When the Seattle Supersonics (yes those Supersonics) drafted Russell Westbrook out of UCLA I was elated. At that time Westbrook was my third favorite player coming out of the 2008 NBA Draft behind O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love.
Westbrook was a high flying shooting guard who was a lock down defender who had the ability to score as well. Westbrook was held back at UCLA for playing on a great team with other players such as Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Aaron Affalo. In Ben Howland’s system you only got to see a glimpse of Russell Westbrook’s abilities.
After Westbrook was picked I figured he would play shooting guard, but he was moved to point guard. Everyone knows that Russell Westbrook is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, but he has been excellent in his years as a pro.
I will be the first to say that I use to criticize Westbrook for being reckless at times (he still is), and shooting a lot for a point guard. In this day in age hybrid point guards like Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Jrue Holiday, and Russell Westbrook are the new “it” thing in the NBA. Guys like Chris Paul, Tony Parker, and Deron Williams are still treasured, but the new wave of point guards has become very popular due to their fast success.
Russell Westbrook may be one of the best athletes in the NBA. At times his athleticism is a gift and a curse much like his game, but Westbrook is still one of the most feared players in the game.
The days of calling Russell Westbrook Stephon Marbury are long gone. I always thought that Westbrook’s attitude, and the way he carried himself would rub Kevin Durant the wrong way, and leading to a break up similar to Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury.
After watching Westbrook the last few seasons I realize that he is just the “alpha dog” on this Thunder team. Call me crazy if you want, but I am sticking to it. Durant is the best player on the team, but there is a reason why he defers to No.0 as much as he does.
I don’t see Westbrook and Durant playing in OKC together for the remainder of their careers, but it is fun while it is lasting. James Harden leaving put a big dent in their future, but the Thunder has a solid team. If they can find a way to put Kendrick Perkins on sale on Craigslist then they could be on to something.
The problem is that the Thunder has a cheap owner, and by them not spending money to deep into the luxury tax I see a breakup in a few years or so.
Whether if a break up is later on down the line or the Thunder will be together for years I have become a fan again of Russell Westbrook. I would like to offer my apologies to Russell Westbrook. I’ll take back my sly comments for his decision making, and not deferring to Durant more.
I will say that I will not apologize for talking about his selection of clothes.
It’s all about baby steps for me, maybe that will be my next apology I’ll have to write up.
A couple of things here.
1. I know a lot of folks are hitting OKC’s owner over the head and calling him “cheap” and there’s some merit to it, but I think they’re really trying to avoid paying the repeater tax. (Which is a monster) Should owners who have gobs of money be totally willing to pay the tax? Sure. But OKC, and other teams (Chicago, for one) will be cautious with it.
2. SCOTT BROOKS SCOTT BROOKS SCOTT BROOKS
3. OKC will get better, and it might not be this year, but it’ll be soon. I feel strongly about that.
-Ed.