Dennis Rodman Calls Out Russell Westbrook; Brandon Roy Plans To Play Again

Russell Westbrook has heard it all. From analysts to other NBA players to wannabe coaches. Everyone has an opinion on how one of the NBA’s best young players should play, and it almost always differs from the hectic, erratic, aggressive style that seems to come so naturally to him. He might be one of the deadliest killers in the league, and yet people want him to change. Now, he’s hearing it from Dennis Rodman. Yep, the former NBA menace took a break from drinking Long Islands to add to the criticism of Westbrook in Game 2. While the Worm believes the Thunder are going to win the championship, he did basically call Westbrook a baby when he appeared with Heat legend Tim Hardaway on Saturday at the reopening of a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise on Hypoluxo Road in Lake Worth. “Every time he went to the basket, he was just screaming and hollering like a 2-year-old kid,” Rodman told fans at the event. He even said Westbrook wouldn’t survive in the league during his era. While we do agree that EVERYONE in the Finals – on both sides – complains to the refs too often, to say Westbrook wouldn’t survive in the ’80s and ’90s is just stupid. Westbrook would be – oh we don’t know – probably the most athletic point guard in the whole damn league if he played back then. He would be just fine. A more physical game would actually help a more physical point guard… that’s not hard to figure out … As it is, Westbrook has been pretty good through the first two games, and he’ll have to be even better for OKC to win this series. With it looking more and more like LeBron will check Durant most of the way, Westbrook needs to shred the rest of the Heat guards and then pack their remains in the freezer for later use … Erik Spoelstra said the Heat were angry with the way they played in Game 1, and decided to throw their best punches in Game 2. It worked, even though OKC can take away moral victories. Miami shot the lights out and yet still had to hold on as the Titanic was rapidly sinking in the fourth quarter. Even if the Heat can’t play any better, they should be happy just to be rid of the OKC crowd for now. After Chris Bosh was drugged into saying the Thunder faithful was only “regular” after Game 1, Dwyane Wade says that during his late free throws in Game 2, it was louder than in any arena he’s ever been in. As for adjustmemts, the Heat probably won’t make too many. That includes giving Mike Miller more minutes. He barely played in Game 2, and Spoelstra told the media yesterday that “He’s healthy enough. He’s given us everything he can give.” Even though Miller has somehow managed to continuously grab rebounds (oddly, even as his shot has begun to disappear), benching our favorite monkey owner is the right move to make. Not only has Shane Battier stolen some of his minutes by going through a crazier transformation than Lil’ Kim in the last few games, but Miller’s body is just breaking down. He looks like Uncle Drew out there, minus the “I get BUCKETS” part … Jamal Crawford won’t exercise his option and will instead opt to become a free agent this summer. This was the plan all along for one of the NBA’s best sixth men so we can’t say we’re surprised. It doesn’t help that Portland turned into an episode of the Walking Dead by the time the season was over. Who’ll be interested in picking up the NBA’s best crossover dribble – outside of Deron Williams? Try Boston, Brooklyn, Miami, Phoenix, Minnesota, Chicago, Sacramento, Cleveland, LA Clippers and Indiana. Basically, Crawford has to feel pretty good about himself. He can take the money and continue to put up decent numbers on a garbage team, or he can take a little paycut and help make a difference on a playoff team. As a Sixth Man who’s both talented and doesn’t command an outrageous salary, he has a ton of options … And yes, we’ve heard it before, but Brandon Roy believes – God willing – that he will play in the NBA again. In a series of tweets, Roy expressed his desire to comeback, and says he is training daily and preparing for a return next year. Okay, we’ve heard this more often than just about anything in the past year, so there’s not much more to add: we’d love to see Brandon Roy return, but he’ll never be the same player again. There’s just no way. And if he isn’t, do we really want to see him as what he was in his final year? A guy who could be a solid rotational player maybe once a week and the rest of the time, he moves like Penny Hardaway after like his fifth knee surgery? Hopefully everything comes together for him, and we are holding out hope it does. But we’re not sure how his body will respond … We’re out like Rodman’s opinion.

For breaking news, rumors, exclusive content, and contests sent right to your inbox, sign up here for the Dime Email Newsletter.

Follow Dime Magazine on Twitter

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook

×