Why do people just assume that replacing westbrook with Rondo will work better?...

[Black and White]

I'd trade him for Marcus Smart and never look back.

Meh, one isn't proven on the NBA level yet, would rather keep Rondo, but if we get a high ish pick for him and a young guy then thats a deal.

The Kings deal was perfect.

[ballup]

Durant needs to re-learn how to play off the ball. Westbrook needs the ball in his hands to be effective. By the way low efficient chucking point/combo guard won't ever win an NBA championship in the modern NBA see Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury.

Rondo would be a perfect starting point guard for the Bulls who are still winning games without Derrick Rose. They were 19-8 since the start of 2014.

Not really. Thib's offense is even more stale than Doc's. I mean, almost any star point guard would be great for the Bulls to stay in the middle of the pack, but that's not the direction they want to go.

[ballup]

Meh, one isn't proven on the NBA level yet, would rather keep Rondo, but if we get a high ish pick for him and a young guy then thats a deal.

The Kings deal was perfect.

Except that the salaries didn't match.

[Black and White]

Except that the salaries didn't match.

And Rondo didnt want to re-sign with the Kings, which is all good, I have no issues either way, but if we look to move him those are the types of deals to look for

[ProfessorMurder]

I gotta admit, Rondo has gotten lazier on defense. He's no longer the young guy trying to prove that he belongs in the league nor is he bat shit insane like KG. But Rondo does play really good defense when he's challenged or on big games.

Definitely. With Bradley on the team he doesn't have to worry as much, and Rondo got lazier because KG was handling interior defense for so long. Now it looks a little worse because he's coming off the injury and they are horrible defensively (whether the numbers suggest that or not).

[imdaman99]

I'm not surprised you have another uninformed opinion. Rondo makes Westbrook look like Kyrie on Defense.

Absolutely not. You're basing this on what?

[D-FENS]

John Wall showing he's an elite defensive player tonight

[Le Shaqtus]

I'd take Rondo over Westbrook in a heart beat.

People who say he can't shoot clearly haven't watched him play the last couple of seasons.

[RedBlackAttack]

It's a very interesting theoretical conversation thinking about how the Thunder would look if you replaced WB with Rondo. I really like both players' games for different reason. The only real similarities are that they're both ridiculously athletic PGs.

Westbrook is one of the most explosive players in the league. When he gets it going and starts getting into the lane, it puts a ton of pressure on defenses, physically and psychologically. He can break down a half court defense as well as any player in the league when he gets in that frenzied mode.

I'd say their defensive abilities are about equal with a slight edge to Rondo with his humongous, fast hands that create problems in the passing lanes.

The part that really makes Rondo the kind of player that may fit better with KD, aside from the obvious point of him being more likely to set Durant up more often, is his ability to constantly control the pace of the game. That's where the comparisons with Kidd have some validity. Kidd always knew when to push the tempo, when to hang back and when to kick things up a notch.

It would be a great experiment. Thing is, OKC has everything to lose if it doesn't
work, while the Cs can afford to take a risk. I'd also love to see how explosive WB can be in an offense where he is the unquestioned first option.