Long before the twists and turns and brushes with basketball mortality, before this journey pitted Russell Westbrook against his home, this Los Angeles story began with a few simple words.

One key Denver Nuggets veteran made a massive Russell Westbrook statement regarding the club's head coaching change.

Russell Westbrook has had bad games. He's had great games. He's just never had a quiet one. Nobody has ever forgotten that he was on the floor, for better or worse. His impact in