Being recognized as an All-Star starter no longer means anything. You know who I’m referring to.
Apparently it’s not enough to lead the NBA in scoring. But being the league’s leading scorer can be deceptive–and it isn’t the be-all and end-all. Not a bad point. Regardless of whether you’re the league’s leading scorer per 48 minutes, if you lead the league in shot attempts, you’re bound to put up more points than your peers to a certain degree.
Apparently it’s not enough to average over ten assists per game, nor is it that important to average over ten rebounds, either. Has that ever mattered that much, though? It’s not like assist machines like Rajon Rondo or every seven-foot giant who hauled in double-digit rebounds deserved to be an All-Star starter. Fair. You do know that the person I’m referring to is a 6’3″ guard, though, right?
Apparently the advanced stats don’t matter as well. Will you give it a rest with your advanced stats? No, this is important. Forget about All-Star selections for a moment. Four of the previous five leaders in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) by season’s end–Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James (twice)–have won the MVP award. This year’s current leader doesn’t even get honored with a starting nod in the stupid All-Star game.
Forget about the stats altogether. Apparently it doesn’t matter much if you’re the unquestioned leader of a playoff-bound team. In a time when stars get days of rest every other weekend, is it not noteworthy enough when a player starts every one of their team’s 44 games? Not to mention playing your heart out in each of those contests in order to carry a team that–by all accounts–is deprived of a playoff-caliber supporting cast–I guess that’s not good enough, either.
Apparently it’s not impressive enough to do something that hasn’t been done in over fifty years: Average a freaking triple-double. Everything I’ve already said ultimately boils down to that point. Apparently it’s not impressive enough to do something that hasn’t been done in over fifty years: Average a freaking triple-double.
What matters, apparently, is that…well…I’m not sure I know what matters at this point. Russell Westbrook is having one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of North American professional sports. He wasn’t even recognized as one of the two starting guards in his own conference.
Move over Saving Private Ryan at the ’99 Oscars. As Kevin Garnett put it recently, overlooking Westbrook is an “all-time history snub.”
