Stephen A says he's "not impressed" by Russell Westbrook. Russ wife jumps in
- Thread starter goatmane
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ISO
Pass me the rock nikka
Its nothing that SAS said, he's free to say what he wants.
Its the people that have bought into the institution that SAS is a part of, and that take that institution for granted in the sense that they think it has to exist the way it does, because they tell us that that's the way it is.
Meaning,
SAS is free to say what he says, and Russell Westbrook is free to respond in a way that he sees fit.
But because its "sports journalism", people feel comfortable judging the words of each men through an SAS lens.
Why do they need the qualifier of "sports" in front of "sports journalist"? Why do you think that is?
For precisely these types of situations. It separates the man from his words, and boxes him into confines where his achievements OUTSIDE of sports can be discredited because of his achievements (or lack there of) on the field.
But where's the double standard? On one side you got Rapaport shouting at KD to help out his neighborhood, then you got those same people telling Westbrook that his contributions to his neighborhood don't matter and he needs to win more. You got the winningest player in the league being told to do more in his neighborhood, and then you got the man doing the most for his neighborhood being told to be better on the court. The guys that do good in both? Like DeShaun? Or Kobe? Or Brady? Or Tiger? They'll get you another way. Same thing with musicians. Look at MJ. Look at Marley. Civil rights leaders, same thing. MLK had a dossier on him a mile high detailing his infidelities. Why?
Ask yourself why this happens? Its character assassination, always.
Russell Westbrook goes in for two and a half minutes talking about everything he does for his community, how hes a bigger man than the sport, and how he'll never be defined by a game but rather by what he is able to do because of it... and you still got NUMEROUS posters here like
"wellllll, it's not his call to make, he needs to shut up and dribble and worry about winning championships and not sticking up for himself."
If you were out and about with those 2, with SAS and RW, and SAS said that shyt, and RW calmly responded with what he said in the interview, you, anyone in the room with you, and SAS himself would dap RW and say, youre right, youre right. Because RWs words hold weight and theyre from the soul, SAS is just speaking scripted bullshyt to get people worked up.
So to your question, what's wrong with what SAS said: its that people think that because he has a "credential" in that he works for ESPN, hes allowed to speak and his word is law, and then any responses or disagreements are met with "shut up and dribble," because it keeps two machines going: the sport, and the people that cover the sport. And just because they tell you you can't have one without the other, doesn't mean its true. So the problem with his words: they're unnecessary, in every sense of the word.
Lucky_Lefty
Dreams Are Colder Than Death...
Because y’all get on here saying the man put up empty stats when CPDribble is less accomplished from a team aspect than Russ so that means his stats are empty too right? Or will y’all continue to keep this belief one sided cause you like one player over the other?
I know that nikka is staring blankly at his computer contemplating life after that line.
What was they responding to? Thread got deleted
jwonder
Superstar
I never understood why these great athletes pay these no talent bums any mind. I mean really who the fukk is Stephen A? shyt I don't follow basketball anymore but I've never heard of being a good player on a college level or coached shyt. I can't take clowns like him serious. Russell shouldn't either.
The Devil's Advocate
Call me Dad
Lets talk about some harsh realities... Cause it seems y'all want it to be one way, and it's simply, not that way............
Karl Malone is one of the greatest PF of all time right? Anybody even bring his name up? If Barkley wasn't on TV every day, would anyone bring him up? Stockton is a GOAT level PG, anybody care? How about the man Russ is compared to... Is Elgin Baylor talked about much? Anybody got him on a top 5 list? Top 10? Why not? He avg a triple double. AI is my guy. Philly all day. He is LOVED by NBA fans.. Anybody got him on a top 10 list? Anybody give a fukk about Melo's stats? Anybody putting CP3 anywhere near the best PG of the game? Why not? Cause he can't fukking win. What's the knock on James Harden? Can't produce those numbers in the offs. What's the knock on Paul George? What's the knock on Giannis? Philly again... What's the knock on Embiid and Simmons..........................?
Can't fukking get it done during the playoffs...
Now y'all want us to say "yea the regular season matters" You want us to say "Jordan was more impressive than Bird" But in REAL TIME... The more impressive thing was Bird's 3 rings and 3 MVPs vs Jordan doing a whole bunch of scoring but not amounting to a goddamn thing. Where are y'all getting that this is "THIS ERA." No the fukk it's not. I was old enough in Jordan's era to remember the sportscasters talking about he can't win like this and all this stats padding but no ring didn't mean shyt. Then I watch him win one and go about telling everyone else that shyt didn't matter if you didn't bring home the ring. I remember Barkley telling Rodman that B was gonna win the rebounding title and Rodman says "Who gives a fukk, we're gonna win another ring" It wasn't just sportscasters.. Dame Dolla bragging on who he sent home every year. He don't give a fukk about some MVP of the regular season or that Westbrook had a triple double.. nikka I bounced you out when it counts, what the fukk that regular season shyt got to matter....
This ain't the NFL. I'm sorry. 82 games will NEVER mean as much as 16. You doing some astronomical shyt in some meaningless game that gets you nowhere, will NEVER compare to doing half as much on a winning team when it matters.
The fact that y'all will sit here and pretend it does... Or pretend actual NBA players and professional sports starts don't see it the same, is crazy to me. They ALWAYS have. It's them during the games pointing to the scoreboard. It's them after the games pointing to their record. It's them talking shyt about other MVP's talking bout "but he doing that shyt and losing."
For the record, nobody says it's not impressive. The point is, it doesn't fukking matter when you're 17-28... Nothing was on the line, no pressure, no meaning to the win/loss, other team taking the night off.... It's just not all that important. If Russ was winning, he'd be James Harden. But nobody cares about James Harden either if he's on the Wizards losing..
They don’t hate the league, they just hate it’s current players. Pretty much the only athlete NBA media likes is Michael Jordan.
Apprentice
RIP Doughboy Roc
Low IQ nikkas really tryna see Russ better than CP3 lmaooo okok
GOAT
The bubble was fraudulent
Dude said Russ wife got too much time on her hands
You typed all this but still didn't answer the question.
How do we objectively define what numbers are empty and what numbers are real, what determines who/when numbers get to count and who/when they don't? Should the NBA just stop acknowledging regular season numbers period, treat it like an extension of the preseason and only acknowledge the playoffs?
I didn't say anything about top 10 lists or what players talk shyt to each other about, I'm talking strictly about what gets labelled as empty stats.
He is better than CP..
Apprentice
RIP Doughboy Roc
Lol naw
Nobody talks about Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, David Robinson, Kenny Smith, Jason Terry, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, etc.. People don't give a fukk about your rings. Anthony Davis isn't even a champion. He's Lebrons side bytch and nobody will ever think he led a team to a championship.