According to our Adrian, Wojnarowski thinks Pick sent to Houston along with Wall is a lottery protected 2023 Selection would reporting that?

Stephen A.

Smith.

Bigger deal.

Tell me, is it wall to Houston or is it rust toe?

Washington Well, I think it's rust a Washington that that that that's how I'm feeling about it right now.

When I think about Russell Westbrook, Um, you know, listen, the difference in skill set.

Russell Westbrook is tenacious.

So is John Wall.

Russell Westbrook sits a little better from the field, not as good from three point range, but they both have a local motive.

They go out 100 MPH and that mentality that Russell Westbrook has that dog in him where he is firing all the time, going 100 MPH backs down to no one.

That's not that John Wall isn't like that, either, because he is, to a degree, just not as demonstrative with it as Russell Westbrook is.

I'm here to tell you right now Chocolate City, the people that I know.

I got a lot of loved ones there.

They are going to love Russell Westbrook's attitude being in the Verizon Center.

I'm here to tell you that right now it's gonna be something special with him and Bradley Bill, because unlike James Harden, who dribbles a lot before he wreaks havoc, Bradley Bill doesn't need to dribble that much in order to be the marksman that he is.

And this is a brother that just finished averaging 30 or 30 for the season because I love me some Bradley bill, even though some people that I know who will remain nameless ain't that high on him, they know who they are.

But in the end, I am.

And I'm telling you right now, I think it's a plus for them.

But for me, the reason why it's also a pluses because even though I believe in John Wall and I know he can ball, I just don't see how this keeps James Harden wanting to stay in Houston, which is why I'm at a loss as to why Houston would do this deal other than the fact that they tried to get rid of us.

And, you know, according to sources, a lot of folks weren't they didn't want Russ because Russ can be fiery and very strong willed and strong headed.

And because of that, you know, basketball operations folks may not have wanted to deal with them, so the Houston Rockets might have felt they got the best deal they could.

I just don't see how this helps them or than, you know, I mean the skill, said Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

They wanna play together, Max.

We all know that.

But I don't see how John Wall, who's very similar to Russell Westbrook, helps James Harden want to stay in Houston.

That's my only reticence about this for Houston.

You clearly clearly, the Wizards won this deal, and you want to know how the teams without GM like Daryl Morey live like this.

What is Houston signaling here?

They're getting a first round pick back, like if you want to know who got who's the better player?

Obviously, Westbrook, he's two years older, but he's not coming off a catastrophic injury.

He always plays with everything he's got and has been a greater player at his best than then John Wall.

Though John Wall's been excellent, neither one can really shoot.

They have certain kind of similarities there.

Um, but one team had to include a first round pick in the deal, and that team was Washington.

Houston gets a first round pick.

So what are they really signaling with this?

Because keeping James Harden that's done, that ship has sailed, hardens out of there.

Everyone knows he's gonna be traded.

So really, what?

What what Houston is signaling here?

What for Tita is signaling, I think, is Look, we're not gonna try and win a championship next three years, but after that, we are.

So here's something to watch.

In the meantime, we'll get what we can for Harden will try to accumulate some first round picks.

Don't forget, they had to move a lot of them in order to get Westbrook in order to put the team together originally, and we'll see what we can dio.

I think it was a big mistake to let go of Daryl Morey if I had Daryl Morey is a G M, and he came into my office and said, I want to go somewhere else.

I'd say Let's make this right.

Forget about what's happened.

Let's make it right.

Here's some more money.

Here's whatever you need and I have kept Daryl Morey in terms of Washington.

They have arguably the best backcourt in basketball right now.

I mean, the CP three and Devin Booker.

Yeah, I take that as number one.

So what's this Number two?

Because Clay is hurt.

Where does this rank in the N b A.

Show me a better backcourt.

Show me a backcourt.

Today is definitively better than Westbrook and Bradley Beal.

Neither one is an M V.

P right now.

But you know how I have my star system Foreign All Star five and M v p.

Their All Star pluses those air to 4.5 in the backcourt.

So, like that's just about as good as it gets.

And Washington goes from a nap after thought.

Nothing in the division when in the beginning of the season, a couple of years ago.

You're like, hey, maybe, you know, 23 years ago.

Hey, maybe they can compete at the top of the division because John Wall, maybe he's the best player in the East.

Remember those days long gone there an afterthought.

But all of a sudden, Campbell is not gonna be available.

And Boston is not the same.

Hayward's gone right.

And also, when you start looking around the east and you go, Oh, wait a minute.

Washington.

They're not gonna come out of the East, but Washington is gonna be competitive this year.

They're gonna be fun to watch, and they're gonna make the playoffs and maybe be a tough out.

Let's see.

They also got that Israeli kid in the draft, that big guard who people thought was gonna go higher up.

So in terms of where Washington is, they just improved.

I think they improved.

I don't think there's any question about it, but I think that to pinpoint and really locked down on Russell Westbrook, let's be very, very clear.

First of all, let's give him credit where credit is due because there was a lot of false reporting out there.

You know, him and James Harden.

And don't get along.

That couldn't be more false.

Uh, their brothers, they're very, very tight with one another is just that Russell Westbrook on James Harden didn't necessarily think it was an ideal fit for them.

to play together because both of them are ball dominant.

And Russell Westbrook doesn't want to sit around spectating watching James Harden do his thing.

He wants the ball in his hands.

So now we gotta ask that question.

Whether or not that's something John Wall will be able to tolerate any event that Fertitta and the Houston Rockets are unable to unload James Harden for the equitable compensation that they're looking for because we all know he wants to be in Brooklyn.

We know Brooklyn's got some of the assets.

They got to give it up a Sfar, as I'm concerned because of what the Lakers did, they need Thio.

They need tohave that Big three together because I think that's the only thing that has a chance of derailing the Lakers this season, quite frankly.

But when we get back to Russell Westbrook, we have to understand where he is in his career.

Russell Westbrook has been in the league for a long time.

They went to the finals in 2012 with Scott Brooks as his coach, who's now the coach for the Washington Wizards.

So that speaks a lot as well because obviously he feels he can coach Russell Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook is extremely strong willed.

He's very defiant.

He's gonna do what he believes is correct.

He's gonna play his game on.

He hasn't improved his three point shooting over the last four years.

His three point shooting is a hindrance now with Bradley Bill.

That's gonna help.

And if you've got pieces around him, he's gonna get them the ball because I don't think he's nearly as unselfish as people try to claim he is.

But I do think that he has to shoot the basketball better from the perimeter in order to be everything Max you say they are is a backcourt.

I ain't worried about Bill shooting the damn ball.

I tell you that much.

I ain't worried about him at all.

Russell Westbrook.

I want to see the one thing I want to see him do is improve his jump shot.

I'm not worried about everything else with Russell Westbrook, but I am worried about that.

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