Taking off your Orange glasses

[Knicks411]

Westbrook was 2nd in the NBA in assists in the regular season and 1st in the playoffs. Is he really a selfish player?

Not sure selfish is the right word. He is absolutely a scorer first. he has the ball in his hands a lot so he's going to end up with assits.

 

[Gabjon]

I always felt like Dion carries like 10-15 lbs too much on his body. I wonder if shedding a few pounds could make him even a more dynamic athlete.

I feel like that muscle allows him to bag with bigger players, but if you may be right. Cutting weight is easier during the off season because a lot of people get headaches. Let's see what does in the off season.

 

[Newhouser]

If you are Westbrook and Durant - is has to be tough to say - I think my teammate has a better chance of finishing this play than me.

 

[realorange]

No question Dion has skills to keep him on a team in the NBA. He also has an attitude problem that really is nothing new. A GM takes that into consideration.
As some have said, he and Westbrook are not a great combination and I think it's likely Durant will be gone to somewhere on the East Coast.
Where does that leave Dion?

 

[721Comstock]

It's a fact he has improved. The NBA has better trainers, better facilities, and better diets.

Better diets, eh?

 

[Gabjon]

No question Dion has skills to keep him on a team in the NBA. He also has an attitude problem that really is nothing new. A GM takes that into consideration.
As some have said, he and Westbrook are not a great combination and I think it's likely Durant will be gone to somewhere on the East Coast.
Where does that leave Dion?

90% of the players in the NBA have an attitude problem (on the court or in the locker room). Dion is a little crazy agreed, but not off the court to my knowledge.

 

[br801]

It's a fact he has improved. The NBA has better trainers, better facilities, and better diets.

I get that you are going for sarcasm here, but NBA players (as opposed to college players) are better positioned for significant improvement when their primary focus becomes conditioning and basketball.

 

[QUSE]

Even with my orange glasses on he's the worst at finishing layups. He can get to rim at ease but he can't finish to save his life, it's truly mind-boggling considering how physically strong he is. He's not a spot-up catch n shoot guy and never will be, so he won't make those corner threes consistently, which seems to be his only offensive assignment when Westbrook and Durant are on the court. Like the other poster has pointed out, he doesn't have the ball enough to shoot himself out of the slumps like he did first 2 year at Cleveland so his percentages have dipped big time. Defensively he's a tremendous on-ball defender that can guard 1-3 and even occasionally switching on 4; off-ball he's average at best. He has poor spacial awareness and anticipation for movement that he often lost his guys when he turned his back on them.

I honestly don't know why they don't let Dion drive and dish, Durant catch and shoot, and Westbrook cut and attack more, seems to utilize all three's strengths, instead of those two take turns going one on one at the perimeter, while the other three guys stand and watch and occasionally have to step up and clean up the garbage as clock runs down. By the fourth quarter their two superstars are exhausted and turn into turnover machines, and the other guys have no offensive rhythms whatsoever. They have the pieces to get it done but they need to get everyone involved more, and I don't see how Durant can improve his chance of winning unless he goes to the Spurs.

With the new cap space I can see Dion getting around $12 million/year, wouldn't be surprised if he gets more. Not sure he would stay though.

 

[CusefanATL]

Having no idea what he's currently making, and being too lazy to look it up, I'd say like $6-$8 million per year. And he'd be in the same role he's in now; a scoring/playmaking punch off the bench who could spark big rallies or extend leads when he's 'on'.

Iman Shumpert signed a 4 yr $40 mil deal.

The numbers are higher than you think because of the new TV deal

 

[chugg21]

He's definitely getting $10m+ per year. There's just too much cap space available in a world where Harrison Barnes is about to get $22m+ per year and teams are going to be fighting each other to give Festus Ezeli $40 million.

 

[Gabjon]

Even with my orange glasses on he's the worst at finishing layups. He can get to rim at ease but he can't finish to save his life, it's truly mind-boggling considering how physically strong he is. He's not a spot-up catch n shoot guy and never will be, so he won't make those corner threes consistently, which seems to be his only offensive assignment when Westbrook and Durant are on the court. Like the other poster has pointed out, he doesn't have the ball enough to shoot himself out of the slumps like he did first 2 year at Cleveland so his percentages have dipped big time. Defensively he's a tremendous on-ball defender that can guard 1-3 and even occasionally switching on 4; off-ball he's average at best. He has poor spacial awareness and anticipation for movement that he often lost his guys when he turned his back on them.

I honestly don't know why they don't let Dion drive and dish, Durant catch and shoot, and Westbrook cut and attack more, seems to utilize all three's strengths, instead of those two take turns going one on one at the perimeter, while the other three guys stand and watch and occasionally have to step up and clean up the garbage as clock runs down. By the fourth quarter their two superstars are exhausted and turn into turnover machines, and the other guys have no offensive rhythms whatsoever. They have the pieces to get it done but they need to get everyone involved more, and I don't see how Durant can improve his chance of winning unless he goes to the Spurs.

With the new cap space I can see Dion getting around $12 million/year, wouldn't be surprised if he gets more. Not sure he would stay though.

Dion has to learn how to finish at the rim. Golden State already started to play him for the pass. He needs todevelop fip shots, floater and runners because he can't finish over NBA bigs on a consistent basis.

 

[realorange]

90% of the players in the NBA have an attitude problem (on the court or in the locker room). Dion is a little crazy agreed, but not off the court to my knowledge.

Talking about on the court. He certainly did his part in the finger pointing, whining and blaming that helped OKC go down the tubes in the fourth quarter.

 

[Gabjon]

Talking about on the court. He certainly did his part in the finger pointing, whining and blaming that helped OKC go down the tubes in the fourth quarter.

Agreed but that doesn't effect contracts chemistry is an issue in almost every sports locker room. Hype competitive people are not well rounded in general

 

[Flacusian]

Need to see what the cap is first, but Dion needs to lose some weight and work on his jumper IMO if he wants to be a big part of a great team. If I am OKC I let him walk and find a better shooter to replace him.

Ouch!

 

[SoBeCuse]

He needs to spend some time in the gym losing a little weight and improving his shooting, IMO. Yes, he is built like a football player but he clearly has lost some explosiveness. It's affected his finishes, IMO. I do think he is at his best with the ball in his hands as a backup spark plug drive/dish type PG. His defense has improved for sure but some posters are making it seem like he is some All-NBA caliber defender, lol. I also think his on court demeanor (pouting/complaining/hands up in air) and antics could cost him a few millions.

 

[sufandu]

I get that you are going for sarcasm here, but NBA players (as opposed to college players) are better positioned for significant improvement when their primary focus becomes conditioning and basketball.

Assuming that becomes their primary focus. Some guys are intrinsically motivated and others need a kick in the butt. The problem with some is that once they get a payday they think they've made it and don't listen to the people trying to give them the needed kick in the butt.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

6th man, not a starter, until he becomes more consistent.
How much i would want him and how much i would pay would be determined by his practice/game/off-court attitude, and how good of a 'teammate' he is. I see him sulking/pouting on court a bit too much for my tastes. And, i still think his jumper has way too much arc for it to be reliable. His playoff defense, though, was shockingly good.

 

[PoppyHart]

I don't know the intricacies of the salary cap, though I'm aware that many "non-star" players are in line for big paydays. Someone mentioned Barnes for example.

That said, if the Sixers roll the dice on Waiters for anything close to max money they should have their franchise revoked. You don't intentionally suck for half a decade, tell the public you have a long term plan, and then have that plan highly contingent on Dion Waiters metamorphosing. Some other team with stable veterans and a respected coach should be taking that risk.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I was disappointed on his effort on offense. He sure doesn't move at all without the ball. He seems disengaged standing still there on the wing. Is it scheme, their lack of trust or his own reaction to an almost invisible role on offense? Regardless it sure isn't a good look. Would he be less active on defense if his role on offense was increased? It seems his role is to play defense, give the ball immediately to either KD or Westbrook if he gets a rebound, tipped pass etc. He doesn't seem to have enough lift, explosiveness when he gets to the rim anymore resulting in getting stuffed. Losing some weight might help his agility around the basket but the ability to even pull up and hit a short jumper occasionally would make his move to the hoop more effective. I don't see his current role on OKC as being irreplaceable.

That seems a little rough to me, Cherie. I thought there were times that he was very effective on the drive and could get past his man almost every time. He was dangerous driving the lane and in the open floor, although he did dish most of the time. I also thought his defense was much improved compared to years ago.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Even with my orange glasses on he's the worst at finishing layups. He can get to rim at ease but he can't finish to save his life, it's truly mind-boggling considering how physically strong he is. He's not a spot-up catch n shoot guy and never will be, so he won't make those corner threes consistently, which seems to be his only offensive assignment when Westbrook and Durant are on the court. Like the other poster has pointed out, he doesn't have the ball enough to shoot himself out of the slumps like he did first 2 year at Cleveland so his percentages have dipped big time. Defensively he's a tremendous on-ball defender that can guard 1-3 and even occasionally switching on 4; off-ball he's average at best. He has poor spacial awareness and anticipation for movement that he often lost his guys when he turned his back on them.

I honestly don't know why they don't let Dion drive and dish, Durant catch and shoot, and Westbrook cut and attack more, seems to utilize all three's strengths, instead of those two take turns going one on one at the perimeter, while the other three guys stand and watch and occasionally have to step up and clean up the garbage as clock runs down. By the fourth quarter their two superstars are exhausted and turn into turnover machines, and the other guys have no offensive rhythms whatsoever. They have the pieces to get it done but they need to get everyone involved more, and I don't see how Durant can improve his chance of winning unless he goes to the Spurs.

With the new cap space I can see Dion getting around $12 million/year, wouldn't be surprised if he gets more. Not sure he would stay though.

Yeah, Eddie Munster didn't bother having them run much of an offense. I guess when you are a rookie coach to that kind of talent, you just get out of the way. But OKC could have used a more firm hand down the stretch of that series. They completely lost their cool in that series.

 

[Dave85]

If I took off my Orange glasses there would be another pair of Orange glasses!

 

[Zelda Zonk]

If I took off my Orange glasses there would be another pair of Orange glasses!

And then, beneath, tinted contacts.

 

[Dave85]

And then, beneath, tinted contacts.

Followed by genetic alterations within the eye itself. Like X-Men but only Orange.