What will the excuse for Russell Westbrook be after this year’s first-round exit?
Apr 23, 2019 22:24:19 GMT
TheSowIsMine, FrankSobotka1514, and 2 more like this
Post by xystophoros on Apr 23, 2019 22:24:19 GMT
After OKC loses to Portland, after Russell Westbrook slaps another fan while leaving the court and pouts like a baby during his mandatory media session, what will be the excuse for yet another first-round loss in the playoffs?
It can’t be the claim that he doesn’t have enough talent around him, not when he has another franchise player who is also one of the best defenders in the league, a tenacious center and some very good young players on the roster.
It can’t be that he was “off.” To make that claim, you’d have to say Westbrook was off for the last five postseasons, in which he hasn’t sniffed 40% on field goals.
It can’t be that OKC was facing a juggernaut, because they’re not. There isn’t a bracket in the entire NBA-watching world that has Portland coming out of the west, nevermind last year’s Jazz.
So what’s the excuse going to be?
OKC as a team is not built to win games. It’s built around helping Westbrook stuff the box score, which is why the bigs box out on the defensive end so Westbrook can grab the rebounds, and why Adams — a fantastic rebounder — became the first player in the NBA to pull down more offensive boards than defensive. He’s not allowed to grab defensive rebounds, those are for Russell.
Hell, Adams can’t even answer a question in a press conference without Westbrook’s permission, as we saw last year.
Likewise, no one is permitted to swing the ball. The four other OKC players on the court are reduced to spectators as Westbrook dribbles out the 24 so that if he decides to dish instead of shoot, any resulting assists will be credited to him.
You can’t win when your team’s primary goal is to help a guy get triple doubles every night.
It can’t be the claim that he doesn’t have enough talent around him, not when he has another franchise player who is also one of the best defenders in the league, a tenacious center and some very good young players on the roster.
It can’t be that he was “off.” To make that claim, you’d have to say Westbrook was off for the last five postseasons, in which he hasn’t sniffed 40% on field goals.
It can’t be that OKC was facing a juggernaut, because they’re not. There isn’t a bracket in the entire NBA-watching world that has Portland coming out of the west, nevermind last year’s Jazz.
So what’s the excuse going to be?
OKC as a team is not built to win games. It’s built around helping Westbrook stuff the box score, which is why the bigs box out on the defensive end so Westbrook can grab the rebounds, and why Adams — a fantastic rebounder — became the first player in the NBA to pull down more offensive boards than defensive. He’s not allowed to grab defensive rebounds, those are for Russell.
Hell, Adams can’t even answer a question in a press conference without Westbrook’s permission, as we saw last year.
Likewise, no one is permitted to swing the ball. The four other OKC players on the court are reduced to spectators as Westbrook dribbles out the 24 so that if he decides to dish instead of shoot, any resulting assists will be credited to him.
You can’t win when your team’s primary goal is to help a guy get triple doubles every night.
