First off, let me say that in my last post, when I suggested that Russell Westbrook should, all things considering, maybe retire, I didn't know at the time that he had an offer, albeit a minimum one, on the table via the Wizards(?). If I had known that, my tone would have been a bit different, under the belief that he could actually help a team like Washington.
I believe, if AD sticks around and is committed, that the Wizards are going to be a lot better next season than a lot of people anticipate, perhaps even one of the best teams in the East. Everyone is talking about how wonderful Philly's braintrust is for landing Lebron and Brown. Meanwhile, since February, Washington has acquired Davis, Young and Dybantsa, who appears to be a true #1 pick (besides acquiring Ayton and retaining Middleton). When you look at this roster honestly, they're one of the deepest in the league. And just as an interesting side note, that's now two consecutive #1 picks that the powers-that-be have paired with AD.
Besides the aforementioned vets (all of whom have name recognition) and Dybantsa, the roster is fleshed out by these other young, promising dudes, most notably Alex Sarr. Usually, I don't think it's good for young players to get accustomed to losing. But now it's like those losses from last season may have hardened them towards a brighter future, because for what it's worth, dudes were competing even while getting their asses bust.
The one person I am sorta worried about in this equation is Young and how his erratic style doesn't always translate to team basketball. But remember that him and Collins, dudes were out there looking like Kidd + Martin for a time, like Trae knows how to throw lobs. And now, he has more lob options than ever. So here's to hoping, presuming he is the starting PG, that he doesn't chuck.
And yes, I can see Westbrook having fit into it all, even with his own unpredictable style. Besides being a veteran whose resume demands respect, let's be honest. Stat wise, even at 38 years old, Russ is better than 90% of the players in the NBA. He may not be efficient, but when it comes to raw, all-around basketball skills, he's better or at least more versatile than any other vet on this team. His field goal percentage may, relatively speaking, suck, but in 30 minutes, primarily off the bench if I remember correctly, he averaged 15pts, 7 assists and 5 rebounds last season. Those are like Lebron-esque numbers.
LONGETIVITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
That said, I can understand why he'd be compelled to call it quits, because if you are on the best players on a team, then conventional logic doesn't dictate you should be paid less than everyone else, even newjacks. Also, damn, dude has played for 18 whole seasons. Time sure does fly.
Players of today, at least to me, it seems like they're lasting longer. Jordan played 15 seasons over 19 years, amidst a couple of retirements in between. His HoF sidekick, Scottie Pippen, played for 17 years (straight). It was rare back then for players to truly strive for 20. Generally speaking, NBAers who were good or accomplished enough not to be forced into retirement only lasted for about 15 seasons.
But look at what's happening now. Lebron is on the verge of potentially playing for a quarter century. Westbrook, as established, nearing 40 years old, is one of the best individual players in the NBA. He may not be the most intelligent so to speak, but I'd bet on him one-on-one against any other player in his height class.
PJ Tucker lasted for 20 years, even tho it wasn't all entirely in the NBA. Vinsanity did 22. CP3 recently did 21 before being forced out of the game. Meanwhile, Durant and Harden have thus far played 18 and 17 respectively, with no signs that either will be retiring soon.
Kobe also did 20, but his was a bit different, sorta like holdover from the 20th century. Like Jordan, the team Bryant was on in his twilight wasn't expected to win shit, and he was only really there to sell tickets (besides presumably make money for himself). That was how star retirements used to go. Nearer to the end, you usually played for fame or money, regardless of how large or small it may be, but rarely a key role on a contender.
Meanwhile, look at the cats mentioned in that previous paragraph. All of them, except for Vince, competed to the very end. Dudes are no longer signing just to collect paychecks. Now they want to contribute to a championship, even into their 40s.
So yes, all things considered I would have loved to see Westbrook on this Wizards' team, and I'm glad they at least showed him some respect, you know, being the only person who ever averaged a triple-double for that organization. But you know, it's not really about Washington. If anything, he should have stayed with the Nuggets. And if you remember, at the time I was even questioning how they could prioritize Christian Braun(!) ahead of him.
"THE SCAPEGOAT"
On that note, I have to believe that behind the scenes, Russ is genuinely difficult to deal with. I mean, there's no other way to rationalize how organizations have come to treat him.
Recently, some documentary about him came out called Passion Play (2021). It was themed around that very idea, that Westbrook is this really good player though one who's like hardheaded or some shit. I can't remember the specifics of the presentation, but I do recall walking away sympathizing with Russ instead of hating him. In fact, if I remember correctly, it even concluded with Magic Johnson publicly apologizing for having previously criticized Russ.
But those sentiments never completely went away, and this is what I mean by behind the scenes, because I have to speculate that Westbrook did something(s) that really like pissed insiders off, though I can't quite imagine what that would be, besides his overall cockiness. It's not like, say, DeMarcus Cousins, who publicly threatened some old white dude.
CONCLUSION
Conclusively, I have to agree with Jay-Z that it's better to "gracefully bow out" than to be forced out of the game. That's especially true if you're in a field without a definitive retirement timeline and even moreso if you're on the greatest at what you do.
You see what happened to CP3, after a storied career, how that last episode stained his legacy. Meanwhile, Russ has won MVP, the rarest of all NBA accolades, even rarer than making it into the HoF. So yeah, if he'd rather retire than play for on a vet min for the Wizards or Kings, then so be it. But all of that said, let this be a lesson to everyone. There is a such thing as being too good, as an individual player, for the NBA.
I never really thought much about KD leaving OKC, but now, in hindsight, I understand why Westbrook was so pissed off. He was intentionally drafted to be Durant's sidekick, and as such, Kevin may have been the only person he really had that big brother type of respect for. The two of them together may have eventually won a championship. But now we see that the ScapeGOAT couldn't truly humble himself to anyone else.
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