12/03/24
December 02, 2020
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
From The Athletic:
The Houston Rockets have agreed to a trade to send Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a protected first-round pick.
The first-round pick is lottery-protected in 2023; can not be in the top 12 in 2024; can not be a top-10 selection in 2025 or a top-eight pick in 2026. If none of those picks are eligible, it will then become two second-round picks.
posted by NoMich at 09:44 PM on December 02, 2020
At first I thought this move was Houston going deep into the tank, with a move of James Harden soon to follow. As I look at it now, it makes sense, but it comes with risk. John Wall should mesh well with Harden, and the acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins will provide some help up front. The risk is of the medical variety. Wall is coming off of a season lost to a torn Achilles tendon, and Cousins has, in order, suffered a torn achilles, a torn left quad, and a torn ACL. There's high probability of trouble here.
What will Westbrook bring with him to Wizards? Washington has a pretty good starting lineup, with Bradley Beal, Westbrook, Rui Hachimura, and Davis Bertrans. The question is whether Westbrook can bring a spare basketball so he can have his own. Bertrans and Hachimura look to be the "victims" of a Russell Westbrook led offense. I don't see a lot on the Wizards' bench either. Those draft picks might well be the second rounders, since the Eastern Conference is becoming stacked.
posted by Howard_T at 08:41 PM on December 03, 2020
Seems strange that the Ravens and Steelers are in the midst of another of their snarling grudge matches on a meandering afternoon as people are quietly going about their business and remembering that it's $2.00 Whopper Wednesday at Burger King.