Russell Westbrook extends with OKC

Russell Westbrook re-signs with OKC for three more years. The terms are for 85 million and give him the option to opt out after the 2018 season. He stated he wanted to be in OKC and felt the desire to get something done now. The move makes OKC a viable option for NBA free agents in 2017.

The most surprising revelation during the press conference was that he learned of Kevin Durant leaving for the Warriors along with everyone else. It would seem that two players that were together for 8 years would have talked about going in another direction after the decision was final and before it was made public.  

Westbrook's choice to stay will now make this his team. His talent and ability to dominate a game is without question. Can he become Batman on a team where Robin was his primary role?  I see it being a repeat of the year that he had in 2014-15 when Durant injured his foot. He was the number one option all of the time. I don't see any drop off in production. I see a possible MVP season. Think Allen Iverson in 2001 with the Sixers.  Just not enough to get to the NBA Finals. OKC will still have reason to cheer.

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                                                           48 days until #G2E2016

Kevin Durant signs with the Warriors

Lebron James is happy this morning. He is not the number 1 player that NBA fans love to hate on today. Kevin Durant moves into that spot by signing with the Warriors for two years at 27 million per season. He has a clause to opt out after 1 year.

The Warriors are happy this morning. They just sign the best free agent available and improved a championship team coming off consecutive NBA Finals appearances. They just won 73 regular season games. Could that record be challenged? Daily Fantasy Sports just got more exciting.

Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut are not happy this morning. They will in all likelihood not be re-signed by the Warriors. The money is not there under the salary cap. They both may wind up in Dallas.

Russell Westbrook is not happy this morning. He no longer has his scoring partner that made for one of the best backcourts in the league. He is counting the days until he is a free agent.

The rest of us are somewhere in the middle. Love or Hate the deal. Like or Loathe Durant. We will watch intently. I just want to see the Warriors again when they come to Philly.

After Kevin Durant's announcement that he will join Golden State, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook has moved the Warriors' odds to win next season's title from 3-2 to 4-5, making them an overwhelming favorite.

The Thunder's odds dropped from 8-1 to 30-1 at the Westgate.

The SuperBook also opened the Warriors' season win total for the 2016-17 campaign at 68.5.

Kevin Durant is Happy.  Click and See.

In case you missed it, @KeshisCuties and I discussed if Kevin Durant would fit with the Warriors.
This is in part due to Warriors not winning the title and Barnes lack of production in the close out games.  Follow us for more #HisandHers Talk this coming Friday at 8PM on Twitter.

Read about the Problems with NBA Free Agency here.

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NBA Top Free Agents not named Kevin Durant

The wish list is open. Lebron James just won the championship in Cleveland so he won't leave again.
So besides the King and Kevin, who are the top free agents in 2016?

 Al Horford

I like Al Horford currently with the Atlanta Hawks. He is an unrestricted free agent. He is a solid front court player that can defend and score. Horford averaged 15 points and 7.3 rebounds. His downside is that he is 30 years old. Teams will hope that he is not about to decline in production.

 Hassan Whiteside

Hassan Whiteside is a great piece from the Miami Heat. He is coming off his best season and is a double double machine. He can impact the game defensively with shot blocking and rim protection.
Whiteside averaged 14 points and 11 rebounds. He is 27 years old. He is not that skilled offensively.

Nicholas Batum deserves consideration from the Charlotte Hornet. He is a swingman that averaged
14 points, 6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Impressive numbers and only 27 years of age. Batum's stats have improved every year over the course of his career.
This is my top three.

You will notice they don't include Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Rajon Rando or Mike Conley. The 1st two have peaked and would want top money. Rando stint in Dallas stills lingers with me. Conley is coming off a torn Achilles. I also did not mention DeMar DeRozan because he has expressed a strong desire to stay with the Raptors.

Harrison Barnes hurt himself with his NBA Finals performance. He is a good player but he fits the Warriors. I question if he could be the star of a team if he is the centerpiece. If Barnes played close to regular season form, he would be worth the risk. He averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds. He is durable and played in all 82 games this past regular season. He is only 24.

 Top Free Agent: Kevin Durant

In case you missed it, @KeshisCuties and I discussed if Kevin Durant would fit with the Warriors.
This is in part due to Warriors not winning the title and Barnes lack of production in the close out games.  Follow us for more #HisandHers Talk this coming Friday at 8PM on Twitter.

                   Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates!
                   Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com/

NBA Daily Fantasy:Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant

I am caught up in the #SSAC16 and #DecadeofData frenzy. I am sharing my own analytics comparing Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. I compared their stats over the entire season
to the last 5 games played. I used a scoring system that is associated with #FanDuel.  Assists and Rebounds have more statistical value than points. Turnovers are negative so they decrease the player's score.

I chose Westbrook and Durant because they have similar value in the Daily Fantasy Sport world.
I assigned both of them a cash value of $10,900.

Who would you select? ________

My answer is below.

 Durant is outscoring Westbrook by 8 points over the past 5 games. Westbrook has almost twice as many assists during the same period. Durant total fantasy value over the past 5 games is 50.68 while Westbrook value is 47.70. Both of them have alarmingly high turnover ratios.My analytics show an overall upward trend for Durant.

 

 

 

Westbrook is ahead of Durant statistically for the season with a fantasy value projection base on price of 4.61 to 4.43. I would stay with Westbrook at the same price but if the trend continues upward over the next 2 games then switch to Durant. Value and timing are extremely important elements to winning.

 

The Thunder play the Spurs tonight on NBA on ABC.  See the complete schedule . I am staying with Westbrook since he will be matched against Tony Parker (offensively) more than Kawhi Leonard. More favorable for Westbrook.

                                                          

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