Russell Westbrook to Nuggets is a tough end to a remarkable career

Russell Westbrook will soon be a Denver Nugget. Time for him to make amends with an old foe, Rocky the Mountain Lion.

Westbrook’s feud with the Nuggets mascot began more than a decade ago. During a fourth-quarter timeout of a 2013 game in Denver, the then-Thunder point guard blocked Rocky’s promotional half-court heave. Then Westbrook did it again.

Westbrook was a snarling 24-year-old with springy legs. He was a one-of-one athlete — so tight, the detonations were extraordinary. He was on his way to a third All-Star nomination. In four years, he would be the league’s MVP. Mr. Triple-Double. A certain Hall of Famer.

In Oklahoma City he was a legend. And he still is. The star that stayed.

But we all knew how this would end. That Westbrook would not age gracefully.

And here we are.

Westbrook is about to play for his sixth team in seven years. The Nuggets, strapped for cash and constrained by the roster limitations of the second platform, are the latest team to buckle up for the Westbrook roller coaster — exciting at first, but by the end you can’t wait to get off.

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Even at his peak, we wondered what an old (in basketball terms) Westbrook would look like. We knew his athleticism would decline. That he probably wouldn’t become a better 3-point shooter or a more focused defender. That he wouldn’t suddenly start playing without the basketball or setting screens.

That he was too stubborn and proud to conform.

There were times, especially with the Clippers, where he adjusted. But Westbrook is Westbrook. What once made him great now more often than not makes him a liability.

Do you think playing with Nikola Jokic, the best player in the world and the most selfless of all superstars, will change Westbrook? Playing with LeBron James didn’t change Westbrook. And playing with Kawhi Leonard or Paul George didn’t change Westbrook. Or James Harden or Kevin Durant.

After 11 seasons in Oklahoma City, Westbrook lasted just one season in Houston. Then one in Washington. The Lakers left after two years. So did the Clippers. The Jazz, who acted as sign-and-trade facilitators, must have bought him out twice.

The Nuggets are the sixth team Westbrook has played for. Of the top 75 players of all time, according to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, only five played for six or more teams: Carmelo Anthony, Moses Malone, Bob McAdoo, Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Paul.

Westbrook is set to become the sixth.

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Jokic apparently wanted to play with Westbrook, proving once again that great players don’t make great general managers.

“Russ is an all-time great, and we were thrilled to have him here,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement. “He has elevated the energy and intensity of the group. We look forward to watching him continue his decorated career.”

One of the most decorated careers of all time.

A nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection. An MVP and two-time scoring champion. The all-time leader in triple-doubles and one of the top 25 in points and assists.

Westbrook will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His No. 0 will be retired in Oklahoma City. A statue of him may one day be erected outside the Thunder’s soon-to-be-built arena.

Maybe Westbrook will add to his legacy by winning a championship in Denver. Maybe it’s the final stop in the unceremonious final days of his great career.

The ending is exactly as we predicted, but it’s still hard to swallow.

Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have an idea for a story for Joe? Email him at [email protected]Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoma journalists by making a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.