Russell Westbrook Meniscus Tear- Winners/Losers

      The Thunder will be playing without Russell Westbrook for the first time since drafting him when they take on the Rockets in game 3. Is this good or bad for the Thunder, Rockets, and players involved?

WINNERS:

Kevin Durant:
Durant becomes THE man in OKC now and will not have to defer to Westbrook. The best part is Durant has no pressure. If OKC loses, Westbrook's injury will be used as a scapegoat. If Durant wins, he gets all of the credit for carrying Oklahoma City. The person with something at stake here appears to be Westbrook. But, if Westbrook wins in this situation, that means the Thunder lose without him.

James Harden:
James Harden immediately benefits. This series now becomes Harden v. Durant. And if he wins, he takes down his former team AND the Thunder get questioned for dropping him. Even if he can't take down the Thunder by himself, if another team does, the lack of Harden on the Thunder will still be questioned.

The Rockets, The Rest of the West:
The Thunder lose a premier point guard. The rest of the west have a much better chance of beating the Thunder now, plain and simple.

Skip Bayless:
Skip Bayless has been the biggest critic of Westbrook. Now, he has a win-win situation. If they win without Westbrook, he hits jackpot. If they lose, he can say the Thunder would be fine if they kept Harden, which he has said all year. Everyone hates it when Skip gloats, and either way he covers his tracks.


The Losers:
Kevin Durant:
KD loses his wingman. A tough blow and he will have to deal with increased defensive pressure in his direction.

The Thunder:
Obviously, the Thunder will miss Westbrook.

ESPN Viewers:
Don't watch First Take when Skip Bayless is on. Just change the channel. Save the aggrevation.

Prediction:
The Thunder survive a thrilling series with Houston. If Westbrook is missed for significant time, OKC will leave home early, potentially to the Clippers. In the grand scheme, this doesn't matter as Miami would match up well with OKC in the finals either way. It is Lebron's title to lose and this just makes the road easier.