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Caught in Durant’s shadow, Westbrook shines
By Marc J. Spears
March 9, 2010
Russell Westbrook wears a bright orange bracelet on each wrist during games. The same two words are printed on both: “Why Not?”
For someone who has repeatedly proven his skeptics and doubters wrong, Westbrook clings to that simple mantra.
“ ‘Why not’ is how I think, how I go about things,” Westbrook said. “It goes with everything I do, how I play and off the court with the decisions I make.”
Whatever choices Westbook has made, they seem to be working. He has quietly established himself as one of the NBA’s best young point guards, averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds with 17 double-doubles in his second season. He and his young teammates on the Oklahoma City Thunder have exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations, contending not only for a playoff berth in the rugged Western Conference, but also home-court advantage.
Westbrook’s contributions are sometimes caught in the glare of Kevin Durant’s stardom, but that’s nothing new for him. Since the day he walked into Lawndale Leuzinger High School just southeast of Los Angeles International Airport, Westbrook has been overlooked.
Westbrook arrived in high school as a gangly 5-foot-8 teenager. He grew to about 6-2 as a senior, but still wasn’t listed among the top 100 prospects despite averaging 25.1 points and 8.7 rebounds his final season while leading Leuzinger to a 25-4 record. San Diego, Creighton and Kent State seemed to be his only serious college suitors.
“He was too small,” said Miami Heat swingman Dorell Wright, a former Leuzinger teammate of Westbrook’s. “He worked on his body. He always had a good basketball IQ, always tough. But he was always too small, too.”
Westbrook says he was “real close” to committing to San Diego. But former UCLA assistant Kerry Keating, now Santa Clara’s head coach, had attended several of Westbrook’s games and begged him and his parents to be patent. The Bruins, Keating thought, could eventually have a scholarship to offer.
When UCLA guard Jordan Farmar departed early to the NBA, Westbrook went to Westwood the next day to sign, passing up another late pitch from Arizona State.
“I knew he could play,” Keating said. “The misconception on him was he couldn’t shoot, but he rebounded well for a guard. Every time something didn’t go well he’d look like he was hurt a little bit. [College scouts] would say, ‘What’s the deal with that? Is he soft?’ But I knew he was competitive.”
Said Wright: “People didn’t know how good he could be.”
At UCLA, Westbrook practiced daily against two other future NBA players, Darren Collison and Arron Afflalo. He averaged only 3.4 points as a freshman, but improved his production during his sophomore season to 12.9 points, 4.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. Primarily playing at shooting guard, he also was named the Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“In high school not getting noticed as much was frustrating at times,” Westbrook said. “I just continued to work and got the opportunity.”
It was Westbrook’s defense that first caught the attention of the SuperSonics, who were in their final season in Seattle before moving to Oklahoma City. Westbrook also improved his stock after scoring a career-high 22 points against Memphis star Derrick Rose in the 2008 Final Four and by proving he could play well at the point during two games Collison missed.
Strong workouts pushed Westbrook into contention as a late lottery pick. The Sonics, however, held the fourth selection, and most draft observers predicted they would take Stanford center Brook Lopez to fill their need for a big man or opt for either Arizona’s Jerryd Bayless or Indiana’s Eric Gordon if they wanted a guard.
Sonics/Thunder assistant general manager Troy Weaver continued to push strongly for Westbrook, whom he felt best fit the franchise with his combination of talent, character and work ethic. Weaver, Sonics general manager Sam Presti said, had a “passion about Russell’s ability to grow with the organization over time.” The pitch paid off: The Sonics took Westbrook No. 4.
“I heard people say, ‘Who is this guy?’ ” said Durant, who was taken by the Sonics a year earlier as the No. 2 overall pick. “Coming out of UCLA, people knew him but didn’t know he would go that high. But I was excited.”
One year after winning just 23 games, Russell Westbrook has helped Kevin Durant lift the Thunder into playoff contention.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)
He was one of the few. Several draft analysts thought the Sonics made a reach for Westbrook.
“We thought he was the best person for our organization and what we wanted to build,” Presti said. “You can’t please everybody and we’re not focused on that. We are more focused on what our staff thinks.”
Westbrook made a good first impression when he averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds his rookie season after the Sonics moved to Oklahoma City. He was named to the All-Rookie first team, but with the Thunder winning just 23 games, his contributions went largely unnoticed outside Oklahoma.
To get better, Westbrook often worked out three times a day last summer. The Thunder claim he grew a half-inch during the offseason and they don’t think his 6-foot-3, 187-pound frame is done expanding yet, either. Oklahoma City also hired Maurice Cheeks as an assistant coach, and the former Philadelphia 76ers point guard has helped mentor Westbrook.
“He’s a student of the game,” Cheeks said. “He’s just picking up all those little things it takes to be a good point guard.”
Example: The Thunder are 16-4 when Westbrook has a double-digit assist total. After the NBA named Westbrook its Western Conference Player of the Week in early February, he responded by scoring 40 points in the All-Star rookie-sophomore game then delivering his first triple-double a week later against Minnesota.
“I never thought I’d be put in this opportunity so fast,” said Westbrook, who turned 21 in November. “I’m just blessed to be in the situation I’m in now. Everything has come so quick for me.”
Some of his peers have taken notice.
“He’s one of the fastest guys I’ve played against besides Tony Parker,” Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans said.
Durant’s ascent to stardom – he was named an All-Star and could finish in the top three in MVP voting – has overshadowed Westbrook’s own development. But Durant also credits Westbrook for serving as the Thunder’s “engine.”
“He gets me going every game,” Durant said. “Without him I’m sure I couldn’t do some of the things I’m doing now. People are going to start asking me, ‘Is Russell Westbrook starting to over-shine you now?’ ”
Westbrook’s anonymity is beginning to end and a strong performance in the playoffs could hasten that process. A year ago, Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo used the postseason as his coming-out party. Westbrook could do the same.
As the two words stenciled on those orange bracelets say: “Why not?”
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Cavaliers push past Spurs
By Tom Whithers
March 9, 2010
Clevend, OH — LeBron James was in street clothes. Shaquille O’Neal was nowhere to be found, and Antawn Jamison was in the locker room icing his sore knee.
If they had lost, the Cleveland Cavaliers had plenty of excuses.
They didn’t have to use one.
Mo Williams made two free throws with 9 seconds left and Delonte West made the kind of plays down the stretch reserved for James as the Cavs won for the first time in three seasons without their superstar, beating the San Antonio Spurs 97-95 on Monday night.
Cleveland had been 0-9 since 2007-08 without James.
“We had a great opportunity. Not many teams can come here and win,” said Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who scored a season-high 38. “LeBron wasn’t playing, Jamison didn’t play the second half and Shaq wasn’t there. We blew a big one.”
Williams finished with 17 points for the Cavs, who were playing their second straight game without the injured James. The NBA’s reigning MVP is nursing a tender right ankle as well as other bumps and bruises and Cleveland coach Mike Brown is taking advantage of a lull in Cleveland’s schedule to get him rest.
West had 16 points and made a key steal in the final minute as Cleveland became the first team to reach 50 wins this season.
“Without LeBron, Shaq and Antawn, that’s the three main guys,” Williams said. “We so often get the ball to LeBron and play through him. We did a good job of finding a way.”
The Spurs were also short-handed, playing for the first time this season without guard Tony Parker. He’s out six weeks with a broken hand suffered on Saturday in Memphis.
The Cavs may suddenly have more to worry about than just James or O’Neal, out until the playoffs after having thumb surgery.
Jamison left late in the third quarter with an apparent left knee injury and did not return. He will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.
“Everything was fine in the first half. In the second half, it stiffened up,” Jamison said. “I couldn’t get the range of motion I needed. I had a slight case of this the first month of the season. It’s not anything to really be worried about.”
A back-and-forth game came down to the final minute. With Cleveland up one, West stole a pass intended for Ginobili with 55 seconds left and was fouled by San Antonio’s guard. He made both free throws to put Cleveland ahead 93-90 with 52.8 seconds left.
After San Antonio missed two potential game-tying 3s, Ginobili hit a tough step-back jumper that was ruled a 2-pointer. The officials checked the TV monitors to make sure it wasn’t a 3, and as they reviewed the play, Ginobili watched it on the giant overhead scoreboard. When he saw it wasn’t a 3, Ginobili clenched his fists in disgust and spun on his heels.
“The replay was pretty clear,” Ginobili said. “One inch. I knew I was on the line, that’s why I stepped back. I was pretty sure it was a 3, but then I saw (referee) Joey Crawford asking for a review and he looked pretty sure. It’s sad. It was a tough shot and the whole game changed.”
Williams’ two free throws made it 95-92 and the Spurs called time to set up a play. They ran it to perfection with Ginobili passing the ball out top to Roger Mason, but he missed his eighth consecutive 3-pointer and Anderson Varejao was fouled.
Cleveland’s big man made both free throws and Ginobili made a 3—the one he needed moments earlier—just before the horn.
Jamison scored 17, Jawad Williams 13 and J.J. Hickson 12, including two big free throws with 1:05 left that put the Cavs ahead 91-90. West added six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
George Hill started for Parker and scored 23. Tim Duncan had 13 points for the Spurs, who had their winning streak stopped at four.
The Spurs were excited to learn Parker will not need surgery, increasing the odds the speedy guard will be back at some point in the playoffs.
“I guess it makes me feel better,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Unhappy with his club’s defense, an irate Popovich tore into his players during a timeout late in the first.
His arms flailing and his face reddening with every word, Popovich yelled and screamed from his seat. Before play resumed, he benched DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson and replaced them with reserves Malik Hairston and Ian Mahinmi, who entered the game having played a combined 158 minutes all season.
Jefferson drew Popovich’s wrath in the second after he allowed Jamison to drive baseline and score.
“We gave away 8-12 points just because they ran it right down our throat and our transition was godawful,” Popovich said. “That was the worst part of the whole game.”
NOTES: Ginobili made 7 3s. … James didn’t join his teammates on the bench until two minutes had expired in the first quarter. The crowd barely stirred when James, wearing a stylish, blue pinstriped suit and two-toned saddle shoes, strolled in fashionably late. He was dressed like a coach and it wasn’t long before he joined Cavs coach Mike Brown and his assistants in the huddle during a timeout. … Cavs F Anthony Parker dislocated his left ring finger in the first but returned. He finished with eight points in 21 minutes. … The Cavs are 13-1 at home against Western teams.
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