{"id":2771,"date":"2016-07-08T16:21:25","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T21:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=2771"},"modified":"2016-09-19T23:29:06","modified_gmt":"2016-09-20T04:29:06","slug":"does-westbrook-want-what-durant-turned-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fredsportsextra.com\/?p=2771","title":{"rendered":"Does Westbrook want what Durant turned down?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are thirty teams in the National Basketball Association and fewer than ten superstar players that can be called the absolute face of a team.\u00a0\u00a0 You have Stephen,\u00a0Lebron, \u00a0Carmelo, Dirk, and\u00a0Anthony (in Orleans).\u00a0 Even\u00a0the former face of the Heat in Miami, Dwyane Wade,\u00a0cannot claim that moniker in Chi-Town.\u00a0 Sure there are others, but when you get to the quick of it, right now, take\u00a0the top five players in the world, James, Curry, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, only four can\u00a0say definitively they are the face of the team they\u00a0play on.\u00a0 The now moved Kevin Durant, the\u00a0second or third best player\u00a0on earth\u00a0cannot say he is the top dog in Golden State.\u00a0\u00a0That honor goes to\u00a0Stephen. Sorry Mr. Kevin, but\u00a0you have\u00a0put\u00a0yourself in\u00a0that dreaded number two position that you despise. This one in is\u00a0on you bud….have a Budweiser you West Coast pirate.<\/span><\/h6>\n

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Sure, I now\u00a0included Russell Westbrook as the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder.\u00a0 Some, probably most, did not consider the best athletic guard in the history of the Association as the face\/leader of the team on Reno Street.\u00a0That belonged to the now much hated (in OKC) Kevin Durant. \u00a0But today,\u00a0an early\u00a0day in\u00a0July 2016, he is, and if he would play the part, could become what Kevin Durant was and more.\u00a0\u00a0The former\u00a0scoring leader in the Association\u00a0could be the one with the statue in front of the Peak in a few years.\u00a0 He could be the Kobe of the Thunder, with no competitors for the honor in my lifetime.<\/span><\/h6>\n

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Is Russell the man that wants that, or is he\u00a0of the kind that wants something else? Speculation is we don’t know at this time.\u00a0 But as Adrian Wojnarowksi,\u00a0NBA\u00a0best insider\u00a0reports, \u00a0Westbrook isn\u2019t a lock to leave.<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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\u201cI like Oklahoma City\u2019s chances to keep Russell Westbrook, I really do. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s dying to leave there. I know this: Right now his mindset is on the team they have. Can we add pieces in the short term? Can we go out in free agency? That doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s not leaving next year, but his attitude isn\u2019t \u201cAw man, Kevin left, I\u2019m screwed\u200a\u2014\u200aI gotta get out of here.\u201d I\u2019ve been told Russell has been very determined to lead the team they have\u200a\u2014\u200aand I know this\u200a\u2014\u200aRussell really likes the town, he likes bringing in Oladipo, Steven Adams, those are his guys. He thinks they\u2019re a real talented team that, if they can add another significant piece, it puts them right back in contention. I<\/span> think he\u2019s embracing this, and he can go out next summer and get a 200 million dollar extension with Oklahoma City. I know this: They will not in the short term be putting him out in trade talks. I think this will play out over time here, and they\u2019re focused on improving that team around him.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Only time will tell if Westbrook plays in Oklahoma City in the 2016-17 season.\u00a0 Will General Manager trade him away this summer, or before the trade deadline in February 2017?\u00a0 Does Russell want to come back to the Thunder in the summer of 2017 if he is still with the team?\u00a0I have faith Sam Presti make the correct decisions.\u00a0 It is not his place to be the one to\u00a0decide what Westbrook does.\u00a0\u00a0That must be left up to Westbrook.<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Have faith in Presti, as he can do only what he is suppose to do, which is to sell the organization to players\u00a0along with putting\u00a0the Thunder in the best position to be a viable team season to season.\u00a0\u00a0With Westbrook,\u00a0Presti is dealing with a player that is not playing a game of saying one thing and doing another.\u00a0 That is good for Presti to know in the next months.\u00a0 It gives the GM of the Thunder a fair shake in doing his job.\u00a0 We can thank Russell Westbrook for that.\u00a0 There will not be any questions on where he stands, and most importantly, a deception of heart is not\u00a0in play\u00a0here.\u00a0 Yes, Westbrook can change his mind, but he won’t play the GM as the former face of the team did.\u00a0 To be a man, honesty is paramount.\u00a0 Westbrook is a man.<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

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\"Carry-On-Sam-Presti-1050x654\"<\/a>
Thunder GM Sam Presti<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Feature Photo:<\/p>\n

by<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>maxmanax<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/span><\/small><\/h1>\n

<\/i>Digital Art<\/span><\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\/\u00a0<\/span>Photomanipulation<\/span><\/u><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\/\u00a0<\/span>Other<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/span>\u00a92013-2016\u00a0<\/span>maxmanax<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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There are thirty teams in the National Basketball Association and fewer than ten superstar players…<\/p>\n

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