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I would have to say no all things considered.

Anthony Bourdain is a Greek tragedy while Russell Westbrook has become a coddled, petulant, spoiled former NBA star who is paid way too much for what is an equal amount to his real value on an NBA roster.

My answer is no.

Did it have to be this way?

I don’t think so. He was coddled by Sam Presti and the Thunder organization to the point where it became hysterical observing Little Nick Gallo protecting him from reasonable questions at Thunder post game pressers.

(Editor’s note: This is Nick Gallo giving Russell Westbrook a lap dance at an official Thunder postgame presser. Tell me with a straight face in what other NBA city would this take place. There isn’t one is the answer.)

What Russell in reality has become is an NBA head coach killer.

Follow the path. Scott Brooks fired a first time in Oklahoma City. Mike D’Antoni fired from the Houston Rockets. Scott Brooks fired a second time around from the Washington Wizards. Frank Vogel fired as the Lakers’ head coach less than twenty months removed from winning the world championship. Only Billy Donovan is still an NBA head coach. Should Billy Donovan receive some sort of Purple Heart award for surviving Russell Westbrook? Maybe.

I tell you what else Russell Westbrook is…he’s complete validation that Kevin Durant did the right thing leaving the Thunder on July 4th, 2016.

Kevin Durant absolutely did the right thing. He never would have won anything if he’d stayed in Oklahoma City. Sam Presti couldn’t put players who could shoot the ball around Durant and couldn’t hire a coach who could reel in Russell Westbrook’s worst basketball instincts in the last six minutes against good teams in critical situations.

To me…Russell Westbrook became a microcosm for the Thunder era in Oklahoma City.

How in the world are the Thunder ever going to win an NBA championship in the league’s most improbable city when they can’t even conduct high school level press conferences after their games?

I think that’s a completely fair question.

I actually called Jim Traber the other day on the air and asked him that question. And he knew I was right, he didn’t take a cheap shot against the Thunder, but instead said to me he had it from reliable sources that all of this has been cleaned up by the Thunder.

I didn’t give in though. I’m very dubious the Thunder as an organization have this in their internal DNA.

But in closing, I will say this in Russell’s behalf…he’s made a lot of money for his family and his agent. I would also add he did what I thought were some very nice things in Oklahoma City while he was here.

I loved the Reading Bus. I love the fact he took that on as his personal crusade in Oklahoma City.

Russell Westbrook isn’t a Mark Messier that’s for certain. When Gretzky and Messier parted ways in Edmonton… it was Messier who went on to lead the NY Rangers to the Cup, while the Great One would never win another ring.

Russell isn’t a Greek Tragedy. Just a sad example of a player who never altered or changed his game as his career moved along and now has the dubious honor of being on a LeBron James’ team which just went 33-49 in an NBA regular season and didn’t even make the Play-In Tournament.

It was a very busy week for me covering the Masters with Jim Nance. I’m a little worn out after covering the NCAA Tournament, then rushing off to Augusta National to cover the Tiger comeback effort.

Jim Nance and I… we have the life don’t we? If only I could get Tony Romo on here now and again.

Here’s the thing though…Jim doesn’t cover the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, and World Series like I do. And for those reasons…I have to say Jim isn’t really in my league. Nice kid from Houston, but he needs Tony Romo. But I would love to have Tony Romo as part of my Super Bowl coverage.

I needed a break from sports yesterday. I watched the very dark film Roadrunner on the last part of Anthony Bourdain’s life. Very dark. Maybe when I’m not this tired I’ll review the film. It hurt me watching it. But for me it’ll always be that night at the Waffle House on Memorial Road in Oklahoma City after the Merriweather-McGregor fight for which I hold Anthony close to my heart.

That was when I knew I was more black than white. It was a turning point for me in my adult journey of life. It’s always the journey…don’t ever forget that salient fact. It’s always the journey, baby.

405Baller sent me his notes on the Russell Westbrook piece I want to cover on here tomorrow which will be timely because Lebron reupped for two more years with the Lakers and Frank Vogel was fired yesterday.

Plus, the NBA Play-in Games begin tonight.

For all you Daily Thunder readers on here who feel content deprived and under the thumb of totalitarian suppression, feel free to comment if you choose. I’m a fervent believer in freedom of speech and other personal liberties.

Next up tomorrow…. Is Russell Westbrook a Greek Tragedy?

I was glad to see Carrie Underwood won best CMT music video of the year. I wish she’d done this song with Blake. But it is what it is.

Carrie and Blake …my two favorite country music performers and both from Oklahoma.

It was a beautiful day at Augusta National.

Scottie Scheffler won the Masters and in doing so won his fourth tournament in his last six starts.

He shot a final round 71 to finish at -10.

He was awesome on Sunday going 5 for 6 on off the green scrambles. I have no idea what tournament Jim Nance was watching. He seems lost at times without Tony Romo. If you put Jim Nance with Michael Cage you could conceivably have total non-coherent blather for three straight hours. I thought Scottie’s chip in birdie on No. 3 was the dagger and tore out Cam Smith’s heart right there and then.

It was a beautiful ending. His wife actually looks quite a bit like my daughter-in-law. I cried there at the end. I did a lot of crying watching the final round.

Tiger finished all 72 tortuous holes to finish at +13. He just simply wore out the final two days. He was +1 after the first 36 holes. He was hugging on Little Charlie and I cried on that one too.

I cried a third time when Rory shot a tournament best 64 to grab second place. Rory was my father’s favorite golfer. I’m guessing I was the only dude in Oklahoma who cried this much while watching the Masters on Sunday. If Nora Ephron had scripted Tom Hanks to play Scottie I’d still be crying.

It was a great day of golf and great tournament. More to the point it kept me from even thinking about watching the point shaving Thunder close out their season of sustainability by losing both games in Los Angeles by a combined 70 points.

On one hand in Augusta, we had everything noble and aspirational about sport and competition. Then on the other hand, we had Sam Presti’s Thunder showing us everything tawdry and dubious in regard to the bottom seven teams of the NBA and why probably four of these teams should be moved to other cities.

Just writing that one paragraph about the tawdry Thunder makes me feel dirty. I need to cleanse myself and get the glow back to a wonderful Sunday.

The right one is out there for you, Tiger. You have a lot to offer if you would just take Uncle Mike’s advice. I know she’s out there for you, buddy. You’ve won 15 majors and 82 tournaments all told… don’t you think it’s time to find the right Mrs. Tiger.

A tough day for Tiger in the third round on another bad weather day at Augusta. Tiger soared to his worst ever round at Augusta with a 78.

This puts Tiger at +7 for the tournament. Hopefully…his girlfriend is there to get him through this night.

Good weather tomorrow with winds finally subsiding, plus easier pen placements. Just a horrible putting round for Tiger on Saturday.

I would just say, take a deep breath, see if you can make some putts and shoot a 65 to get back at even.

Just to make the cut with that leg was something. But shooting back in the red would be epic.

Enjoy the song, Tiger. This one puts me to sleep in about two minutes.

Go out there and have fun tomorrow.

Tiger…if I were your caddy this is what I would say. Get a girl to stay with, get a dog, get a song to sing on…and spend plenty of time with Charlie on the golf course being his caddy. But shoot a 65 tomorrow as well and make a statement.

Good luck, buddy.

The 24-56 Thunder finish off their second straight season of tanking this week-end in Los Angeles. If the Thunder could lose both games that would bring them in at 24-58 for the season. Couple that with last season and that means the Thunder would be 44-110 the last two seasons in Oklahoma City.

Thunder have two pretty good picks in this summer’s draft, and the Thunder should come out of this draft with two players who should be good enough to move into OKC’s top seven or eight players next season.

I also have no idea if the Thunder will be tanking beyond this season.

I do know this though, the Thunder per league release ranked 28th in attendance this season only beating the Kings and Pacers for the dubious honor of having the league’s worst home attendance.

Per the league stats which do not reflect actual bodies in seats….the Thunder averaged 14,877 for their forty-one home dates which translates into 81.7 home attendance.

I think in reality from what I saw in the arena the Thunder had around 9,500 bodies in the arena for most of their games. The top two levels were primarily empty.

Next season I would think if the Thunder tank again these numbers will drop even lower because at some point any legitimate entity has to display some sense of reasonable legal good faith in selling their product to the public.

If Sam Presti has a real vision of sustainability in Oklahoma City…I would think he and his ownership group would need to project that vision next season.

In closing…the bottom five teams in attendance this season were… 26 Orlando, 27 San Antonio, 28, Oklahoma City, 29 Sacramento Kings, and 30 Indiana Pacers.

Pulling aside San Antonio is there any real reason these other four cities have NBA franchises and Seattle, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Kansas City do not?

The rest of the league is getting ready to begin the NBA Playoffs in what should be a great post season. I’ve watched my last Thunder game of the season. Pro wrestling has more integrity.

Bring on the sustainability, Sam Presti.

Just make the cut today, Tiger. Stay on the leaderboard and just make the cut to live the last two days of the tournament.

I thought Tiger looked fairly solid. Took a bad bogey at the par five eighth, but otherwise solid.

He’s walks a helluva lot better than I do…so as of right now I’m thinking his physical therapy people will get him once the round is over and work on his recovery time for tomorrow’s round.

You win or lose the Masters on the back nine…so if Tiger could do some damage on those par fives that would be handy.

Fairways and greens, buddy. America is locked in on you.

Just make the cut and see what happens around you would be my sage advice.

Stay away from a terrible hole.

The Thunder lost by forty or so points tonight in Salt Lake. I could care less at this point. Without Chauncey Billups on the opposing bench, it’s not that easy winning an NBA game.

That’s all I’ve got to say about the game in Salt Lake. Two more games and the Thunder’s season will thankfully be over.

I will say this though…I think whichever adult suggested Darius Bazely sit quietly on the second row was the Thunder Player of the Game.

I’m moving on to the Masters, at Augusta National starting tomorrow. This is what I do as a sport purist. After the Masters…I’ll get ready for the NBA Playoffs and the glorious Stanley Cup Playoffs. I could care less who the Thunder pick in the NBA draft. I just hope it isn’t Chet ‘The Stickman’ Holgren. The thought of having to look at Stickman and Poku on the same team seems beyond the pale of cruel and unusual punishment.

Tiger in his glorious career has only once failed to make the cut at Augusta.

This is a new deal though given he almost lost his leg in that horrific car accident. I think Tiger’s recovery time from the walking will decide his fate as far as making the cut on one leg.

I just hope Tiger makes the cut and gets himself to Saturday. Beyond that, I think anything else would-be gravy on this first tournament back.

I hope the PGA pairs him with Patrick Reed on the first round. That would be a hoot. The white kid from the South who immolates Tiger down to the wardrobe Tiger wears on the course.

I’m glad the PGA banned Phil for this event. He’s become a complete bore. Let him go play on the Saudi tour is what I say. They can play their tournaments on Donald Trump courses. I could care less. Ban his ass, like they did with Trump after the Insurrection.

I love Tiger. To me…he’s the one who succeeded Ali as the most transformative athlete for the second half of my life.

I worry about that leg in cold, damp weather though.

Hope Tiger plays in the PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa because I’ve been invited through my daughter-in-law’s family to attend the Wednesday practice round. My daughter in-law’s father was at one time the Southern Hills club champion and actually played on the same high school golf team of Mike Holder in Ardmore. Bill beat him like a red-headed step-child is what I’ve been told. Dead solid perfect.

Bill actually caddied for Raymond Floyd back when Ray won the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

But tomorrow the world watches as Tiger returns to Augusta National.

The beauty of Amen Corner and how to play it if you’re Tiger Woods.

So…this is Sam Presti’s vision of sustainability in Oklahoma City. How quaint.

He already has assembled one of the worst broadcast teams in all of professional sports, so why not bring the team itself down to the same level.

The other Sam…as in Anderson, the one who wrote the book Boom Town, surely has to be chuckling to himself this morning.

Bless their hearts. All of them.

How fitting the G League darlings will end the last three games of their botched season of tanking with the next to last game versus the shitshow Lakers in LA on April 8th. Maybe Russell could wear a Thunder uni so as the Thunder would lose the game. That will be my gala sendoff of this pathetic NBA season in Oklahoma City. It could be more glorious than the ending to Inglorious Basterds.

Simply look at the highlights from above from the last ten minutes of the 4th period. Adam Silver should at this point suspend the seasons in Oklahoma City, Houston, Portland, Orlando, and Sacramento as to make it appear the mafia doesn’t own the NBA. We’ll let Detroit continue because I enjoy watching Cade Cunningham play basketball.

This is why Sam Presti sat down Rookie of the Year candidate Josh Giddey? This is why Shai missed the All-Star Game?

I wonder what Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous -Alexander are thinking this morning? More importantly…I wonder what their agents are thinking.

Every time I focused in on Josh’s face what I saw was disgust. I’m not sure what I saw on Shai’s face. Clearly…though, Darius Bazely is an entirely different animal. I was embarrassed for Darius Bazely last night. He looked like a complete fool. Sam Presti should make him team captain next season if the Thunder decide to tank a third straight season.

Thankfully…that was it for the Thunder’s home schedule this season. Only three road games left and then there will be nothing left to ponder except who the Thunder will draft this summer.

Out loud hint to Clay Bennett…either play legitimate basketball next season or do the right thing and move the franchise back to Seattle where it probably should have stayed in the first place.

On the same day I watched Tiger Wood’s highly inspirational press conference, I then ruined it by watching the final period of the Portland Trailblazers literally take a dive in blowing a double digit fourth period lead against the incredibly stupid Oklahoma City Thunder.

Somewhere in the basketball cosmos both David Stern and Aubrey McClendon are in a state of shame for ever having anything to do with bringing the NBA to Oklahoma City.

Beyond giving up 173 points at Memphis, this was the most shameful thing I’ve witnessed in this season of stupidity in Oklahoma City.

The dumbasses who run this Thunder organization just got snookered again by Chauncey Billups and the shame in it all is that the fans in Oklahoma City who were in that arena tonight are too stupid to even realize it.

If there is a dumber NBA fanbase than the one Sam Presti has created in OKC, please tell me which fanbase that would be.

This fourth period was worse than watching Trump and Marjorie Taylor-Green do a ‘conservative’ rally somewhere between the state borders of Alabama and Mississippi.

I will not even allow 405 Baller to taint his or her name by writing on the Thunder Journal this week. Nothing good could possibly come of it.

This game was shameful. It was a disgrace to the spirit of sport and competition from sea to shining sea.

It was like watching the corrupt sport of boxing….or watching the state legislature of Oklahoma in action. But this was worse.

When you can’t even lose by design in an effective manner it might be time to do a Robert Irsay and in the dark of the night move the team back to Seattle or to Las Vegas.

In this fourth period the Thunder were allowed by the willing Blazers to outscore the team from Portland by a 31-12 margin. It gets better. In the last ten minutes of this game OKC with a group of obscure G Leaguers outscored Portland 26-4.

It was beyond pathetic to witness.

A new lower low.

Again…if this is Sam Presti’s vision of ‘sustainability’ to turn the city into a complete shit show of losers and dimwits…then I say move the team west.

And then there’s Tiger Woods above at the age of forty-six saying he just wants to keep competing despite having a leg which says no. A story which will probably remind of us Ben Hogan at some point.

He wants to chase the Golden Bear for the majors record despite what Jim Traber says about him in Oklahoma City.

And all of this was ruined for me today because of the disgraceful level to which the Thunder have fallen.

The Thunder have taken the Bad News Bears to a level lower than what Walter Matthau did to the little league baseball team.

In closing….

Portland took Greg Oden.

Beyond that salient fact tell me what Sam Presti has actually done in Oklahoma City beyond propagating even more stupid white people in a rogue red Trump state.

The basketball part of me wishes OU wasn’t joining the SEC. Big 8 and Big 12 basketball is a part of me.

So when either OU, O State, Texas Tech, Baylor or Kansas does something of note…I feel a kinship to it.

The football not as much because I know if OU wants to have any chance of ever again winning a national championship in football, they need to be in the SEC given where college football has moved.

I’m happy for the Kansas Jayhawks. Baylor is No. 4 pre-season next year and the Jayhawks depending on their NCAA fate are currently ranked No. 8.

As far as Bill Self’s future at Kansas…he’s 59 years of age and if by chance the NCAA hammers Kansas because of their five violations…then I guess it’s on Kansas and Bill Self to decide the future course of their program in a mutual agreement of sorts.

But for this moment right now in April the day after Championship Monday…it’s One Shining Moment in Lawrence, Kansas.