D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Traded To The Nets

Totally agree, so much shade from ESPN it isn't even funny now.

 

The wives of all the former players/reporters on BSPN who are throwing shade on D'angelo should be very suspicious.

 

Wilbon and Rose should be embarrassed

 

wait, so he wasn't traded for the 23rd pick and a smack to the mouth?

 

needed a bigger hand...

 

Well Kobe's gone, so I guess they have to find a new punching bag.

 

Sacramento is stocking centers, is Cousins in the move for Russell? if not wth

 

Nice article by Ding on how important DAR is to our future.

 

They wouldn't take randle and clarkson wouldn't agree to a s&t to sac. Im bearish with cousin, great talent but facts still remains, he has not led sac to anything....they have had better talent then us in the last 3yrs and has equally been just as terrible as us.

 

i'd take koufos in a salary dump.

 

Great article by Kevin! I wholeheartedly agree with him on this.

It's no secret that I am super high on Russell. Anyone who cares to venture back in this very thread during the Swaggy drama can see me right there ardently fighting on his behalf vs the people who ready to turn on him.

I said then it would be asinine to trade him and I still believe it (even for guys like Butler or PG, but for KD, LBJ or Steph I would consider).***

To the point of Kevin's article, I think it can be best described by an analogy I was waiting for him to make:

A lot of Laker fans hope that we are building the next OKC, homegrown superstars all growing together and peaking together to be a title team. In that sense, the Ingram comparisons to KD would be right. Ingram may be the better player but Russell is the key. Durant is the best player on OKC, but OKC only goes as far as Westbrook takes them. I believe, like Kevin, that the same holds true here if the FO decides to ride this out.

***Edit: I feel I may need to clarify this part for people. This opinion is based on 2 parts.

1. It is my belief that we will get top-8, if not top-5 PG production from Russell while he is still on his rookie deal. This is huge (see: Steph Curry's last two seasons while costing less annually than most of the GS starters)

2. The three people I mentioned considering trading Russell for are "one piece away" guys. You can put those guys on any roster and the jump is significant (bad rosters become playoff teams, average rosters become conference finals teams, above average rosters become odds on favorite to win the title immediately). While I like PG and Butler (and Harden and Lillard and KAT and Davis....) they are a step in the right direction, but need more pieces to get what those other three get you individually.

 

Just got done reading it. Well, he's doing all the right things; he's in the weight room, he's working on his game, etc. I think he's going to be fine next season. How good will he be? I think there will be a significant improvement that we all see; he has the ability to make others around him better with his style of play. The first-year lumps that he took will only make him a better player. Although, I didn't think he had a bad rookie year, but he did struggle at certain points, and I'm glad he did. Nothing in this league is give; you have to work for everything, and he will.

 

I get where your coming from. Also, I made an edit to my post as you were posting that may come off as shooting back at you possibly, unintentional. I also really admire PG for his comeback and would gladly give anyone not named D'Angelo to get him.

The OKC remark was more centered around that 2010-2012 run. I think fans are HOPING that Russ-Ingram-Randle-Clarkson = Westbrook- Durant- Prime (and well utilized) Ibaka- Pre Superstar Harden from that run.

I'm not sure I agree on the Russell MVP stuff, but it's not worth fighting about really. I mean, I know the differences between him and what Steph has done, but who ever saw Steph coming? Things happen, you know. I think we can both agree we HOPE I'm right about it.