Russell Westbrook Rumors

The NBA on TNT crew — ex-players Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and sportscaster Ernie Johnson — also weighed in on the topic during a segment on Sunday. “First of all, that’s unprofessional,” Barkley said. “Part of our job is to talk to the press. We don’t make $30-40 million just to play basketball. People are gonna interrupt you when you have dinner. You have to sign autographs. You have to take pictures. Some of the other stuff is talking to the press. Russ has got to do better. Russ is a great dude. And just because a reporter says something bad about you, you don’t get the right to just say ‘next question.’ “

O’Neal took a different stance. “I’m gonna disagree with both of y’all, because I was Russell Westbrook — sensitive, and if I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t have to talk to you,” O’Neal said. “Our job is to talk to the media. I don’t have to talk to one particular guy. Media is media members like four or five. … A lot of guys (in the media) try to get personal and try to be cute and try to get their followers … so if you’re sticking to the facts, ‘Hack-a-Shaq, he can’t shoot,’ I ain’t got no problem. But once you try to get personal and start doing that, man to man, I don’t have to talk to you as a man if I don’t want to talk to you.”

Westbrook relied heavily on his jump shot, taking only three shots in the paint in Game 4 (he missed all three). It’s only the second time in Westbrook’s playoff career he went scoreless in the paint. “It wasn’t taken away,” Westbrook said of getting to the rim. “I get deep paint any time I want, but I always make the right play. So when I’m in deep paint I find guys on the perimeter. Hit [Steven Adams]. My job is to make sure guys get the basketball. I don’t need to shoot a layup every single time. But I’m in the paint all game, and that’s how it goes sometimes. Shot attempts is not the only thing that I can do to make sure I’m in it for the defense, and kick it out to make open shots.”

12 hours ago – via ESPN

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Russ stares down the Portland bench after pulling up in front of Dame pic.twitter.com/SryzDDguDt

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 22, 2019

12 hours ago – via Twitter

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Reporters and fans called for the league to do something about this, but it is unclear what rules were violated. Westbrook had shown up to the press conference. He wasn’t cursing. He had fulfilled his duties by the letter while spitting on their spirit. “I just feel that we have to be very careful as a league,” Kerr, a former TNT broadcaster, said of Westbrook’s approach and its potential spread. “We’re in a good place right now. Very popular. Fans love the game, the social dynamic, the fashion. But more than anything they love the connection they feel to the players. I think it’s important for the players to understand that it’s a key dynamic to this league. I don’t think this is a healthy dynamic, for this league, for any player, any team, any local media, any national media.”

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