Thunder Acquires Eric Maynor

[EL12]

Yeah the backcourt is pretty confusing to try and find out right now. Sefolosha was signed to a multi-year deal in the offseason because they had him part of their long-term plans.

I'd start Westbrook and Sefolosha. Harden could have a 6th man Manu Ginobili type roll, or a J.R. Smith type of thing similar in Denver where they started Dahntay Jones last season, and Afflalo this season for early defensive purposes. Than Maynor of course could be used to spell Westbrook, or be used with him for some small ball. Maynor's a real PG so he would play great and compliment either of the other three guards.

i think i would be very bad for Harden cause he doent hawe that kind of scoring punch or impact on the game as the other great sith man in the league as terry/smith/gordon/manu

i think maynor should get more playing time and he shouldntjust be substitute for westbrook... maynor in a long term should be a franchise point guard.

 

[Whisper]

True, Maynor has the potential to be one, but keep in mind that these guys are still very young. Talk about potential all you want, but Maynor is hardly a franchise player right now. If he does pan out, long-term yes, he should get a lot more time.

Idk, I just feel bad for Thabo because I like him too, I'm a defensive guy so I like him a lot more than others, and he's coming along offensively as well. It's obvious that he's going to be the odd man out in this equation.

But even then, I still wonder how this is going to work. Just how would you give Maynor more time? Playing Maynor and Westbrook together makes for a very small backcourt. I'm not a fan of small ball, it just doesn't work(Mind you, my mind set is to gun for championships, not just to make the playoffs). It didn't work for Phoenix, doesn't work in Golden State, and it's not working for the Sixers, and it sure as hell didn't work last night, Westbrook wasn't even a factor in defending Kobe as he just kept shooting right over him without any problems, and that's definitely going to be a problem against other bigger guards.

I wonder what Scott Brooks is going to do.

 

[Whisper]

Yeah I don't see Westbrook on the bench either. Though I'm not even too sure of the Thunder's starting 5 as it is lol.

Hell no Westbrook doesn't come off the bench. The guy was asking to be traded when OKC was thinking about drafting Ricky Rubio. He's a young guy that wants to start and get a lot of playing time.

 

[EL12]

True, Maynor has the potential to be one, but keep in mind that these guys are still very young. Talk about potential all you want, but Maynor is hardly a franchise player right now. If he does pan out, long-term yes, he should get a lot more time.

Idk, I just feel bad for Thabo because I like him too, I'm a defensive guy so I like him a lot more than others, and he's coming along offensively as well. It's obvious that he's going to be the odd man out in this equation.

But even then, I still wonder how this is going to work. Just how would you give Maynor more time? Playing Maynor and Westbrook together makes for a very small backcourt. I'm not a fan of small ball, it just doesn't work(Mind you, my mind set is to gun for championships, not just to make the playoffs). It didn't work for Phoenix, doesn't work in Golden State, and it's not working for the Sixers, and it sure as hell didn't work last night, Westbrook wasn't even a factor in defending Kobe as he just kept shooting right over him without any problems, and that's definitely going to be a problem against other bigger guards.

I wonder what Scott Brooks is going to do.

yeah i mean thats reall dilema and we can talk over and over all the posibilities, but i guess we will just hawe to wait and see how it works out ...

 

[Whisper]

Maynor doesn't change Westbrook's role

It makes sense to question Russell Westbrook's future at point guard with the Thunder after trading for rookie Eric Maynor on Tuesday. Maynor, after all, is a natural point guard, while the supremely-talented Westbrook is still learning the position.

Westbrook, many argue, would be better suited at shooting guard, where his explosiveness and scoring ability would be emphasized. As a playmaker, he's among the league leaders in turnovers at 3.3 per game. (That can't be all bad since LeBron James, Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Gilbert Arenas and teammate Kevin Durant each average at least that many.)

Sure, the goal is to get Westbrook's turnovers down, but not by turning the point guard reigns to Maynor. The Thunder organization was high on the VCU product in the Draft and jumped at the chance to acquire him. More importantly, he's viewed as long-term backup, stress backup, to Westbrook, within team circles.

Maynor, 6-foot-3, averaged 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 26 games for Utah. The 20th pick currently ranks fourth in assists, 19th in steals and 24th in scoring among rookies.