With all due respect, I think nothing good can come from a thread like this. None or very few of us are qualified to speak on what mental conditions he may or may not have. We see very little of him outside of a basketball court. I think whats wrong with speculating is that we don't know, and throwing around mental illnesses wont lead to anything good for anyone. I don't know what problems Russ has or doesn't have. I think especially in a playoff series this comes across as a not very classy thread.
There's a lot to learn about nba players struggling with mental illness if you google Delonte West...he's talked about it at length. https://www.fearthesword.com/2014/1...-delonte-west-and-my-struggle-with-depression Royce White as well recently...
I could really go off on this thread. Let us keep it about basketball in fact we should probably put a lock on it and let it die.
I wasn’t taking a swipe at Westbrook or people with autism and yet, it felt like a lot of people in this thread took swipes at me and it felt like a ton of bricks hitting my head. I’m dealing with major depression today no doubt because I was euphoric over the win. Sometimes it gets me even despite all the medication. The win plus this thread plus a swipe I got on a Broadway message board and the fact that I miss my husband and dog has just devastated me. I’m not blaming anyone for my bipolar disorder. But this is how I feel. Tone of voice was missing in this thread by all parties, I think. I would never have a problem with someone saying “Is MWP bipolar?” Or “I wonder if Richard Jefferson is gay” and I am both. I’ve reached out to Hobbes to learn more about autism. I gotta somehow take a break from this forum though. I love having the community of Blazers to root for the team with but the negativity crushes me. Makes no sense to criticize the stats of a bench player after our biggest playoff win in 5 years. I’ll try to step back if I can. I probably shouldn’t be typing while depressed but so be it. I’m not going to read the rest of this thread so posts that put me down will not be read. Post however you want though. Go Blazers. I think we’ll win tomorrow.
The title of your thread is "whats WRONG with Westbrook". Not "is Westbrook Autistic?" There is a difference. I don't think that this thread means you need to take a break from the board, but maybe think twice about what you say (I would venture a bet that the majority of us say something and then think "hm, I wonder if that comes off like I want it to"). I don't think you feel that someone who is autistic is "wrong", but it kind of came off that way to some. And instead of doubling down on it, you could've said "woah guys, sorry I worded that horribly." Autism isn't an "illness", it's nothing that can be 'cured' (I know you kind of addressed that already, so I'm not attacking you by saying that). It would be like saying "what's wrong with (player)? Is he Gay? So and so's wife thinks he's gay too. Hey, I support gay rights, I donate to blah blah". This thread is not a good look for us. Not only to Westbrook himself (the man is entitled to be a jerk without people psychoanalyzing him), but people who are on the spectrum and might be members of this board itself, or members of the board who have family members who are on the spectrum (etc). It really didn't help things that you said this and then pulled the gay and bi-polar card to defend yourself.
The whole “I don’t care what anybody thinks” while actually being incredibly sensitive is kinda pathetic. I can’t stand a thing he says, but I also feel bad for him. He’s trapped in a glass cage of emotion.
@KingSpeed Hang in there Eric....soon you'll be celebrating another Blazer win! Don't let it get to you. We need our superfan to be in game shape all throughout the playoffs...riverman is a fan!
Ok... I'm new here and may not know the backstory here but I have an autistic daughter and I find nothing insensitive or wrong about kingspeed's assertion. More like everyone wants to star in a Hallmark movie. Why so sensitive? The other day someone took exception with me referring to Harden and Paul as Jamie and Krissy, like it's the fucking #metoo movement. Toughen Up!! We got a series to win, and it just so happens public enemy #1 is a headcase......we think.
I think it's kind of a negative look to say from the small snippets of an athlete's life that we see that they have some sort of mental illness and diagnose it. I don't think KS meant anything insensitive or 'wrong' in his question. I just don't think it's a good look for us as opposing fans to start speculating about if he's got a mental handicap. Saying he's a bit of a headcase on the basketball court and gets carried away by his emotions is different than saying I think he might be autistic. We aren't really qualified (at least most of us) to make that claim or to psychoanalyze him and we see so little of him outside of basketball we don't really know enough to even give an educated guess.
You seem to have missed the point. If you actually care, start here: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/.../200910/the-cure-autism-and-the-fight-over-it