Stephen A says he's "not impressed" by Russell Westbrook. Russ wife jumps in

[FlyBoy718]

Stephen A ain't say one lie but some dudes wanna make it about him.On a different note, I find it interesting one of the main attributes folks point out about Westbrook, rightfully so I may add, is how competitive he is on the court while giving maximum effort. Meanwhile, Westbrook talking about he's a champion in life.How competitive can u actually be if winning in your sport doesn't matter to you?

 

[C-NICE]

If you can't make the playoffs, then yes your numbers don't mean anything. You know exactly what I'm saying and I don't know why you aren't pretending that you don't.

Everybody is putting up numbers in the NBA and a lot of those guys are on losing teams. Don't bytch about being left off the All NBA Team when you can't lead your team to the playoffs. That's why I found it laughable last year when people called Beal a snub as another star is on the roster now, yet the team isn't any better than it was before.

so if beal pulled a lebron or kd and joined up with giannas and kawhi and got a championship he would be looked at differently i actually respect a player for hoopin on a bad team and growing with the team this team up to get a ring nba got yall mind messed up.

 

[sicksoulja]

Stephen A ain't say one lie but some dudes wanna make it about him.On a different note, I find it interesting one of the main attributes folks point out about Westbrook, rightfully so I may add, is how competitive he is on the court while giving maximum effort. Meanwhile, Westbrook talking about he's a champion in life.How competitive can u actually be if winning in your sport doesn't matter to you?

this era is weak, Winning a championship would require you to be sent to a super team to compete.

Also you can’t shyt on players for joining a super team to compete for a championship then shyt on players for not winning one.

 

[Mr Hate Coffee]

(I’m disappointed this wasn’t one of the first replies)

 

[CP3.]

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?

nikka played with prime KD for how many years? Of course he has more team accomplishments

I ain't getting into any argument about stats, rings, accomplishments. Pure skill. CP3 is way ahead of Russ.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

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.

We judge players by what they do when it matters most


I said that about 5 times. And I shouldn’t have to say it cause we ALL know it. There’s tons of players with great stats. Regular season, they out there killing it. And they never put up those stats when it counted. And their names and stats are not cared about like the ones who did. Plain and simple. Short and sweet.


There isn’t a sport going, where an athlete with great regular season stats, is held anywhere above those who did it in the postseason. Sure. The stats are there for Brees and Manning and they in the Hall and we clap clap for them. But Brady had better coaches, teams and worst stats and he’s the goat cause when it mattered, nobody cared about the stats... he got it done. Does that make Marino’s stats all empty? No of course not. But does anybody care about Marino stats when we discuss greatness? No


That’s always what it was. This second place. Oh I did good in the regular season ass shyt is what is new. nikkas who put up stats and didn’t win wouldn’t even care to bring attention to it. A celebration popping bottles when you losing all season? Dudes have broken real records and not even celebrated that shyt cause the team was trash.

this ain’t new nor anything we need to decide what counts. We know exactly what counts

 

[Peruvian Connect]

We judge players by what they do when it matters most


I said that about 5 times. And I shouldn’t have to say it cause we ALL know it. There’s tons of players with great stats. Regular season, they out there killing it. And they never put up those stats when it counted. And their names and stats are not cared about like the ones who did. Plain and simple. Short and sweet.


There isn’t a sport going, where an athlete with great regular season stats, is held anywhere above those who did it in the postseason. Sure. The stats are there for Brees and Manning and they in the Hall and we clap clap for them. But Brady had better coaches, teams and worst stats and he’s the goat cause when it mattered, nobody cared about the stats... he got it done. Does that make Marino’s stats all empty? No of course not. But does anybody care about Marino stats when we discuss greatness? No


That’s always what it was. This second place. Oh I did good in the regular season ass shyt is what is new. nikkas who put up stats and didn’t win wouldn’t even care to bring attention to it. A celebration popping bottles when you losing all season? Dudes have broken real records and not even celebrated that shyt cause the team was trash.

this ain’t new nor anything we need to decide what counts. We know exactly what counts

You see no issue with what you said? Being great individually is not enough, but winning collectively makes you better than someone else. That's idiotic.

Westbrooks playff stas are essentially the same as his reg season stats

 

[SchoolboyC]

We judge players by what they do when it matters most


I said that about 5 times. And I shouldn’t have to say it cause we ALL know it. There’s tons of players with great stats. Regular season, they out there killing it. And they never put up those stats when it counted. And their names and stats are not cared about like the ones who did. Plain and simple. Short and sweet.


There isn’t a sport going, where an athlete with great regular season stats, is held anywhere above those who did it in the postseason. Sure. The stats are there for Brees and Manning and they in the Hall and we clap clap for them. But Brady had better coaches, teams and worst stats and he’s the goat cause when it mattered, nobody cared about the stats... he got it done. Does that make Marino’s stats all empty? No of course not. But does anybody care about Marino stats when we discuss greatness? No


That’s always what it was. This second place. Oh I did good in the regular season ass shyt is what is new. nikkas who put up stats and didn’t win wouldn’t even care to bring attention to it. A celebration popping bottles when you losing all season? Dudes have broken real records and not even celebrated that shyt cause the team was trash.

this ain’t new nor anything we need to decide what counts. We know exactly what counts

There’s a difference between claiming that regular season > playoff success and saying a player’s stats are empty because they haven’t won.

Like we can use the Peyton example. That 2013 season he had was legendary. Would it have been even greater if the Broncos didn’t get their ass kicked in the SB? Absolutely. But them not being able to get done doesn’t make everything he did up to that point meaningless.

I’m not arguing that winning doesn’t matter to a player’s legacy or that players should be popping champagne for coming in 2nd or 3rd place.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

There’s a difference between claiming that regular season > playoff success and saying a player’s stats are empty because they haven’t won.

Like we can use the Peyton example. That 2013 season he had was legendary. Would it have been even greater if the Broncos didn’t get their ass kicked in the SB? Absolutely. But them not being able to get done doesn’t make everything he did up to that point meaningless.

I’m not arguing that winning doesn’t matter to a player’s legacy or that players should be popping champagne for coming in 2nd or 3rd place.

I'm arguing that you're the first person to bring up that season, with a positive demeanor towards Manning, since the day before the Super Bowl of that year....

Nobody speaks of that season.. Nobody cares it happens. The only thing talked about Manning from that entire season is the beatdown he took. Just like when he actually won and was shytty all year, the only thing that's talked about is him winning it all and riding into the sunset with two. He loses that and the entire narrative changes not only about the last season, but his entire career, as he did all that in the regular season and only won 1 ring. They'd have talked about him like a dog.


Again. I get your point 100%. Maybe it SHOULDN'T be this way. But it is definitely this way. And it's not new. Wilt was avg 50 a game out here and is brushed aside by Hakeem cause Hakeem is seen as more of a champion, even though they both have 2. Wilt should be seen as astronomically better than any player, let alone Center, ever, based on stats alone. He was never considered that and the #1 reason why was empty stats that didn't equal Russell's 11, even though Russ was on the damn equivalent of the Nets today

 

[SchoolboyC]

I'm arguing that you're the first person to bring up that season, with a positive demeanor towards Manning, since the day before the Super Bowl of that year....

Nobody speaks of that season.. Nobody cares it happens. The only thing talked about Manning from that entire season is the beatdown he took. Just like when he actually won and was shytty all year, the only thing that's talked about is him winning it all and riding into the sunset with two. He loses that and the entire narrative changes not only about the last season, but his entire career, as he did all that in the regular season and only won 1 ring. They'd have talked about him like a dog.


Again. I get your point 100%. Maybe it SHOULDN'T be this way. But it is definitely this way. And it's not new. Wilt was avg 50 a game out here and is brushed aside by Hakeem cause Hakeem is seen as more of a champion, even though they both have 2. Wilt should be seen as astronomically better than any player, let alone Center, ever, based on stats alone. He was never considered that and the #1 reason why was empty stats that didn't equal Russell's 11, even though Russ was on the damn equivalent of the Nets today

I guess me and you just have a different view of empty stats.

When I hear empty stats, I'm thinking this player that puts up numbers but it has no real impact on increasing his team's ability to win games. Like I look at Andre Drummond as an empty stats player because he puts up great looking stats on paper but his teams always play better when he's off the floor. So when I hear Peyton, my mind can't really think of him like that.

But I'm cool with agreeing to disagree.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

You see no issue with what you said? Being great individually is not enough, but winning collectively makes you better than someone else. That's idiotic.

Westbrooks playff stas are essentially the same as his reg season stats

I do see an issue and I don't. In all fairness, no it's not fair. No it shouldn't be so black and white, especially in team games.

But as I started this whole thing with......... "You want it to be one way, it is not that way"

It's never been that way. In any sport. In any era. We marveled at the feats. We gave props for the things you did. You got the contracts for all of it.................


But the "star" player who kept losing every year. Never was a factor in the playoffs. Never made a championship game. Never won it all. They were NEVER in that upper elechon. They were praised to their extent, then the real playoffs start, and they aren't spoken of except to explain how they keep not making it. They get dubbed regular season players. They get dubbed choke artists.. They get labeled as players who can't get it done when the team needs them. Not a leader. Are they not good under pressure? Questions get raised.. Those contracts get lowered. Minutes get lowered.

I said Harden for a reason. Harden always gets praised.. Puts up numbers. AND wins. Gets his teams far in the playoffs too. What's the knock against him STILL? Can't get it done. Can't lead a team to the promised land. Can't make those stats lead to a ring. Had to join a superteam to get a ring. Same thing they said about KD until he got 2 FMVPs. Now we act like he didn't have to join GS to do it and dub him 2nd best in the game.. But he had to join Steph, who was the current 1st best player cause 1 ring over Bron.. Who is now putting up crazy stats, that nobody cares about, cause they ain't winning 72 games... And if they never win again, but Steph puts up those stats, he'll be Peyton Manning next.

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

I guess me and you just have a different view of empty stats.

When I hear empty stats, I'm thinking this player that puts up numbers but it has no real impact on increasing his team's ability to win games. Like I look at Andre Drummond as an empty stats player because he puts up great looking stats on paper but his teams always play better when he's off the floor. So when I hear Peyton, my mind can't really think of him like that.

But I'm cool with agreeing to disagree.

That's because we veered off. Peyton was winning. They weren't EMPTY stats. But we all know he was dubbed a regular season qb, cause he didn't have PLAYOFF stats and wins

Westbrook LAST NIGHT, was putting up empty stats. Your team ain't shyt and ain't gonna be shyt this season. You playing a bum ass Pacers squad. And you did this. It's COOL. Who cares about this? It has no bearing on anything, not even playoff seeding. The heat of the moment matters. The entire damn game is an empty stat.


That was the original point, then we started going deeper into the levels of stats and times they mean the most. All people were saying is, it would mean more to do this on the Sixers, over the Nets, for the #1 seed or some shyt. It's cool and all but

 

[The Devil's Advocate]

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.

So now people don't talk about the greatest defensive basketball team of all time. With all these superteams they don't bring up Pistons crushing the Lakers that year? You can name all those people off top, but them having a ring has nothing to do with that huh? Guess you think we'd know who Robert Horry was too huh?

Rings do matter.. I didn't say being a role player with a ring mattered more than being a star without one. But you wouldn't remember a single one of those players if they had none and you'll never forget AD for winning his

 

[Pimp]

So now people don't talk about the greatest defensive basketball team of all time. With all these superteams they don't bring up Pistons crushing the Lakers that year? You can name all those people off top, but them having a ring has nothing to do with that huh? Guess you think we'd know who Robert Horry was too huh?

Rings do matter.. I didn't say being a role player with a ring mattered more than being a star without one. But you wouldn't remember a single one of those players if they had none and you'll never forget AD for winning his

I remember every player from every team because i watch sports all day. The average person doesn't even remember they won a championship.

 

[I AM WARHOL]

Imo this was more sensitive than anything KD has put out.

Only thing I had issue with on SAS side is talking rings. Everything else was pretty correct. Making it seem like SAS was disrespectful and out of pocket is annoying