9-time All-Star with no team to play for! Anthony sympathizes with Westbrook’s situation: He’s one of the greatest point guards ever

On October 12th Beijing time, 9-time All-Star guard Westbrook is still without a contract from any NBA team. His former teammate Anthony discussed this on a podcast, showing empathy and relating to Westbrook’s situation.

“When I was struggling in the NBA, it was much like what many players are going through today. I told them, ‘Listen, don’t let them treat you this way. If they’re doing this to me now, they might do the same to you later.’ But their circumstances and status were different from mine — I’m not just talking about Westbrook, but players in general. When they actually face hardship, they’ll realize, ‘Damn, Carmelo was right back then, this league can be really tough.’”

“Seeing what Westbrook is going through now is truly painful — we’re talking about one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.I wouldn’t say he’s definitely being pushed out, but it’s definitely somewhat involved. The traits that made you successful and beloved by fans throughout your career have now become your ‘weakness.’ It’s precisely those qualities that make it hard for you to find a team now — because you were so successful before and set the bar too high,that highly competitive style has ironically become a barrier.”

“Back when you were posting triple-doubles with the Thunder and playing with that intensity, no one could match you. But times have changed, and the value of that kind of intensity has shifted. I’m not saying Westbrook hasn’t rubbed teams the wrong way, but the problem now is the ‘public opinion’ has taken hold. The NBA is a league that follows trends — if someone says ‘Westbrook’s left-side drives have slowed down,’ that comment spreads rapidly until everyone believes it.I think Westbrook is currently facing this issue: people are starting to doubt whether he can still play, what he can contribute, what role he should have, and who he should be paired with..”

“When everyone begins to question these things, as a player,you definitely think, ‘This damn league, I’m Russell Westbrook, what are you even talking about?’”

Regarding Westbrook’s potential destinations, Anthony believes he can still help many teams except the Thunder. “He’s the greatest player in this franchise’s history (Thunder), he shouldn’t be reduced to a situation where it’s ‘maybe he plays, maybe he doesn’t.’Unless he says, ‘Presti (Thunder GM), I want to retire as a Thunder, this is my final season, and we’ll have a retirement ceremony together,’ but if he goes back just to sit on the bench, that’s absolutely unacceptable..”