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It is strange that the one thing standing between Russell Westbrook and near-universal adoration was Kevin Durant. Westbrook has been the most nitpicked superstar of the past decade, save perhaps for the post-Decision LeBron James.Every flailing Westbrook drive and bonked pullup represented precious chances that could have gone to Durant instead. Every 10-of-30 frenzy inspired pearl-clutching ruminations about what True Point Guards were supposed to do.Durant is gone now, and everyone seems delighted to watch Westbrook play the exact same way -- without another superstar to feed. This is the season of Westbrook unhinged. We are tired of thinking about him, and ready to just gawk at the rampage.This is the halo of liberty that protects a superstar playing alone. James Harden has enjoyed a variant of it in Houston, especially as Dwight Howard faded, and now that Howard is in Atlanta, Harden should have carte blanche in Mike DAntonis go-go offense. Sure, people complain about Hardens cadaver defense and occasional showboat dribble-fests. But surround a singular star with role players, and almost no one is going to fault him for dominating the ball.With Kevin gone, says one rival executive, its totally fine for Russ to do all the crap he does.Its possible Westbrook is about to produce a season of straight-line, single-minded fury weve never seen before. When Durant missed the last two months of 2014-15, Westbrook hoarded 40 percent of Oklahoma Citys possessions with a shot, turnover or drawn foul -- a number that would set the all-time record if done over a full season. He might come closer to averaging a triple-double than anyone since Oscar Robertson did in 1962.And the Thunder will win many fewer games than they did during Westbrooks sometimes awkward partnership with Durant. After a year or two of trudging to 45 wins, the halo dissipates; the lone superstar becomes Carmelo Anthony, besieged with questions about why he cant win on his own -- and whether hes even cut out to be the proverbial Best Player on a Championship Team.No superstar can win without at least one other All-Star. Even Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippen. Westbrook, at least while he retains peak athleticism, can be the best player on a championship-level team -- or at least a co-best player. He just needs elite outside help, and that will be one of the more intriguing questions as the league watches Westbrook do whatever he does in a post-KD world: Which other star will want to sign up as his partner in one of the leagues teensiest markets?Durant won four scoring titles and one MVP sharing the rock with Westbrook, and if not for some absurdly ill-timed injuries, the Thunder may have won a title even after swapping Harden. That makes the idea that another superstar cant mesh with Westbrook potentially ridiculous.Dig into newfangled tracking stats -- time of possession, total touches and dribbles -- and Westbrook looks very much like Chris Paul, Reggie Jackson, Kemba Walker, LeBron, John Wall, Harden and other guys who orchestrate offenses. Every star gets the ball a lot; pair them up, and someone is sacrificing. Its just a math problem, and its not new. And remember: Even Paul, the pass-first Point God, has talked openly about his struggles relinquishing control of the Clippers offense so that Blake Griffin might explore the breadth of his game.Westbrook dished 10.4 assists per game last season, a career high, and has finished second behind Paul in assist rate in each of the past two seasons. Westbrook arrives every season with new passes in his bag. Can a player like that really be selfish?But Westbrook is different than those other guys. He shoots more than they do, and passes a bit less often, per touch, than a typical ball-dominant point guard, per SportVU data. The difference between Paul and Westbrook might be four or five shots per game, but when a team gets only, say, 95 possessions, those five shots represent real meat for any superstar partner.The Thunder as a team ranked dead last in total passes last season, and have been in the bottom five since the NBA began (publicly) tracking this stuff. At times, their offense has looked like a creeping dictatorship. If your point guard walks the ball up and kills seven more seconds calling a play, sometimes the only realistic result of his first pass is a shot attempt -- and a potential assist. Does anyone other than the guy catching that pass have any fun?The Thunder fought through a ton of stagnant possessions like that, sometimes during their worst crunch-time meltdowns. Look at Durant and Enes Kanter gesturing and pointing as Westbrook attempts to communicate what in the hell everyone is supposed to do. That happened a lot. The Thunder led the league in confused shrugs during the first 15 seconds of half-court possessions.Its hard to untangle whose fault that was, or whether it even mattered. The Thunders offense never looked pretty, but on balance, they were the best scoring team in the NBA over the past half-decade. Coaches tried every season to introduce more ball movement, but it never took.Part of that is absolutely on Westbrook. He jacks nutty shots, and he has had to learn and memorize reads that come more naturally to guys -- like Paul - who have played point guard their whole lives. Westbrook has struggled at times to get the Thunder into their offense early in possessions. He has an unwavering belief that he can do it all by himself if he has to.But the Thunder drafted Westbrook knowing he had limited experience running the point. In building his team, Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti has generally leaned toward athleticism, length and character over feel for the game. (Note: This hasnt always been true, but some of the craftier draftees havent played much, or at all. Thats true in the case of Mitch McGary, and remains to be seen regarding Domantas Sabonis.) Everyone wanted Oklahoma City to be more Spurs-y, but the Thunder just havent had a lot of core guys who read-and-react at anywhere near that level. Swing the ball to Serge Ibaka, and its not second nature for him to pivot into a killer dribble handoff that keeps the machine whirring.In that context, who else but Westbrook and Durant should do stuff with the ball?The Thunder also advanced very far, very fast, playing that way, and everyone who has been around the team agrees their success made it hard to coax Westbrook and Durant toward a more pass-happy style. Maybe former Thunder coach Scott Brooks wasnt the right fit for that, anyway. But reinvention would have been risky, especially given the lack of playmakers on the roster.Some of those possessions stalled because Westbrook waited as Durant scampered around two or three screens. Sometimes, Durant didnt cut hard enough to ditch his defender. Sometimes, Ibaka whiffed on picks. If that first action produced nothing, the Thunder were already up against the shot clock.Thats part of what makes this new Westbrook-centric team so interesting: 75 percent of Oklahoma Citys playbook vanished with Durant and Ibaka. Coach Billy Donovan has to reorient his entire offense around Westbrook. The offense started tilting that direction anyway as Westbrook developed a lethal pick-and-roll chemistry with Steven Adams:Westbrook would be unstoppable in a spread pick-and-roll system. Pair him with a screener who dives to the hoop, surround the duo with three shooters, and he will tear apart opposing defenses. Imagine the damage he would do in Jacksons role in Detroit, running a two-man ballet with Andre Drummond.The Thunder understood this and allowed Westbrook to gradually wrest more control of the offense. Two and three seasons ago, Durant touched the ball as often as Westbrook and ran nearly as many pick-and-rolls. The shift toward Westbrook started out of necessity in 2014-15, when Durant missed 55 games, and continued last season when Durant was back.It made intuitive sense: Durant is much more dangerous away from the ball. Defenders stick to him 30 feet from the rim, freeing up the lane for Westbrooks mad dashes. Flip roles, and Westbrooks defender would clog up Durants driving lanes.Westbrook is the more dynamic ball handler. It is basically impossible to keep him away from the rim if he has any space. He can dust almost anyone one-on-one, and if you so much as lean in the wrong direction navigating a Westbrook pick-and-roll, youre done.When defenders duck under picks against Westbrook, he just puts his head down, revs the engine, and outraces them to the other side of the screen. Hes the NBAs race car: You sometimes hear his drives, and feel them, more than you see them.Even in the age of the 3-pointer, there is no substitute for a destroyer who can knife to the rim at will. There is no defensive scheme other than, Oh crap, send help, for a maniac about to dunk. Westbrook is almost a one-man small-ball deterrent; if you dont have a real rim protector in the game, hes going to finish enough layups to break your defense.He has also become a much craftier passer in fluid situations. He maps the floor in ways he couldnt manage three or four years ago. He knows where all nine other players are at the start of a play, and importantly, where they will go once he picks one of the options before him.He slings it lefty now, and with a soft touch on lobs and pocket passes. He ranks among the very best at setting up dunks and layups. Westbrooks improved vision in the pick-and-roll was a big reason the Thunder generated way more corner 3s last season than ever before.Even so, the Thunder could never lose the your turn, my turn vibe to their offense; after a few Westbrook pick-and-rolls, it was time to call something for Durant. Now Westbrook can play with freedom, and perhaps even more pace, since he doesnt have to wait for Durant to run around baseline picks.Alas, without Durant, the Thunder dont have the shooting to support a spread pick-and-roll attack. Victor Oladipo, a junior varsity Westbrook, is a career 34 percent shooter from deep, though he has done better than that on the sorts of catch-and-shoot looks Westbrook will get for him. But if the Thunder start Westbrook, Oladipo, Andre Roberson and Adams, opponents will smother the lane -- even if Donovan slots Ersan Ilyasova, a stretchy James Dean look-alike, as the fifth starter at power forward.Even Westbrook runs into issues when multiple defenders lay in wait for him near the basket.The Thunder have a few long-shot remedies. They could throw Alex Abrines, their sharpshooting rookie from Spain, right into major NBA minutes. They could pray that Kyle Singler rebounds from a catastrophic tenure so far in Oklahoma City. Maybe this is the year a coach trusts Anthony Morrow. (It isnt.) Oladipo might work best as a super sixth man, untethered a bit from Westbrook, but the Thunder dont have the wing depth to bring him off the bench.Theyll try King Joffrey Lauvergne, recently acquired from Denver, as a shooter at both big man positions; Lauvergne shot 50 percent on long 2-pointers last season, though he clanked from deep and cant defend opposing power forwards far from the rim.Most likely, the Thunder will just make do without much shooting. It will take some nuance and craft. Teams will barricade Westbrooks basic high pick-and-rolls when they can. Westbrook will have to suck the defense toward one side, swing the ball to Oladipo on the other side, and see what seams might open:Roberson is a canny passer and cutter, and Adams is developing a really nice feel for how to keep the ball moving. People who know Westbrook suggest he might play a more egalitarian style than those anticipating a scorched-earth revenge tour might expect. Westbrook has shown glimpses of a nifty off-ball game. He got a bundle of baseline dunks on backdoor passes from Durant out of this specific action:Westbrooks cutting always seemed a bit scripted and mechanical, though: When we run this play, I cut here. In the flow, he would often just stand and watch Durant work. Cameron Payne represented another ball handler who might open up Westbrooks cutting game, but he broke a bone in his foot on Tuesday.Its a tricky balance, anyway. Were all guilty of fetishizing the Spurs and Stephen Currys give-it-up, get-it-back style, but not everyone shoots it well enough to thrive that way. Westbrook needs the ball, and its unclear whether any team featuring him would be better off if he had it less.Given a potentially severe lack of shooting, it might take a little more guile than Go, Russ for the Thunder to open pathways to the rim. Once they do, they will gobble up more second-chance points than anyone. They led the league last season in offensive rebounding rate, and the gap between the Thunder and the No. 2 team (Detroit) was the largest in league history. When Westbrook played the last 27 games of the 2014-15 season without Durant (and then Ibaka), their offensive rebounding rate soared even higher. Every deranged Westbrook drive leaves easy put-back attempts in its wake for Adams, Kanter, Roberson, and other Thunder mooches.If the Thunder focus harder on defense -- something they let slide in the regular season last year, and cant let slide anymore -- this haphazard, brutal style can win 45-ish games with Westbrook at the controls. The Thunder should make the playoffs. That is the best they can do, since Presti had no time or resources to tailor his team to Westbrook.Going forward, the Thunder need another stud player -- or two very good ones -- who fit the spread pick-and-roll model and unlock other options when playoff defenses tighten. The organization knows that. Maybe its Gordon Hayward or Paul George as a supplementary ball handler who can space the floor on the wing. Maybe its squeezing Blake Griffin into the connector role between Westbrook and Adams that Griffin plays now between Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Maybe its a pick-and-roll dive man even better than Adams, with a face-up game -- Westbrooks version of Amare Stoudemire.A big man would be the more natural partner. They arent as accustomed to handling the ball, they set screens, and it is harder for defenses to switch a point guard-big man pick-and-roll.Its trite to say Westbrook isnt good enough to be the undisputed alpha dog on a championship team, and its correct that teams with point guards as their best players rarely win the title. That doesnt mean those things hold in perpetuity. Build the right roster around Westbrook, and the Thunder could get damned close.That involves snagging another star. Every player in that fraternity will be watching Westbrook this season. Players marveled at the triple-double numbers Westbrook put up in Durants absence to close the 14-15 season, but the spectacle rubbed some of them the wrong way.Hes putting up insane numbers, Clippers guard J.J. Redick told me on a podcast that spring, but after we played them, it was like, OK, a different MVP for me. Its kind of crazy how many possessions he uses.Everyone admires Westbrooks snarling anger and balls-to-the-wall competitiveness. They want that fire in their teammates. They also want the ball. Air Max 270 Clearance . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. 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The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Knicks star?Carmelo Anthony said Saturday that he didnt think he deserved to be thrown out of Fridays game against the Celtics and hinted that a previous history with the referee who ejected him may have played a role in his dismissal.I always feel its something. Every time we ... I dont want to say its personal, but I always feel like its something, Anthony said of referee Tony Brothers, who ejected him on Friday.Anthony, speaking to reporters in Toronto before Knicks 118-107 loss, added: I didnt think [Friday] night it called for a tech or an ejection at that point of time. I really dont know what to say about the situation.Anthonys wife, La La Anthony, tweeted on Friday night that Brothers hates Anthony and has a personal issue with the Knicks star.Brothers told a pool reporter in Boston that he had no history with Anthony, a 13-year veteran. La La Anthony, however, reiterated on Twitter that Brothers has a personal issue with Anthony after Brothers denial.Carmelo Anthony was tossed with 4 minutes, 44 seconds left in the second quarter after consecutive technical fouls issueed by Brothers.ddddddddddddAnthony received the first technical when he said something to Brothers after a loose ball foul call. Brothers walked away, but Anthony trailed behind and kept talking. He was then hit with the second technical.Brothers later told a pool reporter that he whistled Anthony for the technical due to bad language.One, I dont feel I said anything on getting a tech -- and two -- getting ejected, Anthony said.He added: Theres nothing for me to say to him. It aint personal with me from my end. I dont have anything to say to him. Hes a ref. I play. Ill keep my mouth shut next time.Anthony reportedly argued with Brothers during the Knicks road loss to Detroit earlier this season. Brothers was also officiating the Knicks-Celtics game in 2013 in which Anthony and Kevin Garnett had a run-in on the court that escalated into a confrontation after the game in the bowels of Madison Square Garden.ESPNs Ian Begley contributed to this report.? ' ' '