Last night, Russell Westbrook picked up a bad technical late in the game against Houston and the Thunder lost by a point.
It was really just an awful series of events for OKC’s All-Star point guard. He lost his cool with Goran Dragic, turned it over twice and missed a free throw. And again, the Thunder lost by a point, blowing an 11-point lead.
But Westbrook compounded things by not addressing the technical foul or the incident with Dragic. He just straight up ignored the question, eventually walking out while someone else asked it again. Not a fan of this act. I mentioned it in last night’s recap, but I also wrote a long thing about it at CBSSports.com. Allow me to blockquote myself:
It’s precisely these type of things why Russell Westbrook is often the Thunder’s scapegoat. He makes himself an easy target. While Durant can do no wrong, nobody runs to defend Westbrook. Durant always says the right thing, no matter the situation. Westbrook — and I say this as someone that is a full-blooded Westbrook apologist that thinks the guy doesn’t get near enough credit for OKC’s success — chooses to make enemies. He carries that chip on his shoulder off the court and doesn’t do himself any favors in the court of public opinion. He might not care and more power to him if he doesn’t, but it’s not hard to just answer a question.
If you find everything I’ve ever written on Westbrook, you’ll see I’ve defended the guy to the death. I truly believe the guy’s one mission in life is to win and be a good teammate. That’s it. He’s not selfish, he doesn’t want the spotlight, he doesn’t want to be an alpha dog. He just wants to win basketball games.
But he alienates even his biggest fans, like me, when he acts that way. It’s hard to stand on an island and defend the way he plays and try and convince people he’s really a cool dude. And it’s even harder to make people believe he’s a point guard that can lead the Thunder to a championship when the lasting image of Westbrook is either an emotional outburst or an immature stunt with the cameras rolling.
Pretty much everyone that hasn’t spent a week around the Thunder think Westbrook and Durant don’t get along. And why wouldn’t they? Because the Russell Westbrook they’re privy to seeing is one that answers questions in one word, ignores others and isn’t exactly an inviting personality. While Durant never has a missed step, a slip of the tongue and says the type of things that make a writer’s heart melt, Westbrook comes off as the cold, angry and almost mean bad guy. To an outsider, it makes sense to wonder why in the world Durant would like Westbrook. Because that’s the public image. That’s the perception. That’s the Westbrook people see.
It’s no coincidence that controversy seems to follow Westbrook around. There’s no vendetta again him. It’s just that he makes things difficult for himself. I appreciate the way he plays. I love the intensity, the fire, the emotion. I eat that stuff up. But there has to be a separation of church and state. He can’t carry it off the floor with him.
And he can’t go getting a dumb technical foul with 48 seconds remaining in a four-point game either.
i don't care what players share with the media. i just want russel westbrook to learn to play with some equanimity out there. i think we can all agree he doesn't play well when angry.
Royce--very much appreciate your candid and honest observations in regards to Russ. How can a sports fan not love the way this guy plays? He plays hurt, he's not selfish, and his recent resign shows he's not greedy. But somebody needs to pull Russ aside and tell him there's no need to act like a dickhead after a bad game. Answer the question politely like a professional and move onto the next game.
Kobe was absolutely right on when he said, "OKC has one mean, little dude in Westbrook." But you can be a mean, little dude on the court and not have to act like a diva off the court.
i thought the tantrums were all behind us. I was wrong.
I think this was a pretty key moment in Royce's professional career and I personally think he handled it right and well.
Looks like Royce and Russ got together today after practice and worked it all out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGt5f70K02Q
Royce. I love your work. I love this blog. I love your mix of intelligent basketball analysis with a mix of humor (Nick Collison Setting a Pick- Rick Ross Mix)
But it is absolutely amazing why the media aka YOU feel you have a license to ask ridiculously dumb and insensitive questions like that. All things considered: immediately after the loss, emotions still running high (in this scenario extremely low) after Russ has given 110% effort on the court. Can't prove it - but my opinion: you are just mad that after you consistently take up for Westbrook on this blog (props to you for this) - that Westbrook stood you up in the locker room.
Again - props to you for supporting Westbrook. The thunder sure as hell aren't the best team in the West without him. But how dare you slam the guy for not replying to an completely pathetic/obvious/rude/____(fill in the blank)_____ kind of question? The answer is obvious - that doesn't mean its an easy question to answer.... He was rationally insulted by it. Would you have preferred him to say what was running through his mind at the time: aka "F. U."? didn't think so. Don't think that he wont remember this instance the next time you come up and interview him...
@6th man of the year I don't want to sound like I'm defending Royce because he doesn't need it, but I just want to say that it is the media's job to ask the tough questions right along side the softball questions. The media is our access to the players, and if they media gives us the short end of the stick, we'll stop buying their product, the team gets less exposure, the distance between the league and it's fans becomes bigger, and the overall product is cheapened. I know that sounds like I'm taking it too far, but small steps lead to bigger things. It was Royce's job to ask the question, and it's Russell's job to respond. Russ could easily have gotten away with "no comment" as his answer. The fact that he didn't want to talk about it is not the point, it's the way he handled it that is so telling. That's the story. That's the part that we, as fans, want to know.
Besides, there is no question about NBA basketball that hasn't been asked already a million times over, so basically ALL of the questions have obvious answers. And we never penalize players for giving the obvious, easy answer either. We're just used to hearing the same answers over and over, to the point where we already know the answers before they're given. Those post game interviews before the player even walks off the court are the worst. Reporter asks about the game, usually in a 'what happened' or 'what did you do' format, and the answer is almost always some form of '...just wanted to stay aggressive...' I think players get conditioned to answering with coach speak, so when someone asks them something that isn't softball, they aren't prepared for it, and then you get the real answer, not the memorized one, as in this case with Russ. The answer is obvious, but it isn't memorized. Maybe with Russ, it should be. There's a whole line of non-answers he should probably memorize (no comment, that was emotional, this is an emotional game, I'm an emotional player, ask me tomorrow when I've calmed down, I don't want to talk about that right now, literally a hundred other choices).
Anyway, that's just my two cents.
@6th man of the year This sounds like I hate Royce Young. I do not. Let me again state that this is the first beef I have ever had with anything Royce has said. Excellent blog. I wouldn't check it everyday if it wasn't. And all flattery aside - thanks for your hard work Royce.
Westbrook didn't answer the question because he doesn't care what the media thinks of him.
So none of this even matters. Moving on...
To me what Royce is suggesting sounds horribly unprofessional as a journalist. KD gets a free pass because people like him? Russ gets a bullseye on his back because you get your feelings hurt when he won't answer a question or doens't make you feel like you are buds when you interview him? How about unbiased reporting.
@clusterfunk the way Russ sometimes acts is horribly unprofessional. He has been in the league for 4 years now, time to grow up.
@clusterfunk Seriously? If you want an unbiased take from Royce, check out his cbs stuff. This is a fan blog -- it isn't meant to be unbiased. In fact, you could argue that it's meant to be *biased*.
@Landstander @clusterfunk I read clusterfunk's post as meaning that media members should be unbiased in their reporting, and not slanted because it's hard to get along well with Russell. Not that Royce's article or this blog is unbiased reporting.
@clusterfunk @Landstander And I agree. But I also realize we're talking about guys like Skip Bayless and Charles Barkley and Stephen A Smith. They skip the integrity part, and shout into their pipeline, and the opinion filters down from there. The way it is, is a far cry from the way it should be.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @Landstander @clusterfunk That is exactly what I meant. I realize that this is a blog, but Royce is suggesting that the media as a whole takes that attitude. Seems to be a sense of entitlement by the media. "Be nice to us or else...."
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @clusterfunk I just read it again, and that makes perfect sense. Sorry, cluster -- I misinterpreted. But if anyone else was thinking about what I already argued, THERE'S MY ARGUMENT! ;)
Sounds like someone needs to watch Almost Famous... You're the enemy.
How much to blame is on Scott Brooks? and How much to blame is Westbrook? I think Scott needs to coach and teach Russ how to play PG at a higher level. I'm sure Russ would want to improve his game anyway how. It just seems like Scott is too casual and passive.
@criznazy53 That was on Russ last night. Brooks made some mistakes too but that wasn't one of them. My biggest beef with Brooks last night was taking Serge out on the defensive end the last minute or so and then he probably should have gone back to James after Russ and KD did nothing with it as the lead went away.
@okcjim @criznazy53 I don't mind westbrook taking it hard to the rim and missing/getting an offensive foul. But I think coach Brooks needs to tell Russ to stop taking the early shot clock jumpers. No one gets involved and I believe OKC can work for a better shot. Why is Brooks encouraging / not discipling this?
Do you think how Harden performed last night will affect future late game strategies? Russ actually does pretty well off the ball. He's a great backdoor cutter and Harden is just so strong and plays so under control that I think this is the way to go. Especially if KD and Russ are struggling. It should open up the offense for everyone honestly. If they run a play where KD and Russ are actually moving instead of just standing on the side with their hands on their knees or posting up at the 3 point line we should get a lot of backdoor cuts or open 3's. If Russ and KD worked as hard off the ball to get the ball as James does they would get much better looks.
@okcjim One can only hope Harden gets to handle the ball more late game. People always say Russ is not a "real" PG. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Harden also isn't a good "swingman." I see him as more of a point-forward like player. I think that when the big three are on the floor together, who handles the ball should be something like Russ 40%, Harden 30%, and KD 20%, depending of course on their play on any given night.
@dancassidy35 Harden moves the ball and looks for the open guy. KD and Russ are looing for their own shot 90% of the time. Nothing against Russ and KD, that's just the reality of it and Harden just does a better job at making things happen for everyone.
@dancassidy35 @okcjim
Harden will get much better at being a "swingman" granted he's shown real big strides of improvement each off season. The Spurs when they wouldn't go to Duncan, generally liked having Manu handle the bale late in the game even with Parker on the floor.
If Russ had politely answered the question with some perfectly focus grouped answer, would that have helped him in the next late game situation? In short does any of this matter to the actual game?
@Old Man Game Royce isn't saying it does matter to the actual game. His point, I think at least (don't want to put words in his mouth), was that if Russ wants to get less crap thrown at him from the media, he needs to act different around them.
@dancassidy35 @Old Man Game Yep, exactly. And as a result, fewer distractions. Trust me, when the spotlight gets cranked up in the playoffs, you're going to wish the national media had a more favorable view of Russ.
@dancassidy35 and if (as appears likely) Russ honestly doesn't care what Royce and the media writes? What then?
insider's*
@Old Man Game @dancassidy35 Royce will not be ignored. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093010/quotes?qt=qt0442110
@Old Man Game Royce posted this, I'm assuming, because the whole situation is of interest to this community. We love Westbrook, and we complain quite a bit that he doesn't get the same love in the media that Rose / KD do. I appreciate a candid, fan-based insiders take on stuff like this. It makes me feel a bit more informed.
@Old Man Game @dancassidy35 He's saying that if Russ wants to be liked more, he just needs to act a little differently with the media. You say what if Russ doesn't care but what if he does. Most people want to be liked, that's just human nature
@dancassidy35 @Old Man Game
Russ does seem to play with a chip on his shoulder, and even though at times his emotions help not only himself but the team as well. He needs to know how to control them, and as much as he denies it, and seems not to care he does. Everyone does, its a human instinct to care.
@dancassidy35 I'm trying to figure out why Royce felt the need to write this post.
@Old Man Game @dancassidy35 Then whatever. None of this matters haha. I don't understand your point?
Random News Disclaimer
Check out Baylor's new stadium for 2014
http://www.baylorbears.com/view.gal?id=115301
Damn that's pretty
@dancassidy35 That stadium looks pretty cool, but please show me a river in this part of the country that has ever looked like that haha. Seriously though, that stadium looks legit.
Besides the fact that KD's defense was horrible yesterday and Russ had a breakdown in the last two minutes, I'd like to celebrate the way Harden, Perk, and Serge ran the offense last night for much of the fourth quarter. I really hope to see a lot more of that from them.
Westbrook will not finish his new contract with OKC.
@courtsense thanks. i needed a good laugh.
@courtsense i say this with all condescension implied: good. lord.
@courtsense I think that statement may be taking this issue a little far
Westbrook has never played well against Dragic. I think Westbrook almost doesn't think he's worth his time or energy so he doesn't play defense. He goes for steals frequently which makes it easy for him to get past him and he drifts away from him when the ball moves leaving him open. He does the same thing with Steve Blake. Both are backups, both are amped to play against Russ and play good physical defense and that annoys Russ to no end and the team suffers because of it.
Another article about Westbrook? No one talks about the dumb game deciding techs that perk gets.
@Lost Ones What game deciding techs has Perk ever gotten? Maybe he has and I missed it. He defintiely loses his cool from time to time, but when the pressure is on he keeps it in for the most part. Russ needs to learn how to do this.
@Jimmy Harden @Lost Ones
I don't remember Perk ever getting a tech that late into a game, that could have ended up being the point difference in the lost. One time in Boston, that was about it.
@Lost Ones Another one? Isn't this the first one?
Personally, I think the Knicks could become a better team simply by trading Melo for SF/PF who can defend and knock down a three..... it would be addition by subtraction in my opinion.
@BRY BRY well Orlando's in talks with them for Melo/ Chandler for Dwight. No details and no committment from NY, but that sounds like a dang good trade for everybody (except Orlando's salary cap). Dwight beside Amare could probably get a lot jammed up, but that'd be some freak athleticism
@JimboSlice
That would be interesting. Dwight would hide a lot of Amare's defensive issues (even more so than Chandler) and would give Lin another serious threat down low. That team would actually be a lot of fun to watch.
I'm not really sure what that does for Orlando, except give them a different set of trade pieces. Melo is a cancer.
@BRY BRY I'd say currently that would be the best offer on the table for them. If they're looking to blow things up anyway, they could build around Melo, especially if they can unload JRich like they were trying to. They've already got a pg who doesn't need many touches and isn't a bad catch and shoot player. But salary-wise, they'd be hamstrung for a long time between Melo and Chandler's contracts. The only people dumb enough to pay Chandler's contracts are NY and Orlando..