Mark Cuban still isn't convinced Russell Westbrook is a superstar
What's it going to take, a quadruple-double streak?
By
Matt Moore
•
1 min read
Mark Cuban said last year of the Mavericks' quick dismissal by the Thunder that Russell Westbrook is not a superstar. With Westbrook averaging a triple-double and having lodged seven straight, and with the Thunder five games over .500, you'd think that maybe Cuban would have different thoughts on the matter.
Nope. Cuban's doubling down. From SportsDay:
"Right now he's putting up the numbers of a superstar. That's for sure," Cuban said. "We'll see (at the end of the season) if he's a superstar or if he's pretty damn good."
Cuban's reasons for standing by his earlier statements have nothing to do with Westbrook's output but rather are a reflection of his definition of a superstar -- a player who can lead a team to 50-plus wins and win playoff series.
"I'm not saying he's not going to prove me wrong and he'll be a superstar by the end of the year," Cuban said. "But I'll stick by my definition."
This, of course, is sheer insanity. First off, a superstar is a label derived from popularity, not from actual ability. Carmelo Anthony is a superstar who doesn't rebound, score super-efficiently, and has a very limited history of playoff success. So it's a flawed thing to argue in the first place.
But even if we go by that definition, Westbrook is featured prominently in commercials, is plastered on highlights, is discussed as a key figure in the league, and is wildly popular. Westbrook is by every definition a superstar, if we have any sort of objective construct to evaluate it. And if it's subjective, that's fine, but reaching that conclusion after seeing what Westbrook is doing now is relatively insane. Cuban makes the argument that Nowitzki became a superstar when he carried the Mavericks to a playoff win.
Westbrook of course has made the NBA Finals and the Western Conference finals four times, but I guess he has to do so without Kevin Durant to reach that level? Either way, you can either applaud Cuban for his grumpy stubbornness, or shake your head at him for the same.
