Rockets Owner Fertitta “Excited to Have Russell Westbrook”

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is thrilled to have Russell Westbrook in his team. Rockets’ boss who is doing everything for his team to win a championship can’t wait for the league to start and see these guys together.

“We’re so excited to have Russell Westbrook,” Fertitta said. “I would watch him play for Oklahoma City, and he’s so athletic.”

Just when most believed that there would be no more blockbusting deals in the NBA after the wild start of the free agency, this move proved them wrong.

Westbrook went to Houston in exchange for Chris Paul, two first-round protected picks and two pick swaps. The current situation in both franchises was favoring this deal because OKC unwillingly entered the process of reconstruction while on the other side, Rockets are desperately chasing the title.

Tilman Fertitta believes the trade for Russell Westbrook just raised the #Rockets’ level higher as a contender 💯#RunAsOne pic.twitter.com/m8uOp0zjMy

— Rockets Nation (@RocketsNationCP) July 12, 2019

Everybody believed that Mike D’Antoni’s team would finally beat Golden State last season, especially after coming so close to dethroning them back in 2018. Still, that didn’t happen, and some things had to change in Texas. It seems that a widely spread opinion about the poor chemistry between two of the leading stars James Harden and Chris Paul got its confirmation with this trade.

Still, Fertitta says that he and the team will miss Paul, who was a part of a crew who set new standards for this franchise.

“At the same time, this franchise just had the two years with the most wins it’s ever had in consecutive years, and we wouldn’t have accomplished that without Chris Paul,” he said. “Chris Paul is unbelievable, and he’s gonna be sadly missed.

However, his departure had to happen in order for the Rockets to take another step forward. The elimination in the Western Conference semis was a disaster, and radical changes had to be done.

“I hate to lose Chris Paul, but we felt like we did what we had to do to become a better team.”

“I can promise you, we are going to win some championships with James Harden.”

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta

(Via @KPRC2RandyMc)

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— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 11, 2019

Houston extended the lifespan of its core with this move. Westbrook has 30 years, while on the other side, Chris Paul has 34, and that gives them more time to be competitive. Allegedly, both Harden and Russ were very eager to reunite once again, and that is something which made Fertitta very happy.

“I think it’ll be very interesting and fun. James and Russell wanted to play together. It ought to be fun this year.”

The former face of the Thunder franchise has a four-year contract worth $171 million which, and if everything goes well, he will stay until the end of it. He leaves Oklahoma as the all-time leader in points, boards, assists, steals, and games played since the relocation to the OKC.

His impact there was unbelievable, and his sacrifice and dedication kept this organization close to the top of the league when all believed in its fall. That especially applies to the period after Kevin Durant’s departure.

For Houston, this is a massive chance to revive their championship ambitions, who were a bit sloppy after this season. The entire project was a bit deflated, especially after the rumors about the alleged disputes between Harden and Paul.

But Fertitta’s enthusiasm didn’t decrease, and he stood behind his words when promising Houston’s dedication in search of a title. Once again, the Rockets are in the middle of attention and are among the top contenders for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

“I said at the end of the year, ‘We’re never gonna stand pat,'” Fertitta said. “We’re always gonna try to get better.