Lucky_Lefty
Dreams Are Colder Than Death...
If Russy putting up empty stats, then what has Beal been putting up the last couple of seasons?
Stephen A says he's "not impressed" by Russell Westbrook. Russ wife jumps in
- Thread starter goatmane
- Start date
Empty stats as well.
Jesus Is Lord
Give Thanks, Repent, and Forgive
No, just asking. What should he do then?Is that really what you took from what I said
It's absolutely junk. We aren't talking about putting Russ in GOAT conversations but his production should get recognition.
Again, why denigrate Russ for "not winning" and then punish players for joining up on super teams to "win"? The media and NBA fans have created a no-win situation for 99% of the league.
This happens with every high performing player that are on teams that don't quite reach the highs of the best.
Kobe would put 30+/6/5 on shytty Lakers teams and did the same thing on the good Lakers team a few years later and everyone claimed he changed his game. "Kobe is looking for his teammates and not playing just to score points anymore". Bullshyt. Nothing fukking changed about Kobe, he played the exact same way. Bron puts put 30/8/8 on Cavs teams that took L's and then does the same in Miami and fans claim he changed his game and wasn't stat padding anymore. That's bullshyt. It's the same player on a better team.
That "team" that fits Russ best never happened and will probably never happen. Same for all of the other ringless superstars. Doesn't mean they should get shyt on for putting up numbers and not winning championships.
Jesus Is Lord
Give Thanks, Repent, and Forgive
Reading the temperature of this thread tells me that anyone who puts up big numbers and don’t win a ring is putting up empty stats. Or is it only when it comes to Russ we go extra on the meaningless stats?
There’s plenty of players who put up great stats and haven’t won a ring. So we just discount them too with the same energy as we do Russ? Nah we don’t.
Oochie Wally or...
There’s plenty of players who put up great stats and haven’t won a ring. So we just discount them too with the same energy as we do Russ? Nah we don’t.
Oochie Wally or...
Jesus Is Lord
Give Thanks, Repent, and Forgive
Great post.
OneManGang
Veteran
Michael Jordan had his yes-man coach fired and a hippie hired who convinced him to try the triangle instead of busting ass for 48 minutes every night. Russ needs to figure out why his circus act of triple doubles has translated to nothing but disappointment on the court and currently a sub .500 record with yet another elite offensive talent.
And to keep it a buck, Russ not even the best or most endeared PG to be a beast on the court and never win a ring, and won’t be the last. But his style of play where he always has the rock means the losses have to be put on him and his coaches who clearly can’t or won’t scheme better plays
So do only 15 players stats count for each season? Cause ya know, everyone else couldn’t get the job done and went home empty handed at the end of the year?
Or should a player’s stats only go into the record books if his team won the game and get voided if not? Or if his team won the game and they had a positive plus/minus?
When Jordan put up 63/6/5 did he have a less impressive game than Bird who put up 36/12/8 because the Bulls lost?
I mean, what’s the answer? How do we objectively quantify what’s “empty” and what’s “real”? Are we basing it on the strength of the teams? The final score? When the game happened? How much we like the player? I’m genuinely curious what the exact parameters are.
His game is what it is at this point as he’s too prideful to change it. As I’ve said before, there are a lot of players in the league putting up empty numbers and Russ isn’t the only one. His teammate is right along with in that conversation. How can a player gripe that they deserve to make All NBA team when they can’t even lead their team to the playoffs. Washington is still just as bad with Westbrook as they were without him, so that reflects on both him and Beal.
Nobody cares about stats if it isn’t conductive to winning. Russ puts up triple doubles for a season. That’s an amazing accomplishment, but they got washed in the playoffs. Even when they added PG, it was the same result. That reflects badly on both players and not just Westbrook.
Jesus Is Lord
Give Thanks, Repent, and Forgive
Change his game how? He’s not on a championship contending team, he’s on a scrubby team. Change his game how and do what?
And whose fault is that? If he was a better player, then Houston would have found a better situation for him than Washington. That’s on Russ as to why he is in Washington and essentially got traded for another bad contract in John Wall.
That was the best deal either team was going to get for both players and there’s a reason why.
I don't buy that "change your game" argument either.
Stephen A slobbers all over Iverson who never changed one piece of his game for anyone and then turns around and says this? Nah. That's bullshyt.
Most superstars that won a championship got lucky because of talent put around them that helped maximize their strengths and minimized their weaknesses. They didn't "change their game". In another universe, Steph is known as 3 point shooting PG that couldn't go al the way because of poor defense and average playmaking skills ie Dame.
Jesus Is Lord
Give Thanks, Repent, and Forgive
Nah, you said he needs to change his game. I asked how. What should he do?
Also, we ALL just found out that he asked out of Houston when Harden told him that he was leaving.
So again, in what way should he change his game? And what change in his game with the Wiz would make them a playoff or championship contender? You’re not answering the “change his game” question.
For one he can work on his jumper and free throw percentage to compensate for the decline in his athleticism. He has also help matters by not taking so many horrible ass shots work on his basketball IQ. Look at his deeper into his career percentages if you don’t believe me. They were horrible even with KD on the roster.
As I said before, he’s playing next to a “superstar” talent in Beal, so there’s no excuse why they should be 11 games under .500 and 4.5 back of the worst in the East. Even when he did have a decent team with PG in OKC, they still disappointed and unachieved which reflected badly on both of those guys as a player.
These discussions about Westbrook aren’t new and sorely related to his tenure in Washington.