Russell Westbrook will not start the NBA All-Star Game. That’s a bummer for basketball fans. But it’s great for the Thunder, because the absurdity of Westbrook not starting will serve as fuel in the second half of the season.
Westbrook clearly is motivated by slights, even if he won’t admit it, and this is one of the great slights in recent sports history. Kevin Garnett said Thursday night on TNT that Westbrook not starting is “the league’s all-time history snub.”
NBA people from teammates (Enes Kanter, Anthony Morrow, Cam Payne) to opponents (Doc Rivers, Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin) have expressed bewilderment at how Westbrook could be relegated to a bench role.