The Passion of Russell Westbrook: A Look at the Public Damnation of A NBA Superstar(and How it's Lebron's Fault...Kinda)

First off let me apologize to my Christian friends who may find the title of this post offensive, please don't throw me in the lions den (see scripture! We cool right?) But this issue has been plaguing me like locust in Egypt (see what I did there?) and it needs to be discussed.

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is a pure stud. This guy has 'IT'. He has a jumper, good from the perimeter, can shoot the 3, not spectacular, but enough to warrant stretching the defense, which helps create lanes for Kevin Durant, his All-Star teammate. But most importantly, and this cannot be argued, he is the fastest player in the league. There is no one in a 1 on 1 match up that can stay in front of this guy, just ask the Lakers. With such great talent, you'd think there was great acclaim right?

WRONG!

I don't know about you, but I can't turn the tv on without hearing an analyst, most likely Skip Bayless, ripping Westbrook apart. He shoots too much. He's selfish. He wants to be the star. He plays like a shooting guard rather than a point guard. With so much critique and hardly enough praise, the question is, is it warranted, or are there other forces at play?

Lets address the critique. For starters, the shoots too much, selfish and not playing his position can all be rolled into one. He has to play that way. His speed causes him to be the most versatile player on the court. With 24 seconds you have to make decisions. Many would say that decision is to differ to Durant. Yet one of the knocks on Durant is that he cannot create his own shot, and that at his weight, he can not explode to the rim like a LeBron James. Outside of Durant, who is really creating their own shoot? Serge Ibaka? Kendrick Perkins? One of the problems that the Thunder have is that they only really have 3 consistent offensive threats; Westbrook, Durant and James Harden, who comes off the bench. The question becomes, how many options is Westbrook presented with? And let's not act like Kevin Durant isn't getting his, as he's won the scoring title the past 3 years in a row. Westbrook also averaged a respectable 5.5 assist a game in a shortened season, with an impressive 8.3 average in the 2011 season.

So whats the real reason we hate Russell Westbrook? LeBron James and The Decision.
When LeBron left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat in 2010 he went from beloved NBA poster boy to instant villain, overnight. Admittedly, I wan't the biggest fan f the move either. But once LeBron was painted as the greedy, selfish villain, the league and America (mainly White) needed a foil to King James to be the face of all that is good.

Enter Kevin Durant. As LeBron moved, Durant signed his rookie contract extension and stayed with the Thunder, effectively making him the poster child for morality and values in sports. The quiet, mild mannered nature of Durant was the perfect counter for the brash cockiness of James. Yet it was not enough to create Durant vs. James, Durant needed another nemesis. This one being his own teammate. It seems like a week can't go by where we don't hear rumors that Westbrook and Durant hate each other, or that Westbrook wants to be the team leader. Even when both try and dispel such rumors, it still manages to be the perceived narrative.

It's a shame that a destined NBA superstar has to put up with so much negativity. Is he perfect? No. Are there some holes in his game? Yes. Remember though, the guy is only 23, with all the potential to be an all-time great. Yet we've turned him into a bad guy. But hey, there are some of us who like to routing for the bad guy.

Why MLK Wouldn't Give You N*$!@'s Money

May 8th marked North Carolina's decision to only recognize marriage between a man and a women. The measure passed easily with 61% of the population in favor of the traditional definition of eternal union. Most conservatives are marking this as a huge victory in their mission to restore America back to wait they believe it has gone astray from. However, there is a large majority of a particular group who seem to be screaming hallelujah when they should probably keep praying.

A large part of the African American community has long been in support of the DOMA ammendments and laws that define marriage solely between a man and a woman. Most of this stems from religous ideology and Sunday morning sermons that have been honored and adhered to from generation to generation. While I do respect peoples right to believe what they believe their doesn't seem to be respect for those of different beliefs.

There is a separation between church and state for a reason. We are supposed to be able to believe what we want and live accordingly, as long as it doesn't hurt our fellow man. What gets lost in these debates is what you deny people when you don't allow them to marry. There are set liberties, benefits, rights and protections that marriage grants couples. Although it is easy to get caught up in the esoteric, symbolic meaning of marriage, we must not forget it is a LEGAL contract, meaning that there are laws behind it. By not voting for another group to enjoy the same rights that you do, you're not merely disagreeing with them, or 'hating the sin, not the sinner', you are denying them their basic rights as citizens. Sound familiar Black people?

African American's should be the last ones willingly jumping on the oppression band wagon. As much as we like to think that racism is over, it is still alive and well. We still make less, get less and die faster than virtually anyone else in this country, and most of that isn't because Black kids sag their pants or listen to rap. It's because their are oppressive factors in place both systemic and institutional. The last thing we should be doing is trying to join in oppressing another group, especially one that includes are cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc. At least our oppression is now mostly covert, but don't think we can't go back to good ol' blatant, in your face racism.

One of the greatest men to realize the need to speak out on the behalf of others was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Towards the twilight if his life King fought for more than just African American rights, yet embraced the totality of the term 'civil rights' and saw the need to support other minorities, particularily Latin Americans and the Vietnamese in his opposition to the Vietnam War. What we often forget is that these stances made King immensely unpopular, mostly with the Black community who thought he was putting their interest on the back burner. King had the sense and compassion to realize that their plight was just as important and dire as our own, instead of buying into the 'pie is only so big' idea that conjures divisive animosity. i'm not telling people to change their beliefs, or to even agree with same sex marriage. But as Paul told the Phillipians, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Not someone elses.