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IMO, the most interesting part of the alternate Jimmy Butler reality (per today's @espn_macmahon story) is that the #Rockets were prepared to go without a center then, even without Russell Westbrook. #OneMission 
https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2020/08/17/report-jimmy-butler-ghosted-harden-rockets-in-2019-offseason/
https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/2020/08/17/report-jimmy-butler-ghosted-harden-rockets-in-2019-offseason/
I wrote about this in greater depth in the article, but as a reminder: To move Capela and Gordon *and* incentivize Philly to S&T Butler, the #Rockets almost certainly have had to trade future draft considerations in that transaction. That likely makes a Westbrook deal impossible.
So in effect, the comparison for the #Rockets is:
Scenario A: Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, whatever moves Morey makes with limited resources to fill out the roster
Scenario B: Russell Westbrook, Robert Covington, Eric Gordon
Scenario A: Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, whatever moves Morey makes with limited resources to fill out the roster
Scenario B: Russell Westbrook, Robert Covington, Eric Gordon
We knew a lot of that already, of course. But what we didn't know (or at least I didn't) was that the #Rockets, in Scenario A, were already set to turn the page from traditional centers and roll with the Tuckwagon lineups.
What does that mean today? Not a lot, of course, it's mostly a fun hypothetical.
That said, for those worried about Westbrook's injury absence and pointing to Russ as the reason for "small ball," it suggests that they viewed (view?) it as an optimal strategy independent of Russ.
That said, for those worried about Westbrook's injury absence and pointing to Russ as the reason for "small ball," it suggests that they viewed (view?) it as an optimal strategy independent of Russ.
Now, it certainly does help Westbrook as well. Not suggesting it doesn't. But the roots appear to run much deeper.
