Old Man Game wrote:slick_watts wrote:russ would be so much better if he had control of his emotions and wasn't so volatile. he's leaving so much on the table with his attitude and approach to the game in this way. it's fun when it works and all fits together but on average he could be on another level if his decision making and attitude were more consistent.
It's so true. In a certain sense he's a waste of talent. I know that sounds absurd for as great as he is but you pair that athleticism with a smarter player he might be the best of this generation not named Lebron.
i draw a parallel to one of my favorite players of all time, gary payton. they were similar personalities on the court, russ is more mercurial while GP was a lot more adversarial. russ is way better than GP was of course but they both just so volatile in various ways that it makes you wonder how great it could have been. GP owned stockton when he was older but when stockton was in his prime he murdered him because he'd get all in his head and use his volatility against him. i thought about this last year during the playoffs when the jazz were in russ' head the first four games. it was so similar.
there are games russ plays where you're like wow he's got it then he has a game where he'll throw errant passes all day or get into a pissing contest with a scrub like darius miller.
