]

^Jesus Christ, wtf have you been?

[Trill Clinton]

Wow...smh.

[pass1st]

My concern with OKC is whether or not a big 3 of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden will be good enough. The supporting cast is an easily fixable problem, but I don't see that core ever going all the way.

Your only concern is the T-Wolves now

[baseline bum]

My concern with OKC is whether or not a big 3 of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden will be good enough. The supporting cast is an easily fixable problem, but I don't see that core ever going all the way.

Ibaka, Sefalosha, Perkins, and Collison is a pretty damn good supporting cast IMO. I don't think they'd beat Miami this year, but it's not like the Heat are the late 90s Bulls with LeBron's inability to finish games.

[Huey Freeman]

Damn OKC locking up their key players early. Good move

[mavs>spurs]

westchuck sucks

[Seventyniner]

Westbrook's not worth $16M, but he and Durant together are totally worth $32M. If it wasn't for max salaries, we'd see Durant getting $23M and Westbrook getting wildly overpaid by some other team.

[cd98]

My question: is Love with the max? Not sure. He gets good rebounding numbers and his offense has improved, but is he a franchise player?

[baseline bum]

Even shooting 43% right now Love is definitely a max player for the rebounding, range, and outlet passes.

[mavs>spurs]

^Jesus Christ, wtf have you been?

he's been living a real life not concerned with you, learning and preparing to WORK and make a lot of MONEY.

[Axe Murderer]

westchuck

i don't get it

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

My question: is Love with the max? Not sure. He gets good rebounding numbers and his offense has improved, but is he a franchise player?
Why do people still think only franchise players get max contracts?

[DPG21920]

DoK is right. Plenty of guys that aren't "franchise players" get max. There is a range and only a few guys are actually "franchise players, but all players in the range get max. It's probably not the smartest idea, but even if a guy is likely worth a million or two less (sometimes more) you can't haggle due to the competitiveness of the market. I definitely think Durant/Harden/Westbrook is worth keeping together and all they need is a Tyson Chandler-type (Perkins is solid for them, but not enough) and they are a legit contender for years.

This contract is definitely too much, but even though I think he's overrated Westbrook is still a great little talent and it was obvious that they would have to pay that much to keep him.

[TIMMYtoZO]

The fact that Collison is okcs best scoring bigman is a problem. The thunder need a scoring bigman. Until they do address that, they arent winning a title.

[Axe Murderer]

tbh not sure why they even consider bringing Perkins back. One of the most overrated players in the game. Outside of fake intimidation and being lucky enough to be the starting center on a team with four all stars around him, I'm not sure what value he really brings

[DeadlyDynasty]

tbh not sure why they even consider bringing Perkins back. One of the most overrated players in the game. Outside of fake intimidation and being lucky enough to be the starting center on a team with four all stars around him, I'm not sure what value he really brings

He's definitely not the defensive-anchor type of a TC, 2003 TD, et al, but he's a good enough low-post defender who's been able to hold his own on the block w/o the help of double-teams. Not worth his $$, and I agree he's been on stacked teams, but he's still decent

[DPG21920]

Agree with DD. He's actually worse now that he's lost weight IMO, but he's still a solid low post defender. They need to add too him, he can't be their man anchor defensively. I know I've brought it up a lot, but damn if OKC hadn't voided that Tyson trade Mavs would still be ringless and OKC may have been champs :wow

[DeadlyDynasty]

Agree with DD. He's actually worse now that he's lost weight IMO, but he's still a solid low post defender. They need to add too him, he can't be their man anchor defensively. I know I've brought it up a lot, but damn if OKC hadn't voided that Tyson trade Mavs would still be ringless and OKC may have been champs :wow

I thought he failed a physical and the trade was voided?

But yeah, TC on that team would've been a recipe for WC dominance for the next several years

Edit: I thought you said "avoided"...nvm

[Technique]

There's only three guards in the NBA that are worth that money. Paying max contract to your third best player seems a little too high imo

[ALVAREZ6]

lmfao westbrick

worst PG in the league

[BUMP]

lmfao westbrick

worst PG in the league

solid take

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

DoK is right. Plenty of guys that aren't "franchise players" get max. There is a range and only a few guys are actually "franchise players, but all players in the range get max. It's probably not the smartest idea, but even if a guy is likely worth a million or two less (sometimes more) you can't haggle due to the competitiveness of the market. I definitely think Durant/Harden/Westbrook is worth keeping together and all they need is a Tyson Chandler-type (Perkins is solid for them, but not enough) and they are a legit contender for years.

This contract is definitely too much, but even though I think he's overrated Westbrook is still a great little talent and it was obvious that they would have to pay that much to keep him.
Exactly. I'm not a Westbrook fan at all but it's better to keep him off the open market then let him leave for nothing.

[HarlemHeat37]

While I agree with Dok's skepticism about their core, this is a good move IMO..

Their core has been close to the NBA finals, they're young, and their conference is weak..it's not worth breaking up and hoping for a better fit than Westbrook IMO..his problems are mostly mental IMO, so the potential is still there..

I don't believe OKC will win a title, but they will be a perennial contender, with their current roster..

[mavs>spurs]

^like the mavericks of yesteryear.

[Pelicans78]

Westbrook is probably worth 13-14 million a season instead of 16. The Thunder were always gonna keep him because the front office is madly in love with him and they want to show everyone how much they love him because they "discovered" him when no one else would.

He's a good player, but doesn't make a good team great or a great team elite.

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

He's a good player, but doesn't make a good team great or a great team elite.

Exactly. While there are undoubtedly many players getting max money they don't deserve ( hey Joe Johnson and Rashard Lewis ), when you're building a contender you have to avoid overpaying where possible, cause this might cost them signing or re-signing some good player they would need to contend. With the new CBA's lux tax, I doubt they'd be able to re-sign all of their players and still have the cash to get one more good piece, which they need.

[baseline bum]

He's definitely not the defensive-anchor type of a TC, 2003 TD, et al, but he's a good enough low-post defender who's been able to hold his own on the block w/o the help of double-teams. Not worth his $$, and I agree he's been on stacked teams, but he's still decent

Perkins also sets great screens.

[angelbelow]

What a robbery.

[NewcastleKEG]

You probably could have gotten Ainge to bite on a 2 for 3 with Rondo/KG & someone else

[mavsfan1000]

lol OKC lol No rings lol Westbrick

[NewcastleKEG]

Westbrook + Ibaka + Salfo 4 Rondo + KG

[angelbelow]

I really liked Westbrook early on, specifically his hustle and effort on the offensive rebounding front. But I think he thinks hes better than Durant.

[m>s]

overpaid son of a bitch tbh. in a few years maybe OKC will find themselves shorthanded financially and not having the $ to keep the true n!ggas who contribute the most (Ibaka, that beard n!gga Harden etc...)

[mavsfan1000]

overpaid son of a bitch tbh. in a few years maybe OKC will find themselves shorthanded financially and not having the $ to keep the true n!ggas who contribute the most (Ibaka, that beard n!gga Harden etc...)

Agreed.

[DeadlyDynasty]

Westbrook + Ibaka + Salfo 4 Rondo + KG

lolwut?

[NewcastleKEG]

lolwut?
Rondo is better than Westbrook
Garnett guarantees Thunder a title this year

Trading for KG is a win-win. He gives you everything he's got and once he retires you have a ton of cap space

[angelbelow]

Rondo is better than Westbrook
Garnett guarantees Thunder a title this year

Trading for KG is a win-win. He gives you everything he's got and once he retires you have a ton of cap space

Doesnt sound like a fair deal for the celtics though. Rondo is better than Westbrook already but now they have to give up KG too?

Btw is KG an expiring this year?

[lefty]

Rondo is better than Westbrook
Garnett guarantees Thunder a title this year

Trading for KG is a win-win. He gives you everything he's got and once he retires you have a ton of cap space
Damn if Rondo had a better outside shot ..... although he has improved it a little this season


Yeah I would take Rondo over Westcrook

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Perkins also sets great screens.
He did when he was fat.

[Spurtacus]

OKC should have traded Westbrook for CP3 or Rondo.

Still not convinced they can win it all with Michaelangelo running the point.

[benefactor]

Horrible decision by OKC. He might be the reason they never win it all. I don't understand how they think he is a good fit for the long term.
lol extension
lol worthless chucker
lol Steve Francis part deaux

[SpursIndonesia]

I really liked Westbrook early on, specifically his hustle and effort on the offensive rebounding front. But I think he thinks hes better than Durant.

THIS !!

A talented scoring PG can find the balance beetween scoring & distributing in the end, see Tony Parker. But i bet my ass Tony has never think himself better than TD or Manu earlier in his career.

[benefactor]

Horrible decision by OKC. He might be the reason they never win it all. I don't understand how they think he is a good fit for the long term.
:lol letting Harden walk and keeping Westbrick

[benefactor]

:lol letting Harden walk and keeping Westbrick
crofl

[rayjayjohnson]

Westbrook has plenty of upside IMO. What I don't get is choosing Ibaka over harden

[spurraider21]

Westbrook has plenty of upside IMO. What I don't get is choosing Ibaka over harden

what i don't get is paying perkins 40 million and letting harden walk because they were offering 4 mil less than he wanted. should have just coughed up the dough

[rayjayjohnson]

what i don't get is paying perkins 40 million and letting harden walk because they were offering 4 mil less than he wanted. should have just coughed up the dough
Absolutely.

[Mal]

what i don't get is paying perkins 40 million and letting harden walk because they were offering 4 mil less than he wanted. should have just coughed up the dough

Yet, they still had one ball

[mrjap2x]

what i don't get is paying perkins 40 million and letting harden walk because they were offering 4 mil less than he wanted. should have just coughed up the dough
It looks stupid now but when the lakers were the 2 time champs with their twin towers size was really important.

[OKC]

Westbrook has plenty of upside IMO. What I don't get is choosing Ibaka over harden

A guy like Ibaka is R-A-R-E in the NBA. 6-10, immensly strong, athletic, great shot blocker, and not only is he not an offensive liability, but he's actually a pretty good offensive weapon. Individually, is Harden a better player than Ibaka? Of course. I get why they wanted Ibaka. Now Perkins is another story. There's also a great argument for those who say OKC shoulda traded Westbrook and kept Harden.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

It looks stupid now but when the lakers were the 2 time champs with their twin towers size was really important.

All of the Lakers big men had more skill and ability than Perkins. The NBA is moving in such a perimeter oriented small ball direction that Perkins is getting more useless every year.

What I especially don't get is that they could have amnestied Perkins to keep KD, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka. I still agree with the Thunder fans that keeping Ibaka was really important and losing him would have made OKC simply too dependent on their perimeter. Ibaka still has some room to grow and if Chimpbrook wasn't a ball hog and could run actual plays, I bet Ibaka is averaging 17 PPG or so.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

A guy like Ibaka is R-A-R-E in the NBA. 6-10, immensly strong, athletic, great shot blocker, and not only is he not an offensive liability, but he's actually a pretty good offensive weapon. Individually, is Harden a better player than Ibaka? Of course. I get why they wanted Ibaka. Now Perkins is another story. There's also a great argument for those who say OKC shoulda traded Westbrook and kept Harden.

:lol we might finally have an intelligent Thuner fan on this site. I agree with everything here. Once they signed Westbrook to an extension and committed as much money to two perimeter players as they did to Durant and Westbrook, it wasn't much of a choice between Harden and Ibaka.

If amnestying Perkins would have enabled them to keep both though then that's what they should have done.

[OKC]

You know actually Westbrook has been fairly brilliant for stretches this season. He really has. His assists are up from 5 something last year to over 8 this season. He's not there yet though. His FG% is too low because he makes too many boneheaded shot decisions. He still seems to find it to be a good idea to chuck up 3 pointers with 18 seconds on the shot clock when the team is down 15 points to Miami, even though he's a career 30% shooter. OKC winning a title really is up to him. Still though, the thought of having Harden over him is still pretty appealing, espcially since Jackson is coming on really strong backing up Westbrook at PG.

[jeebus]

:lol we might finally have an intelligent Thuner fan on this site.
it's just thunderup rebooting himself on this site. no problems there, just as long as he doesn't revert to his old self.

[DUNCANownsKOBE]

Westbrook averaged 8 assists per game in 2010 and 2011, last year happened to be a down year for him with assists but him averaging 8 assists doesn't tell me much.

It goes beyond Westbrook though and it's more about what's winning in the NBA. Teams that aren't relying on great offensive production from their point guard always do better in the playoffs, and the team that's going to be in OKC's way has proven the NBA is controlled by elite wing players right now. I'll take a dominant tandem at SF and SG over a dominant tandem at SF or SG and PG every time.

The way the shooting guard position has gotten smaller across the NBA is another factor. Most of the other big shooting guards (Kobe, Joe Johnson, etc.) are old and past their prime. When they're gone and Harden's competition is Bradley Beal, Monte Ellis, Eric Gordon, etc., he's going to completely own the position and be a mismatch on any given night. It would have only been a matter of time before Harden was gonna be able to get whatever he wants iso'd against Wade. Westbrook isn't ever gonna have that kind of advantage against Miami.

The Thunder were gonna win 57+ games regardless of who they kept between Westbrook and Harden, the difference is which one makes them a better playoff team. A shooting guard with a high bball IQ who's clutch as hell outside of a bad finals performance is much easier to have as a key ingredient on a championship team than a volatile scoring point guard.

[OKC]

I don't disagree that OKC would be better with Harden on the roster and Jackson running the show at PG. Jackson is looking really good right now. He runs things pretty well out there. Jackson is nearly Westbrook's equal athletically, but he is a pass first PG. Honestly, if OKC were to get to MIami again, their best chance is to sit Perk's ass on the bench. Like..why does he even play against Miami? Your crunch time lineup is Jackson, Westbrook, Martin, KD, and Ibaka. Swap Thabo and Martin some and Ibaka and Collison. Can that lineup beat Miami? I don't know, but it's their best bet.

[sook]

Westbrook averaged 8 assists per game in 2010 and 2011, last year happened to be a down year for him with assists but him averaging 8 assists doesn't tell me much.

It goes beyond Westbrook though and it's more about what's winning in the NBA. Teams that aren't relying on great offensive production from their point guard always do better in the playoffs, and the team that's going to be in OKC's way has proven the NBA is controlled by elite wing players right now. I'll take a dominant tandem at SF and SG over a dominant tandem at SF or SG and PG every time.

The way the shooting guard position has gotten smaller across the NBA is another factor. Most of the other big shooting guards (Kobe, Joe Johnson, etc.) are old and past their prime. When they're gone and Harden's competition is Bradley Beal, Monte Ellis, Eric Gordon, etc., he's going to completely own the position and be a mismatch on any given night. It would have only been a matter of time before Harden was gonna be able to get whatever he wants iso'd against Wade. Westbrook isn't ever gonna have that kind of advantage against Miami.

The Thunder were gonna win 57+ games regardless of who they kept between Westbrook and Harden, the difference is which one makes them a better playoff team. A shooting guard with a high bball IQ who's clutch as hell outside of a bad finals performance is much easier to have as a key ingredient on a championship team than a volatile scoring point guard.
Great post I would add to your proposition about the wing tandem that you can get a SG like Wade to play PG at any time. Guys like him and Harden (now) have great court vision and can really effective at PG when other guys are on. Their ability to switch between the 1 and 2 really helps out. Westbrook is one of the most athletic PGs I have ever seen, but he is almost always just a shooting point guard. He has great court vision but doesn't seem to use it, he needs to get his head straight. I don't think it was that bad of a trade for OKC, they could still win a championship which will quell all criticism, but they would have been scary as shit in the playoffs had they kept Harden.