The Most Fun Argument in the NBA

(courtesy of ESPN.com)

For my money, no abstract argument is more fascinating than Derrick Rose versus Russell Westbrook. The two 3rd year point guards are so comparable it's ridiculous, but they also have stunning contrasts to one another. Kobe vs LeBron was flawed from the start. CP3 vs DWill was/is mind numbingly dumb, all the while fans only appreciate the work of those two guards, but don't watch in awe of them. Rose and Westbrook, however, make highlight reel plays that blow minds every game, which helps entrench loyal fandom. Every Internet debate usually has a logical answer opposing a narrative and an unfounded answer. LeBron's statistical prowess wasn't enough to stop the Kobe love, never mind the fact that they were/are two totally different players in many regards. Same with Paul and Williams. Duncan-Garnett was the argument that had legitimate cause for debate, but in those days, there weren't hoards of forums or Daily Dime Live to give a damn, especially concerning "boring" Duncan and the guy nobody really watched in Minnesota.

So who is the better player between Derrick and Russ? It's actually a moot point. The popular opinion police will sway towards Rose and that'll be the end of it, given how he's become the MVP front-runner playing on arguably the best team in the East. I think it's more fascinating to examine how these two can mirror each other so much but be so different than to speculate on who'd you build your team around.

Russ is 22 years old, 6'3" 187lbs and presumed to be possibly the quickest player in the league. Rose is 22 years old, 6'3" 190 lbs and is also presumed to be possibly the quickest player in the league. Both guys are so damned athletic, they attack people and dunk on them unlike we've really seen before from point guards. How many times have you seen Rose/Westbrook do something that makes you go "...whoa..." this year? It's probably at least once after every game. Who else does that? Wade, LeBron, Blake Griffin? Even Kevin Durant, Carmelo, hell even Amar'e Stoudemire can't say they do the things our two subjects do.

Let's get a full spectrum of the numbers. I'm using the advanced stats provided by Basketball-Reference, which differ slightly from John Hollinger, but the PERs are the same, so it'll be fine.

Rose: 37.7 MPG 24.7 PPG 44% FG 33.6% 3pt 84.7% FT (6.3 FTA) 4.3 RPG 7.9 APG 1.1 SPG 3.5 TPG
22.9 PER 32.2 Usage Rt 53.7% TS 6.6 Reb Rt 39.9 Ast Rt 1.5 Stl Rt 13.2% TO Rt

Westbrook: 35.0 22.1 PPG 44.3% FG 33.3% 3pt 83.6 (7.8 FTA) 4.6 RPG 8.4 APG 1.8 SPG 3.9 TPG
23.7 PER 31.7 Usage Rt 53.8% TS 7.7 Reb Rt 44.1 Ast Rt 2.6 Stl Rt 16.0 TO Rt

Too close to call anything definitively, even when we consider Westbrook to be the superior defender. Rose is better with turnovers but Westbrook is better rebounding, getting assists, and getting steals. How they get their points is another great comparative glance.

Rose: 58.6% on 6.1 FGA at the rim...40.4% on 2.6 FGA 3-9 feet...41.9% on 1.8 FGA 10-15 feet...39% on 5.1 FGA 16-23...33.6% on 4.7 3FGA

Westbrook: 60.4% FGA on 6.8 FGA at the rim...27.6% on 2.4 FGA 3-9 feet...37% on 2.3 FGA 10-15...36% on 4.5 FGA 16-23 feet...33.3% on 1.2 3FGA

Again, they are very similar, except that Rose shoots the 3 liberally, while Westbrook deploys it scarcely. Rose is the superior mid-range shooter, as expected, but Westbrook is the better finisher and also gets to the line more. Rose garnered early season praise for his improved 3 point shot, but after staying around 37%, Rose is shooting 26.7% on 3s since the All-Star break. Compared to the more judicious Westbrook who started the season shooting barely 30% from 3, is shooting 46.7% since the break.

All of these similarities, with no clear winner. But there is one major difference, and it can't be discounted. Rose is the undisputed #1 option on his team. The only real offensive threats on the Bulls (Deng, Boozer) are significantly less potent than the soon-to-be 2 time scoring champ Kevin Durant complementing Westbrook. Teams don't sleep on Westbrook because Durant is there, but the perception is in Rose's favor because he is the team leader while Westbrook is the sidekick, never mind that Rose would also be Durant's sidekick. Rose has also had to do plenty of work this season while Noah and Boozer missed time with injuries, while Westbrook has had a healthy team for the most part, though he played exceptional when Durant did miss games.

So yeah, these guys are awfully compatible. Interchangeable, even. But in some ways, they couldn't be more different.

Derrick Rose hardly ever smiles. He hardly does anything besides dribble and shoot. His interviews are probably the worst of any regularly interviewed star. His nasally voice spouting off cliches, without a hint of character.

Westbrook, however, plays with a playful bravado, like how he quails his smoking guns after he makes a 3. He plays with obvious passion on his (shooter) sleeve(s), and seems to soak up being Russell Westbrook, but without the trite arrogance of other stars.

And even though their shot charts overlap almost concurrently, their arrival to those points are much different. Rose probes, calculated, before he unleashes as quick as anybody to the basket. There's nobody better at circus reverse layups than Rose; he'll fit through even the smallest cracks. His floater is also a weapon, but even with the "wow" shots, Rose is a good-not great-finisher. He seems to prefer slithering through to attempt a spinning layup than going strong to get to the line. With his quick-strike, slick approach, Rose really is like a cobra.

Then Westbrook is a bull. He just goes. Everything else be damned. There's a couple of pet pull-up shots that he might try, but Westbrook just attacks and sees what happens. There's not as many crazy lay-up attempts. He wants to dunk on people or get fouled trying. He lacks Rose's in between game, but Rose lacks his assertiveness. Westbrook gets labeled reckless at times. Sometimes it does feel that way, but the production gets there. It's more exciting, but when something goes wrong with Westbrook, it tends to look awful, while Rose rides a more stable balance.

Rose's robotic demeanor is apparently as productive as Westbrook's frenzy. I prefer watching Westbrook, but that doesn't make him better. With the Thunder looking more and more like true title contenders post-trade, the narrative may be manifesting itself to NBA fans. Westbrook could steal the limelight if the Thunder do enough damage, but Rose will be the king if they win it all (I think they have great chance). Either way, we're watching two of the most exciting, and productive, players in the league continue to improve.