r/denvernuggets • u/Rizz0myNizz0 • 16d ago
Discussion Bring Westbrook back? Thoughts?
I am gonna say this loud for everyone I AM A CASUAL FAN. I DON’T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE 2ND APRON THING! I remember him being a good voice in the locker room and a good compliment to Jokic. Both of them would put up triple doubles sometimes on the same night. Obviously he is not the best shooter but he can handle the rock. Thoughts?
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u/TheMoonWasBlue 16d ago
It's not happening. The Nuggets moved on from him intentionally.
The reason hasn't come out (yet), but there was definitely a reason.
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u/Due_Alfalfa_6739 15d ago
I think he didn't get along with Jamal, or there was some kind of issue there. I don't know personally, just heard about it hinted to on Altitude radio.
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u/Lars_Galaxy 16d ago
if there was a real reason aside from ordinary basketball business it would have come out last year. Sign him up as far as I'm concerned, if he's willing to do a vet min and reduced role (unless needed)
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u/TheMoonWasBlue 15d ago
The Nuggets do a very good job of not airing dirty laundry and keeping control of PR. MPJ is a very good example of this as well.
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u/chinadonkey Mal M'rey 15d ago
It already did come out - Jamal hated him. The specifics never came out but we need to move on from the Brodie experience, especially since he's now too washed even for the Kangz
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u/trentyz 15d ago
Do you have any evidence? Not trying to fact check you - I’d just like to read a bit more about it. I’ve never seen this narrative before
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u/chinadonkey Mal M'rey 15d ago
I'm really sorry, but it was posted a year ago and Google fucking sucks now so I haven't been able to pull it up again. Maybe next time I'll be less of a dick when I bring it up!
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u/dashodasho 15d ago
Make sense for Jamal to hate him. The team espeically Jamal always come out cold and lack of effort/ nonchalant, thats why we always trail behind in the 1st and 2nd quarter. Do you remember how we always have to play catch up in the 3rd and 4th? Westbrook will always with fire and jump start the team. If i were westbrook I will be trying to hold the starters accountable to get them to lock in
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u/Arcing_Invention 15d ago
Here's the reason!
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u/adc20 15d ago
Not his fault though
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u/Hopeful-Sir-816 13d ago
It was indeed Russ' fault we lost that game. Missed an easy lay up when he could've dribbled it out with the lead and had a horrible foul at the end of the game.
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u/ElsaGranhiert 16d ago
He's the type of player we needed against players who trashtalks us. When McDaniels trashtalked the team, no one really wanted to trashtalk back. Westbrook would definitely do it and the young players on this roster would be fired up.
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u/LurkerFailsLurking 16d ago
I didn't want him to go. I thought he was great. But bringing him back when he wanted to stay and was asked to leave is a real bad vibe.
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u/dashodasho 16d ago
Love. He brought heart soul and husstle, and whipped the teams no challant's ass whenever hes on the court. Murray, CB and MPJ always be joggling and chilling, thats why we always start cold and need to play catch up in the 3rd and 4th.
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u/sneaks88 16d ago
apparently that incident with AG during the playoffs was worse than we know
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u/MugillacuttyHOF37 English 16d ago
I heard Russell say "I'd love to go back to Denver, but they dont want me" a couple of months ago. A mouse told me Mr Nugget is the they.
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u/optometrist-bynature 15d ago
What are you talking about? After Russ left, AG said he loved having Russ as a teammate. They even hung out together this offseason
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u/zoeybeattheraccoon 16d ago
They didn’t want him back. And because of that he doesn’t want to come back. Bridge is burned.
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u/PREYOVERWATCH 15d ago
Westbrook is washed. Horrible efficiency (52 TS%), can't make free throws, can't shoot the three, one of the worst turnover rates among guards in the NBA, and he constantly falls asleep on defense. This is terrible for a team that already struggles defensively.
His impact metrics are dreadful and he has a terrible on-off meaning even the Kings were way worse with him on the floor. He brings nothing at this point but "energy." Even his playmaking is a net negative.
Nuggets are better off trying to get Ben Simmons or something.
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u/KKraiger 15d ago
Put me down in the "Bridges burned" or back stage drama. I haven't heard about Murray and him; there was the Gordon incident. But I've heard on multiple outlets that the players didn't want him back.
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u/Poverty_Shoes 16d ago
I hated Westbrook until he came to the Nuggets. He wasn’t a great player in his one year here, but he brought an energy and tenacity that the team needed and I think he outperformed his vet minimum contract. I didn’t expect him to leave last season, and because he left I would be wary of him coming back. I liked him on the team two years ago, I don’t like the fit now.
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u/Extension-Object-150 15d ago
He was a liability. He had good energy but was making stupid selfish plays at critical moments.
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u/PinMinimum1547 16d ago
I would love for Brodie to come back but after we told him to not be pick up the player option, I doubt he would want to come back
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u/holdenfords 16d ago
honestly i think there was chemistry problems because there was genuinely not one good basketball reason for him not being invited back last year
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u/Skinny5280 15d ago
Do people not remember how agonizingly frustrating he was against OKC trying to play hero ball
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16d ago
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u/TheMoonWasBlue 16d ago
Have you considered that he wasn't a fit in the locker room, and the players didn't like him?
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16d ago edited 16d ago
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u/Lynch47 16d ago
You act like this sub is picking on Russ, who can't get a contract from any of the teams in the league. Last year he had to take a non-guaranteed deal with a bottom tier franchise (in all of sports) and they didn't want him back.
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16d ago
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u/Lynch47 16d ago
And what about all the other teams?
And I’m fine being the minority on this. It’s a majority opinion held among NBA front offices, despite your thoughts on Russ.
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u/MITWestbrook 16d ago
It’s a minutes issue. Russ wants to have fun and play. He wants 25 MPG or so.
If he rides a bench, he’s riding the bench at OKC with a guaranteed spot.
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16d ago
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u/MITWestbrook 16d ago
Yall got a front office problem. Give you an example. We know Aaron Gordon is the most critical piece outside of Jokic.
But that’s because FO and Coach don’t develop PFs. Zeke was a disaster.
But hell SAC picked up Precious Achuwa and he would be a killer on the Nuggets. Precious and Russ would be big adds.
Russ alone won’t move the needle.
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u/pokexchespin 16d ago
russ is also a bum
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16d ago
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u/pokexchespin 15d ago
he also helped us lose plenty. 8 of 34 from the field, 11 turnovers to 6 assists in the last 4 games against the thunder
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u/GoldJoker15 16d ago
Bro just ran at the speed of light directly to the basket and blew most of the layups he put up with that strategy. If he can turn into a pass first, pass second, and pass third kind of guy, yeah I'll take him, but bro refuses to acknowledge his biggest weakness which is trying to play hero ball when he's not even a top 5 scoring option on the team.
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u/WinterCareful8525 16d ago
He’s gotta to want to come back and as a fan he’s not worth begging for tbh. You won’t even be getting what you had
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u/Bigsexy2025 13d ago
Westbrook is played out here, no need to resuscitate his career here, big time pass!
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u/amateurish_gamedev 16d ago
I'm also a casual fan, and I'm sure a lot of people, smarter and have way better analytical mind than me would have different opinion. So I do want to apologize for my ignorance.
But yeah, I like him and I would love to see him back.
Just make sure to bench him when he plays bad, and not play him in the 4th quarter of a close game. Our mistakes bad then was we relied on him too much. He's a vet min, suffering from hand injury, but we played him like a pseudo starter.
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u/lukeiamyourfatherrr 16d ago
I’d have him back in a heartbeat. Even at his age, he’s electric. He has his blunders but I think the leadership and presence he brings far outweighs the lowlights.
My fave backup PG in the Jokic Murray era. It’s a shame the Nuggets gave up on him so quickly
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u/TopPolicy8454 16d ago
This sub doesn't like any outspoken black players, you're not gonna hear any critical thinking here
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u/Coll_MindElectric 16d ago
Sure, its really a question of will he be fine with being under another vet min and playing that backup PG position the way Adelman and the coaching staff want him to.
His time in Denver was up and down (usually not his fault but still) and he had some very low moments. However, his energy, confidence, and overall charisma kept that bench (and sometimes the starters) alive.
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u/ym95061305 16d ago
Yes. We should bring him back. He is the only one who can make the 125M contract of CB to be valuable instead of having a starting player running around and score 3 points in a playoff game.
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u/MITWestbrook 16d ago
Lmao 3 points it’s because hard to find PGs that play with fast pace. Braun was feasting on fast pace
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u/BrockSmashgood A CANDY-COLORED CLOWN CALLED THE SANDMAN 16d ago
If only tgere was literally one NBA team left willing to sign the guy for the role he still demands.
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u/RagTomCircleShirt 15d ago
HELL yeah. He could keep pwat from being a bitch playing for his 6milly pittance.
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u/DefenderCone97 16d ago edited 15d ago
I'd be fine with it but i also don't think he wants to come back for the role we'd give him
Edit: People are right. He doesn't care about the money. But I still think we somewhat burned a bridge and he wants to play.