Q&A: Hubie Brown

Courtesy of Mel Bracht

Is Russell Westbrook deserving of early MVP consideration?

I definitely think he is. I think he’s right up there with a number of other people. Everybody is pushing hard out there. But if you look at what’s happening up there at Portland, they have two good kids. But as you go around the league, there are any number of people. How do you pick (Stephen) Curry over someone else with what’s going on at Golden State? So from that standpoint, he’s definitely in the mix as of right now.

The Thunder got off to a rocky start and are currently ranked No. 10 in the West. How far do you think it'll be able to climb the rest of the season?

Because the West is so difficult, you have to look at where the teams have played the games that are ahead of you. It’s only one-third of the schedule. Everybody’s between 25 and 30 games played. So, to me, it’s how are you doing against the plus .500 teams, because they’re the teams you have to beat. And unfortunately, in the West you have seven, eight teams that are over .500.

So to make a move, you’re going to have to prove that you can beat the plus .500s. Now we know that if Durant is healthy at the beginning of the season, everyone predicted San Antonio and Oklahoma City would get to the Western Final, going off of last year of how many games they won. So if Durant comes back and he is healthy, we all know as you look at it right now, you’re only two games back on the loss side from the eighth spot. But moving is going to be extremely difficult.

So to me Durant comes back, he's healthy, you get good, solid production at the two guard position, and then the bench becomes more consistent in points. Anything can happen because we know that once you get into a seven game series, you're going to be extremely difficult to beat, if everyone is healthy.

Do you think that Kevin Durant would consider making a return to Washington, D.C., if the Thunder can’t get a title in the next two years?

To anticipate where Durant is going two years from now, I can’t even think about that. I’m concerned about Durant playing on Christmas Day. That’s what I’m concerned about. And I’m concerned about his health because it’s a joy to watch him play. He plays with such, how should I say, with such a smoothness and creativity about him at 6-10, and he might even be bigger than that because I think he’s grown since he’s come in the league.

You just love how he’s improved in every single area of his game. Whether it’s the 3 ball, which he always had, the foul shooting and getting to the line, he’s always had, and the injuries now, you want to see him be able to get to the rim and get to the line as we go through the rest of the season. Let’s hope that he’s not slowed down. But the improvement in the rebounding, the assists, and then also the creativity on the break has been beautiful to watch.

What do you expect from Miami fans in terms of receptions for LeBron James when the Cavaliers play there Thursday?

I would be stunned if he did not get a standing ovation, and also that it stayed a standing ovation for a while, mainly because of what he accomplished while he was there and how far he took that situation. Not only the rings, but also the sellout crowds on a nightly basis, the total excitement of the four seasons. I mean, four times in The Finals, all right. And then the fact that the team played so well during those period of times.

So his contribution during that time period of being First Team All NBA, the MVPs, and then also the playoffs and then his total production of world renowned acceptance as being a No. 1 player in the game, I just can’t possibly see that a sports crowd as knowledgeable as Miami would not reciprocate and honor what the guy did for the franchise.