He's right in a way. The triple-double is the most arbitrary stat in basketball... where a 18-11-12 counts but a 40-18-9 doesn't. You're counting whether three different box score stats jump over an imaginary barrier that means nothing, and once you pass that barrier, getting extra don't matter at all. If Westbrook averages 27-10.0-10.0 this year, he's "historic", but if he averages 32-12-9.9 or 32-9.9-12, then he's just "close". Getting g a triple-double gives you a vague idea of a player's effort, usage, and skill, but to treat it like a real line that matters is silly.
Westbrook always get asked about his own triple doubles and he says the same thing, doesn't care about stats and just wants to win. Is he dissing Harden? Or maybe its him telling Magic Johnson to go fukk himself?.
Westbrook's triple doubles have helped his team a great deal. So, he isn't hurting his team and definitely not padding his stats. He's just doing enough to help his team win.
Gil-Scott Heroin was pointing out earlier that Westbrook chases assists early in the game and then changes his behavior once he hits 10, and he's a big Westbrook fan. And I think he's right. Westbrook's assists drop WAY off from the first half to the second... Except in games where he hasn't hit the number yet. Yet his shots are more in the second half than the first. He also makes a lot more assists when the game is out of hand, but takes more shots when it's close.
You also see the way the Thunder are giving him all the uncontested rebounds and how he hunts for the boards. I've never seen a point guard suddenly jump in boards like this, and it's ALL accounted for on the defensive side.
2008-2014: 4.9-5.7 rebounds every single season. Like clockwork.
14-15: 7.3
15-16: 7.8
16-17: 10.6
2008-2014: 1.2-2.2 offensive boards
14-15: 1.9
15-16: 1.8
16-17: 1.9
2008-2014: 2.7-4.5 defensive boards
14-15: 5.4
15-16: 6.0
16-17: 8.5
It's not like he became a better rebounder. It's not like he's getting his team more second chances. It's just that he's focused on uncontested defensive rebounds in a way he never did the first six years of his career.