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.

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                   Check out my app, Smart Responsible Gaming at thegamingguym.com/

NBA Finals - The Rematch

This is the one everybody wanted to see. OKC wanted to see this too! Cavs vs Warriors.

 Steph against Lebron.

Love matched up with Green.


Both teams playing well. Both teams shooting a high percentage from outside 3 point line.
Vegas has the line set at +180 for series if you take the Cavs. You lay a price of -230 if you
like the Warriors.

Cavs are rested. Warriors are coming off a hard fought series against OKC. The Dubs would not even
be in the NBA Finals without Klay Thompson. I expect him to have a good series and dominate his match up with J.R. Smith or Shumpert. Irving will have something to prove and will score consistently against whoever plays him.

Curry and Lebron will cancel each other out with both having outstanding moments. Curry is more proficient in the clutch. Iguodala will match up with James and will start if the Cavs go up a game
on them.

Tristan Thompson will dominate Bogat in the middle. Andrew looked spent in game 7. Expect to see Eziel more.

Harrison Barnes is X factor. He is due for a breakout game. Channing Frye is X factor for Cavs. They may leave both of these guys open and they have ability to make opponents pay.

Both Benches are strong. Slight edge to Warriors.

Coaching edge goes to Kerr. Lue does have the pulse of his team. I am curious about his ability to adjust on the biggest stage of professional coaching career.

Fantasy Picks.
Lebron James is averaging 24.6 points,8.6 rebounds and 7 assists.
Kevin Love has 9 double double in the playoffs so far.
Draymond Green has 6 double double and 1 triple double in the playoffs.
Curry is averaging 26 points,almost 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists.
Thompson is dropping 26.2 with less production in rebounds and assists
Irving is averaging 24 points but give minimal numbers in the other categories.

Go with solid across the board and take Lebron over Curry.

Go with the champs in 7 and grab the Warriors. Don't let the price or the Lebron got help this time
sway you. Warriors dominated the Cavs in last meeting. The homecourt advantage is the difference.
I will add the video highlight of each game so you can get the top play of  #NBA Finals.

Game 1: Curry No look pass to Iguodala. Video.
Game 2: Warriors work the ball for an open 3. Video
Game 3: Lebron catches lob pass from Irving. video



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NBA Playoffs: Klay Thompson or James Harden

This is the 1st of the series of comparing players during the NBA playoffs. I decided to look at the match up between Klay Thompson and James Harden. This comes on the heels of the Warriors record setting 73-9 season and the Rockets rush to the 8th and final playoff spot. I selected this match up because these two will play each other in the 1st round. I realize they are in different price ranges in daily fantasy.

Analytics indicate that all players perform better when rested. Keep that in mind since there are 2 to 3 days between games to get the ultimate performance.

Harden has average 10 points more during the last 5 games of the regular season. His turnovers are down during this same period by 1 to 2 per game. His value per cost has increased .12 over the season and he is trending up.

Thompson is averaging 4 points less but getting 1 more rebound per outing during the last 5 games. His value per cost has decreased by .24 and he is trending down. Thompson's price is better.

Harden will give more productivity. He won't be playing beyond this series so grab him now!

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NBA Playoffs 2015-2016

The NBA playoffs started this week. I will have a series of articles that will compare comparable

players based on daily fantasy prices and make a determination as to which one has the best value.

I will also participate in a contest that will run through the entire playoffs. The players that obtain

a double - double will get one point. If the player get a triple double, he gets two points. A quadruple double that does not include turnovers would get 4 points. The player that gets the most points wins.

I want the fans of DraftKing and FanDuel to follow me and see how well I do. Tell me who you would pick as your player. I will update this blog post through the duration of the playoffs.

Which of these guys would you pick?

Follow me and see which one, if any, I select. Leave a comment if you like someone not pictured.

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               Read my latest post about #Warriors Klay Thompson & #Rockets James Harden.
thegamingguyproductions.blogspot.com/2016/04/nba-playoffs-klay-thompson-or-james.html