Could Westbrook be a Franchise Centerpiece?

[iLLosophy]

Quote: Originally Posted by 13

Apparently putting "in the terms of winning championships" wasn't specific enough for you. What does attendance have to do with being a player you can build a championship team around? Ummmm, nothing.

Well...if you REALLY want to go into specifics, read the title of the thread and tell me where you see the word "championship"....

....unless of course you equate being a franchise centerpiece to having won a championship, in which case someone should tell the 85 knicks to pick Joe Dumars instead of Patrick Ewing.

[JODYE]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

That would depend on how the rest of the team is built, would it not? Otherwise, you could say this for any player that's not Top 10-15(which we all know by now who's in that category).

This is true, but wouldn't an offense centered around Westbrook not make him the main focus? That is what the discussion is isn't it, regardless of where he ranks now.

Just don't see a guy that appears to be inept at running anything in the half court winning you more than 35 games as the centerpiece, again, UNLESS you have Kevin Durant on your team, which would then not make him the centerpiece anymore.

Kid is in a lucky situation that KD can make him look as good as he does by covering up mistakes and his deficiencies in the half court.

Anyway, the answer to this question for me remains no. A volume scoring PG with horrible court vision, and below average b-ball IQ isn't a guy I'd want to build a team around.

Quote:

....unless of course you equate being a franchise centerpiece to having won a championship, in which case someone should tell the 85 knicks to pick Joe Dumars instead of Patrick Ewing.

I equate being a franchise centerpiece as a player that gives you the best opportunity to win a championship. Depending on the position, those traits would obviously vary.

Guess someone should have told the Knicks and Patty not to play in the same era as Michael Jordan/Joe Dumars/Magic Johnson etc.

[JasonWilliams55]

Of course he could be if a GM took a risk on him to be one.

I guess the better question would be, could WB lead a team as the centerpiece of a franschise? Also to add to that, what style of offense, teams would suit him best.

IMO, Phoenix would do him wonders, trade for Kendall Marshall (Pass first Point for Durant) maybe another piece and a pick. Westbrook would be able to run and gun with the Phoenix bomb squad on the kick and drive game. Nice PnR with Gortat and Scola is down on the block.

Or Sacramento, trade Brooks/Evans for WB.

[iLLosophy]

Quote: Originally Posted by 13

I equate being a franchise centerpiece as a player that gives you the best opportunity to win a championship. Depending on the position, those traits would obviously vary.

Agreed, but there's not players like Westbrook laying all over the place. I'm saying as a GM, from a business perspective if i'm building a franchise, a championship is nice, but ultimately I just want to keep seats full and keep merchandising going. There were plenty of teams that never won a championship but had exciting players and was still very exciting to watch...


Westbrook is one of those players that, although he isn't the best team player, he will get you a lot of highlight reels and oohs and ahhs. So that's the perspective I'm looking at it from. Obviously if I'm a team like the lakers, I can afford to turn my nose up at him, but if i'm the pistons and I'm looking at a bunch of empty seats every night....a player like westbrook would be a godsend.

[JODYE]

Well from the business aspect, anyone like that is obviously someone that would be a benefit to your franchise. There is no question about that and can agree wholeheartedly.

I'm just talking in terms of on the court success and what he brings as a basketball player.

Jersey sales and attendance would come with that eventually anyway with the tier of players that are legit centerpieces that may not be the "highlight reel" guys.

Duncan, Gasol, Pierce etc.

[Jukeman]

Quote: Originally Posted by 13

Rose does more than Westbrook on the offensive end and is about 10x smarter with the basketball. The comparison between the two really needs to stop. Not going to turn this into a comparison thread either. This isn't about that. A WB lead Bulls team with that roster he was working with in 2010, wins 35-40 games, maybe. Ask the Warriors how building around Monta Ellis worked. Ask the Sixers how the Iverson era went in terms of winning championships. Steve Francis...Gilbert Arenas...and the list goes on. The answer is, no. If you want playoff births and early bow outs, then WB is your guy, because that's his peak as the go to guy. Would love to see him operate without the most efficient scorer on the planet and see how many people would want him then.

I agree with everything.

But AI was a undersized 2, Snow was the PG since we started making the playoffs yearly.

But yea, you can not build around an scoring PG or an undersize SG. Last scoring PG to win a title was Isaiah right?

Even tho AI went to the finals, he had one of the best coaches in the world plus he's no Steve Franchise or Agent 0 or Westbrook for that matter..

Maybe if he had more shooters around him then just maybe he could have won but other than that its rare..


-Juke

[InthePaint]

Successful PGs that could score that went deep(Conference Finals) or Won it all, that i can recall:

Magic Johnson
Isaiah Thomas
Kevin Johnson
John Stockton
Mark Price
Tim Hardaway didnt go deep in Golden State
Gary Payton
Tony Parker
Chauncey Billups
Allen Iverson
Jason Kidd went the Finals three times. Didnt score much in Dallas. Was 19 and 9 the Finals season against SA
Steve Nash
Rookie - Rondo wasnt the scorer he was in the Championship year w/ Boston
Derrick Rose

Westbrook went the Finals already w/ his erratic decision making in a shortened season.

[JODYE]

Quote: Originally Posted by InthePaint

Successful PGs that could score that went deep(Conference Finals) or Won it all, that i can recall: Magic Johnson Isaiah Thomas Kevin Johnson John Stockton Mark Price Tim Hardaway didnt go deep in Golden State Gary Payton Tony Parker Chauncey Billups Allen Iverson Jason Kidd went the Finals three times. Didnt score much in Dallas. Was 19 and 9 the Finals season against SA Steve Nash Rookie - Rondo wasnt the scorer he was in the Championship year w/ Boston Derrick Rose Westbrook went the Finals already w/ his erratic decision making in a shortened season.