Still, for all his immaturity, Westbrook has been a net-positive for the Nuggets, who managed to survive a seven-game slugfest against the Clippers, and are trailing, 3-2, in their Western Conference semifinal series against Westbrook's original team, the Thunder.

The Nuggets decided against Russell Westbrook right before they won their first title. This year, they made the bold bet.

Nina Westbrook has been married to Russell since 2015 and is by far his biggest fan, which says a lot. Fans in Oklahoma City, even though Westbrook never won a title, still cheer for him every time he comes to town as an opponent, which was a point Shelburne also made.