The Kings want Russell Westbrook… but does it make sense?

The Kings want Russell Westbrook… but does it make sense?

All right. Well, three for Matt is question one. Duh. Jeez. Would you be in favor of adding Russell Westbrook? Yeah. So, um I don’t know. Yeah, sure. Sure. Hey, sure. Why not? I It would almost certainly be for the MLE. Uh there I’m of two minds, guys. I I don’t really know how I’m going to explain to you why I’m struggling with this question because I think it will make sense. Uh from an analytical point of view, just a straight uh No, they have 700 guards and they don’t have a power forward. Go find a power forward or something close to it. Uh I’m still pissed they didn’t trade for John Collins. And and and I’m just saying just from a straight like you want to be the best team you can point of view. I believe they have more need at the four than they do at the one. They they they got their straight up point guard and Dennis Shruder and you can go back up point guard by committee with Monk or Carter or Keon or there’s already there’s already way too much going on in the back court. And and I understand that Scott Perry would almost certainly move somebody uh if they if they brought in Westbrook. And look, the the the long-term play here may be, and I’m not reporting this. This is I’m just looking at the chessboard, guys, that maybe you can bring in Westbrook because you’re moving one of those guards off as part of a deal for Jonathan Kaminga. Well, then, okay, now that that still makes a little bit of sense. On the other hand, this is again, this is why I have trouble with the answer here from a you want the best basketball team possible standpoint. No. from a I keep saying I I don’t really they’re not going to be good next year. I don’t care about wins next year. If it was up to me, they’d be clearing all salary off the books that they can. Uh with the exception of Sabonis, unless they got a great deal for him and uh and and focus on playing the young dudes, play Nick Clifford, play Rayo, play Ellis, play uh Keegan Murray, put him in a focal point. That that’s what I want. So Jason, on one hand, it’s not I don’t think it’s a tremendous need. On the other hand, I I it doesn’t matter. Screw it. Go ahead. We’re still going to win 40 games. Yeah. I think that the what you said here there just the signing in of itself, if they do that, it it just brings up a ton of questions and that we may not have answers to. I think you you addressed most of them, but um I’m going to go to one area where I know what you’ve said and I don’t you’re not wrong in it. Whereas like technically Keon and Carter and Monk and Nick Clifford and maybe others can play it. I still think they’re light at the position. I don’t think it’s the number one position that they’re light at, but um and not in guards in general. I’m talking about point guards. So I think the idea, the concept of Westbrook and Shruder being here, I think makes that position better. I still think then they’ve got 1900 guards like you said overall like combo guards um light in the front court. So, it just it it I already feel like they need to do another move or two anyway, but this feels like it it has to happen if they do this. Um, he’s been a winner. He’s made some teams better. I think he’s a little bit quirky and an enigma at times, too. So, it’s it’s weird. But I still think also at the end it reminds me a little bit if the Kings were to do it Dave of a team that well I guess in this case basketball but if it’s football or baseball or sometimes someone is added and you’re like it’s a little bit of a weird move but by like the trade deadline that player is then moved for someone else. I think he would be very movable for another team looking to acquire him. I think Shruder could be the same and some of the guys they’ve added, but um it just it doesn’t feel like it just totally makes sense in a way that you’re going, I see what they’re doing here. So, the puzzle’s not complete. If he does become a king, there’s some of it that makes sense, some of it that doesn’t. And it just feels like it just leads to a lot more questions for me. Yeah, that’s that’s a good way to put it. It’s it’s part of what I think we’re going to see with this team, which is they’re going to be a bit of a platypus. And how long have we talked about this team being imbalanced, whether it was Fox and Hallebertton in the back court or they can’t find a small forward or now they can’t find a power forward and they need to play whatever who cares. Yeah. Just one one sorry, one more thought on that. Like obviously by contract they’ve signed Shruder to be the point guard, right? Um, are you like if if it was truly like Doug Christie, if they signed Westbrook today and Doug Christie and Scott Perry said no, that position is open. Are you 100% sure that Shruder would get that over Westbrook for getting contracts? Like if we just said I mean and maybe a ton of people I thought of course, but like Westbrook’s had the much better career. I’m not saying they’re the same player now, but Westbrook’s, you know, been a much better player. Um, I’m not a I can’t be 100% sure about any of it. Um, but but to the spirit of your question, I have to think that part of the reason part of him signing Dennis Shruder and getting Shruder to come here was letting him know that he was signing him to be the starting point guard. I would just h I would assume that that was part of the conversation in recruiting him. That being said, it’s a dangerous game. It’s one thing if you’re trying to get uh Jaylen Brown to sign here and you’re saying you’re going to be our starting two. Well, duh. Yeah. But it’s a dangerous game when you’re you’re talking to play, you know, then then that that that opens up the question, well, how many other NBA teams would Dennis Shruder be starting for? Um, you know, I I but how many other NBA teams would Russell Westbrook exactly be starting for? Maybe it’s a maybe it’s a by committee thing. I don’t know. But I I I can see what Scott P I understand his philosophy here, which is we have to change the culture. So we’re going to bring in culture setters. You’ve got a a first ballot hall of famer that a lot of these guys grew up worshiping. You got a guy in Dennis Rutder that’s not going to take any crap with a coach that’s not going to take any crap. And so maybe for guys you know look Zack Lavine and whereas Demar De Rozan is 100% a good example to follow. Not that Lavine isn’t they don’t seem very rahrh in your face hold you accountable on the bench uh in a timeout type of dudes. And to be honest neither is Sabonis. So I understand what he’s trying to do culture-wise. I just you know where’s this text here? Dave, you’re hilarious. watch them be decent and good without the drama of last year. Remember this day cuz I’m going to come at you when they are. They have too much talent to be super bad. I I don’t think I’ve ever once said they’re going to be super bad. I I think I’ve very consistently said they’re going to flirt with 500 plus or minus a couple of games that their their ceiling is mid to high 40s and I think their their floor at least as constructed now is probably mid30s to you know I it’s it’s almost like the happy Gilmore conversation. And I don’t want to beat this into the ground because we have this every uh every few weeks it seems. But what what what some people just you want to believe and you want to you know and anything else is negative or Debbie Downer. It’s like, brother, if you think that way, I would like to start by seeing you um why don’t you uh send me on Twitter, send me your betting slip for the over on wins this year with a with a good amount of money put in that slip. Cuz it’s one thing to be like, I think they’re going to It’s another thing to look at this team and go, “Yeah, we talked about it, Jason. There is a lot of talent on this team individually, but the combination of this talent is is completely imbalanced. Um, and I don’t think Westbrook really changes that that much. Yeah. And I’m just trying to think, you know, at the where we were feeling at this point last year versus this year. And really the difference, I mean, to the core is Fox, right? I mean, it’s if they start the year with this being the team, I mean, there’s Sabonis would likely start, D. Rozen, Keegan, Murray. I mean, those were three-fifths of the starters last year. Lavine instead of Fox um and then Shruder. But so it’s it’s it’s not drastically different. I think the difference is though we also saw the team kind of be mid last year, right? I mean they were fighting for the playin and lost at home. So it wasn’t like that the team thrived last year and that was with Fox and Fox is a better player than Zack Lavine. Zack Lavine is a very good player. Darren Fox is a better player and this team was mid with Fox last year now. Now they’ve and they had other stuff happen but still. Sure. But Sure. But the bulk of the team that they had that other stuff happened with is here still. Yeah. And I think even while last year was going on, we thought maybe the team could have been a little better, but no one was going, you know, we’re talking three to five wins more maybe not, you know, 10 to 12 and like, hey, they should have been a two seed. It was like, no, maybe they could have been six, right? Maybe. Yeah. And and I’d like to think there’s gonna be a breath of fresh air with Doug Christie, but again, I I say this with all love and respect for Doug, who not only do I worship as a Kings player, uh not only do I respect him as to what he’s given back to the team, uh but also I I love him as a human, but I’ll I’ll we got to call balls and strikes. And I’ve asked this many times. Are there any other NBA teams Doug Christie would have been hired as the head coach? There’s a lot of a lot of flyers being tamed. By the way, Doug Christie might be the second coming of Red Hourbacker. Uh Brett Papovich or Casey Jones, I don’t know. But there there’s a if if you don’t think that this team is in the cycle of transition and the only thing that’s a mystery to me is are they going to stretch this transition out by trying to hold on to be relevant in the playin or are they really truly going to do some short-term pain for long-term gain things? It’s not a matter of being negative. It’s not a matter of being a Debbie Downer. I hope I’m I’d love to be wrong, but we’ve had this conversation at the beginning of damn near every season, but the bean team here, Jason. Yeah. And I feel like of that of that possibilities that they’re always going to try to be relevant, but as a byproduct, they might not be. I don’t think that’s the plan, but like, you know, injuries or just talents not meshing or whatever. And it’s like, hey, all of a sudden it’s a 30 win team as opposed to 38 to 42 to 44. And wow, that was that was a rougher year than people had expected. But I don’t think that’s any my observations of it doesn’t feel like that’s anybody’s plan. Well, and we’re not and we’re also we also have to remind ourselves that we’re not talking about the Kings in a vacuum. The Thunder are the champions. The Rockets are going to be better. The Lakers are going to have a full year with Donich. The Nuggets have added some players and they’ve made a major trade. The Clippers have acquired two major players. Uh the Timberwolves uh have have made the Western Conference Finals two years in a row. Who the hell knows with the Warriors, the Grizzlies, the Mavs, who will now have um you know their people healthy plus Cooper Flag. Uh and the San Antonio Spurs as of right now are are picked to finish ahead. I the Kings are going to be in this battle with most likely the Suns, the Blazers, the Pelicans, and the Jazz. Mhm. And obviously you know this and I I don’t want to be silly here. There’s going to be injuries whether it’s to the Kings or other teams. There will be a team that we think is a lock for the Western Conference playoffs that will not make it. Um but you know maybe I’m in the minority here. This Kings team doesn’t strike me as the team that’s like oh I didn’t expect these young guys to do well. Look at them. We’ll see. Maybe not. But uh that’s what we have a full season for of which I’m sure I’m going to be a completely tolerable person to listen to. Question two, please.

Carmichael Dave and Jason Ross discuss whether or not the Sacramento Kings’ interest in Russell Westbrook makes sense for this team’s roster construction.

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