By This blog post is not me hating on others opinions or thoughts on the situation but for me to express how I feel about the situation at hand. I like where the Bulls are and I like the direction the organization picked to go.
I have had many questions about the ability of John Paxson and Gar Forman’s leadership throughout the years. The Head Coaching carousel, trading effective NBA players, and deviating from building a championship team by adding over the hill vets.
Where I finally started to agree with the Bulls front office is when they decided to blow it all up and add young and athletic players to the squad. The Jimmy Butler trade which netted Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen really caught my interest because a direction was finally picked. Get young, get athletic, and get young guys that can shoot the rock.
So, I ask why trade integral parts of this rebuild for an aging star? Rusell Westbrook is a damn good player, I am not denying that. No ifs, and, or buts about it. Westbrook is a former MVP and has had three straight seasons of averaging a triple-double.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 28 | OKC | NBA | PG | 81 | 81 | 34.6 | 10.2 | 24.0 | .425 | 2.5 | 7.2 | .343 | 7.7 | 16.8 | .459 | .476 | 8.8 | 10.4 | .845 | 1.7 | 9.0 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 2.3 | 31.6 |
| 2017-18 | 29 | OKC | NBA | PG | 80 | 80 | 36.4 | 9.5 | 21.1 | .449 | 1.2 | 4.1 | .298 | 8.3 | 17.0 | .485 | .477 | 5.2 | 7.1 | .737 | 1.9 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 25.4 |
| 2018-19 | 30 | OKC | NBA | PG | 73 | 73 | 36.0 | 8.6 | 20.2 | .428 | 1.6 | 5.6 | .290 | 7.0 | 14.5 | .481 | .468 | 4.1 | 6.2 | .656 | 1.5 | 9.6 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 22.9 |
| Salary | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | Signed Using | Guaranteed |
| Russell Westbrook | 30 | $35,654,150 | $38,178,000 | $41,006,000 | $43,848,000 | $46,662,000 | Bird Rights | $158,686,150 | |
So, by the time other superstars hit free agency, Russ will be 33 years old. Another red flag goes up considering how his numbers have dipped in FG%, FT%, and 3P% over the last two years. Who knows? Maybe in that time span, the Bulls become a real threat with their young core in the Eastern Conference and free agents would like to join them. Again that’s just a theory.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 29 | OKC | NBA | PG | 80 | 80 | 36.4 | 9.5 | 21.1 | .449 | 1.2 | 4.1 | .298 | 8.3 | 17.0 | .485 | .477 | 5.2 | 7.1 | .737 | 1.9 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 25.4 |
| 2018-19 | 30 | OKC | NBA | PG | 73 | 73 | 36.0 | 8.6 | 20.2 | .428 | 1.6 | 5.6 | .290 | 7.0 | 14.5 | .481 | .468 | 4.1 | 6.2 | .656 | 1.5 | 9.6 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 22.9 |
Featured Photo Credit: CBSSports.Com
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