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Time to dispel the myths and appreciate Russell Westbrook for who he is

By Matthew Hallett

January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0, right) dunks the basketball past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0, right) dunks the basketball past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0, right) dunks the basketball past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 18, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0, right) dunks the basketball past Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 121-100. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Russell Westbrook doesn’t get the appreciation he deserves from analysts and former players. It’s time to dispel the myths and nonsense and simply appreciate Russell Westbrook for the special player he is.

Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder has had to endure a lot of scrutiny in the press this year. The man is averaging a triple double and I have heard some commentators, mostly ex-players trying to talk down this feat which only one other player in history has achieved..

I was watching a San Antonio Spurs game early in the season.  Sean Elliott was talking about how much easier it is for a guard to average larger rebounding numbers. This is because of the trend of the NBA center to shoot from deep, meaning that there are less big bodies in the middle to get the rebounds.

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Interesting comments from a 6-foot-8 player who sits at 225 all time for three point shots made. He also never averaged more than 5.6 rebounds per game in a season.

This tells me that Elliott does not watch many Oklahoma City games. Why does it tell me that? I will tell you shortly.

I also was watching ESPN when Charles Barkley stated that guards can get more rebounds because the ball is being shot from further out so is therefore bouncing further off the rim. Please, guys, understand that the NBA is different from when you played but not that different.

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