Russell Westbrook: 'I Was Never Going To Leave'
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kikanga
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:10 pm    Post subject: Russell Westbrook: 'I Was Never Going To Leave'

Great piece on Westbrook by Sports Illustrated. Quoted my favorite parts.
But I recommend you read the whole thing. It is too long for me to put the whole thing in the thread.
I think Russell is my new favorite player in the league now that Kobe retired.
http://www.si.com/nba/2016/10/19/russell-westbrook-thunder-nba-season-preview-kevin-durant
Quote:
The goodbye text, which landed in Westbrook’s phone a couple of minutes after the first-person essay appeared online, mentioned a desire for a new journey. Kevin Durant was, of all things, a Warrior. “The team that just beat us,” Westbrook muttered over dominoes.
Quote:
He went above and beyond,” Collison says. Westbrook offered to fly to the Hamptons mansion where Durant was holding free-agent pitch meetings.
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Westbrook’s closest friends are actually former high school teammates, long-standing wing men like Donnell Beverly and Demetrius (Juice) Deason, who flank him in summer pickup games and play dominoes with him on the Fourth. “He didn’t talk much about what happened,” says Beverly. Westbrook didn’t disparage Durant. He didn’t judge him. All he did was take a picture. When Kendrick Perkins played center for the Thunder, he called teammates “cupcake” if he thought they were acting a little soft. Westbrook and Durant adopted the term in jest. Westbrook posted a bittersweet pic on Instagram: three plates of cupcakes topped by red and blue stars and sprinkles.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHcsHe1A3Js/
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“I like my team,” Westbrook told him. “I still really like my team.” His tone took Beverly back a decade, to the blank navy thermal sweatshirts they wore in layup lines at Leuzinger High, as rivals from Westchester and Artesia rocked shiny jackets with shoe company logos. Westbrook, desperate for a college scholarship, could have mulled a transfer. “Oh no,” he says now, cutting off the question. “No, no, no. That school was where I’m from. It’s where my friends went. I was never going to leave. I was never going to be a follower.”

Late in his senior season one player quit and two others were ruled academically ineligible. “You can guess how he responded,” Beverly says. “‘Forget ’em. We’ll go with what we got. We’ll run with who we have. We’ll fight to the end.’” When Leuzinger fell in the sectional quarterfinals, finishing 25–4
Quote:
This was one night after he went 0 for 13 and squabbled with Durant on the bench in Memphis. “It was a really tough time for me,” Westbrook says. “I was hearing a lot of things.” He shot too much. He didn’t pass enough. Durant was the savior and he was the foil, getting in the way. “He’d come into my office feeling so beat up,” says Weaver. “He didn’t understand the criticism. The kid was Brett Favre. Remember how Brett Favre would drop back, see what coverage you were in and believe he could put the ball wherever he wanted. Sometimes he could. Sometimes you’d pick him off and take it to the house. He wasn’t Joe Montana. He wasn’t Dan Marino. I had to tell Russell, ‘Continue to be who you are. Continue to be Brett Favre.’ ”
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But then a quote is relayed to him from another NBA star he knows well. “I don’t pay to watch sporting events, but I would pay to watch Russell Westbrook against Golden State.” At this, he unleashes a delirious laugh.

Media and fans are prone to hyperbole, but even Westbrook’s peers speculate about his upcoming campaign in terms normally reserved for natural phenomena. They expect him to breathe fire, hottest on Nov. 3, but inextinguishable every other night as well. Can he score 35 points per game? Can he average a triple double? Can he go one-on-four at Oracle Arena and rip the hoop from the stanchion? In a season when the champion appears preordained—and the runner-up as well—Westbrook is the most captivating subject.

There is basis for the hype. When Durant was recovering from foot surgery in early 2015, Westbrook embarked on a two-month offensive binge reminiscent of Oscar Robertson, making 40/15/10 stat lines look commonplace. The everlasting question—What could Durant do if un-tethered from Westbrook for 82 games?—was suddenly flipped on its head. What could Westbrook do?
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Sometimes the wrecking ball prevails. In the 2000–01 season Allen Iverson hauled the 76ers to the Finals, with a starting lineup that featured George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, Theo Ratliff and Eric Snow. An assistant coach was Maurice Cheeks, now with the Thunder. “We’ve talked about that team,” Donovan says. “Iverson took the majority of the shots and did the scoring. They had great defenders and rebounders. If you look at the stats, there was so much attention on Iverson, they killed teams when he shot and they got offensive rebounds.”

Oklahoma City, with its length and toughness, is not so different. Power forward Enes Kanter pulled down 18.5 rebounds per 48 minutes last season, fifth in the NBA, and Adams gathered 12.7. Andre Roberson is a stopper on the wing, and Victor Oladipo, acquired from the Magic in the deal involving Serge Ibaka, is a more dynamic scorer than any of those old Sixers.
Quote:
The Thunder are not making the Finals this year, barring an Iversonian surge, but they are not going to be the 2010 Cavaliers, either. They privately prefer to be compared to the Cardinals, strained as it may be, who lost Albert Pujols in ’11 and reached the World Series in ’13.

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danzag
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:42 pm    Post subject:

Give 'em hell, Westbrook.
He is my favourite player now. He's the only one playing with that (bleep) you attitude Kobe had.
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saetarubia
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:56 pm    Post subject:

Dumb player with insane talent and athleticism. Kudos to Durant for choosing a selfless team and ignoring all the hypocritical moaning. This team beat us last month, go join a team that beat us last year or 2 years before. Dumbass SAS logic. If you leave OKC, join a team that makes it worthwhile to uproot your family. BB is a team sport, but unlike in college individuals are given importance and all the legacy crap, being the main man BS while vast majority of the fans still support a team rather than a player. Shaq now rants about winning 5-6 if he had stayed with Kobe while latter too stubborn to admit it or maybe cares only about winning as main man. Three mediocre years for Lakers thanks to whose team is this crap.
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MJST
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:56 pm    Post subject:

And? The Thunder got two years to go anywhere of relevance or Westbrook likely WILL leave.

Remember how Aldridge wanted to retire a Blazer?

All these media people praising Westbrook for being this great team leader and such and such now, will turn on him in an instant if the Thunder are going nowhere and he's putting up 27/6/7 but on 37% shooting and 5 TO per game.
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lakersken80
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:00 pm    Post subject:

He's gone once he gets tired of the losing. Theres only so much an NBA player of that caliber can take before they demand a trade or leave for a contender.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:14 pm    Post subject:

how is he a dumb player? one of the very few players who i criticized early like i do about lebron, and he turned it all around. he doesn't hide behind his limitations like lebron, he accepts it tries to improve.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:47 pm    Post subject:

I take this kind of stuff with a grain of salt.

After you've signed an $85 million extension, it's easy to say you never would have considered leaving.

It's good marketing for the player and team, and it's an easy story for a sportswriter to write. It's an appealing sentiment for fans, and there is no cost, only benefit, for Westbrook to express this sentiment.

And he may well mean it. And he may well stay with Oklahoma City for 15 years. Or he may be lobbying for a trade in two years.

Teams and players will always act in their own self-interests, and it's impossible to predict when those self-interests might diverge.
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:54 pm    Post subject: Re: Russell Westbrook: 'I Was Never Going To Leave'

kikanga wrote:
The goodbye text, which landed in Westbrook’s phone a couple of minutes after the first-person essay appeared online, mentioned a desire for a new journey. Kevin Durant was, of all things, a Warrior. “The team that just beat us,” Westbrook muttered over dominoes.


A lot of people make a big deal about this. They were best buddies/batman-and-robin in the minds of fans maybe.

But it seems Durant thought of Westbrook as nothing more than a guy he happened to work with who he didn't particularly like. I always had a sense that Durant's obligatory text to Westbrook was item #37 on his to-do list that day.
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AllorNothing
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 6:20 am    Post subject:

Westbrook got his money. He's laughing his way to the bank anyways.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 5:05 pm    Post subject:

He has the alpha mentality and is a leader by his effort, intensity and actions.

That is why I went nuts this summer and got myself suspended from LG when I thought he might be available. But of course, he is Russell Westbrook, he wasn't leaving.
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MJST
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:42 pm    Post subject:

Give it two seasons.
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 7:48 pm    Post subject:

Trust once, once he realizes a lot of his 50+ point scoring games results in barely wins like yesterday or losses, he'll realize he needs help. And if the Thunder are finishing at the bottom of the playoff contenders and get eliminated early, the voices in his head will say there is a better situation. Theres only so much losing a player his caliber can take.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:01 am    Post subject:

Salary-wise OKC is in a good position to improve the team the next two seasons. I think that is what Westbrook is doing, giving them the opportunity to improve.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 1:28 pm    Post subject:

saetarubia wrote:
Dumb player with insane talent and athleticism. Kudos to Durant for choosing a selfless team and ignoring all the hypocritical moaning. This team beat us last month, go join a team that beat us last year or 2 years before. Dumbass SAS logic. If you leave OKC, join a team that makes it worthwhile to uproot your family. BB is a team sport, but unlike in college individuals are given importance and all the legacy crap, being the main man BS while vast majority of the fans still support a team rather than a player. Shaq now rants about winning 5-6 if he had stayed with Kobe while latter too stubborn to admit it or maybe cares only about winning as main man. Three mediocre years for Lakers thanks to whose team is this crap.


whoa...das some real talk there. can't say you are wrong. i don't think westbrook is dumb, though.

it's true about Shaq, he has now repeated how he thinks he would have won more if he stayed. That was all his ego, unfortunately. It was the first time somebody out-alpha'd Shaq on a team. He was top do g with Anfernee and had beef there. he had beef with Nick and Eddie and got rid of them. When it was Kobe's turn, Kobe wouldn't have it, and he was good enough to out-alpha one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. So that's kobe, and that's why he is the best I've ever seen. And shaq knows it finally. he knows if all he did was be 1b to Kobe's 1a for as many years as kobe did for him, they would be sitting on 7+.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 1:58 pm    Post subject:

Wait until his team misses the playoffs, extend dipo and Adams for $180m combined (and miss he playoffs again).
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:46 pm    Post subject:

SuperboyReformed wrote:
saetarubia wrote:
Dumb player with insane talent and athleticism. Kudos to Durant for choosing a selfless team and ignoring all the hypocritical moaning. This team beat us last month, go join a team that beat us last year or 2 years before. Dumbass SAS logic. If you leave OKC, join a team that makes it worthwhile to uproot your family. BB is a team sport, but unlike in college individuals are given importance and all the legacy crap, being the main man BS while vast majority of the fans still support a team rather than a player. Shaq now rants about winning 5-6 if he had stayed with Kobe while latter too stubborn to admit it or maybe cares only about winning as main man. Three mediocre years for Lakers thanks to whose team is this crap.


whoa...das some real talk there. can't say you are wrong. i don't think westbrook is dumb, though.

it's true about Shaq, he has now repeated how he thinks he would have won more if he stayed. That was all his ego, unfortunately. It was the first time somebody out-alpha'd Shaq on a team. He was top do g with Anfernee and had beef there. he had beef with Nick and Eddie and got rid of them. When it was Kobe's turn, Kobe wouldn't have it, and he was good enough to out-alpha one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. So that's kobe, and that's why he is the best I've ever seen. And shaq knows it finally. he knows if all he did was be 1b to Kobe's 1a for as many years as kobe did for him, they would be sitting on 7+.


The one who out-alphaed everyone was Dr. Jerry Buss. He called both Shaq's and Kobe's bluffs.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 2:47 pm    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
Wait until his team misses the playoffs, extend dipo and Adams for $180m combined (and miss he playoffs again).


Extending Adams is a no-brainer.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 8:41 pm    Post subject:

You gotta admire a guy who stays loyal to his team and never leaves, and never wins a championship, yeah at least he got his money!

Just ask John Stockton about that Russell how it feels...

He is a big fish in a little pond, while his ex-teammate was not afraid to swim with other big fish in the ocean of talent...
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:01 am    Post subject:

51 points on 17-44... still a win.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 9:11 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
SuperboyReformed wrote:
saetarubia wrote:
Dumb player with insane talent and athleticism. Kudos to Durant for choosing a selfless team and ignoring all the hypocritical moaning. This team beat us last month, go join a team that beat us last year or 2 years before. Dumbass SAS logic. If you leave OKC, join a team that makes it worthwhile to uproot your family. BB is a team sport, but unlike in college individuals are given importance and all the legacy crap, being the main man BS while vast majority of the fans still support a team rather than a player. Shaq now rants about winning 5-6 if he had stayed with Kobe while latter too stubborn to admit it or maybe cares only about winning as main man. Three mediocre years for Lakers thanks to whose team is this crap.


whoa...das some real talk there. can't say you are wrong. i don't think westbrook is dumb, though.

it's true about Shaq, he has now repeated how he thinks he would have won more if he stayed. That was all his ego, unfortunately. It was the first time somebody out-alpha'd Shaq on a team. He was top do g with Anfernee and had beef there. he had beef with Nick and Eddie and got rid of them. When it was Kobe's turn, Kobe wouldn't have it, and he was good enough to out-alpha one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. So that's kobe, and that's why he is the best I've ever seen. And shaq knows it finally. he knows if all he did was be 1b to Kobe's 1a for as many years as kobe did for him, they would be sitting on 7+.


The one who out-alphaed everyone was Dr. Jerry Buss. He called both Shaq's and Kobe's bluffs.

what in the world are you talking about. lol.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:02 pm    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
Wait until his team misses the playoffs, extend dipo and Adams for $180m combined (and miss he playoffs again).


Dip has received his extension today, 1 down.

An educated guess by me is, WB will put together a couple outrageous statistical seasons, grow as an individual player because of the load he will have to carry - then he'll ask out because I don't think they can attract a superstar in free agency to OKC.
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 3:27 pm    Post subject:

Throwing a monkey wrench into Jimbo's super secret master plan.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 9:17 am    Post subject:

So far, he's looking like the early frontrunner for league MVP. I actually hopes he makes OKC a playoff team and let Golden State's SF seethe.
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 9:48 am    Post subject:

OKC won't be a top 3 playoff team unless something goes horribly wrong.

It takes a Herculean effort by Westbrook for them to beat the likes of the competition they've faced thus far, it doesn't bode well both for his team and his body in both the short and long run.
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 04, 2016 6:11 pm    Post subject:

MJST wrote:
OKC won't be a top 3 playoff team unless something goes horribly wrong.

It takes a Herculean effort by Westbrook for them to beat the likes of the competition they've faced thus far, it doesn't bode well both for his team and his body in both the short and long run.


Yes, I predict he isn't going 30-10-10, unless he plays 10 or 15 games and gets hurt.
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