Big O: “He’s got to be the MVP”

In a Wednesday interview with USA Today’s Sam Amick, Oscar Robertson made it clear he’s comfortable relinquishing the triple-double throne — and that Russell Westbrook is his choice for league MVP.

Via USA Today:

“Who are they playing tonight? Well I think he had the 41 (triple-doubles) already, and I hope he gets the 16 assists, and so you’ll be talking about Russ now being the triple double king.

But he has taken over the whole country with what he is doing, and it’s really amazing. He’s a great basketball player. I’m happy for Russ.”

This clearly isn’t as big of a deal to Robertson as it is the rest of us, as he wasn’t sure of last night’s opponent and “thinks” Russ has tied him at 41. However, the two men will share the record for at least one more day, as Westbrook finished one rebound shy of number 42 last night in Memphis. Just your average, run-of-the-mill, 45-10-9-5 stat line. Another night at the office. (Full recap)

And because everyone has an opinion on this year’s MVP race, Robertson shared his:

“What Russell Westbrook has done truly – even though Harden is close to him – but what he’s done, he’s got to be the MVP of the league.”

My kind of guy.

Westbrook gets his next crack at number 42 tomorrow night in Phoenix, with the Thunder heading west to take on the Suns. The game tips at 9 p.m. CT and will be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma and NBA TV. In the meantime, go check out the full interview with Robertson — it’s fantastic.