Everyone who doubted it would happen can relax because the Oklahoma City Thunder signed Russell Westbrook to an extension after only 15 games into the 2011-12 season.
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Wikimedia Commons
After the NBA lockout came to a close, one of the first things a lot of people began to discuss was Westbrook's extension and how the Thunder needed to get it done. Then, the people who want Westbrook gone jumped into the debate and believed the Thunder should ignore the extension and trade him for someone like Rajon Rondo.
Oklahoma City chose to extend Westbrook's contract, locking him up to a new five-year deal worth $80 million. With Westbrook set to become a free agent at the end of the year, this now solidifies the team's lineup for years to come. The next players to come up for an extension, Serge Ibaka and James Harden, won't break the bank like Westbrook and Durant and the Thunder have assured their core lineup for the foreseeable future.
This is the best thing that could have happened.
I'll admit up front that Westbrook's assists are nowhere near what they need to be right now. He averaged 20.5 points a game with only 5.5 assists. The fact that those 5.5 assists lead Oklahoma City is a little scary, making it look like the Thunder is a team that simply sets up shots with every player for himself more often than it should be.
However, they are winning. The Thunder are 12-3 and only the Chicago Bulls sport a better record. There is no reason to fix something that isn't broken. Out of all the teams in the Western Conference, the Thunder are the only one that does not look like they have a weakness. Durant is a monster, Westbrook slumped early but is playing the best ball of the year so far, Ibaka is a blocking machine and Harden is the most valuable sixth man in basketball.
Westbrook is well worth the extension and is playing better than almost any guard in the NBA right now. He leads all point guards with 20.5 points per game, ranks second for most rebounds with 5.0 but only ranks 16th for assists. I can live with that and it looks like the Thunder will as well.
Russell Westbrook is remaining with the Oklahoma City Thunder and that is a very good thing.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and is an avid sports fan that has lived in Oklahoma for over 40 years. He used to religiously follow the Dallas Mavericks until Oklahoma City found a team to call their own.
Source: NewsOK.com
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
No comments:
Post a Comment