Russell Westbrook is called for an offensive foul against Tony Parker early in Game 5 Tuesday night in San Antonio. (Photo by Bryan Terry) For the Thursday Oklahoman, I wrote about Russell Westbrook’s entertainment value. It’s high, in case you didn’t know. You can read that column here.

I reached out to some fans and we talked to some teammates, but I had more stuff than I could possibly fit into a single column. So I thought I would share what people had to say about the Thunder’s mercurial point guard.

CHRIS NICK, Oklahoma City: “It’s like watching something on the National Geographic Channel that you have never seen before. You think, ‘Well, that is very interesting and I can understand why that would do something along those lines.’ Then pow! You jump out of your seat and say, ‘You kidding me; no way will I ever see that again.’ Then it happens two days later only way different than what you just saw the last time, only better! It happens over and over. Gotta take the good with the bad when you get the unpredictable, though. I love him and would not trade him for anybody on the planet, even though he drives me bananas a few times each game. He’s a true warrior. I want to be in a foxhole with Westbrook. My lovely wife, who does not know the difference between a 3-point shot and a car wreck, recognizes how hard he plays and she loves him, too, for that alone.”

BILL TOLBERT, Oklahoma City: “Have you ever listened to someone try to sing a Bob Dylan song the way Dylan sings it? Doesn’t matter if you like Dylan or not, it’s just not the same. Kind of that way with Russell Westbrook. Russ is Russ. I don’t think there’s ever been a player in the NBA quite like him. Russ is an elite star in the people’s, blue-collar ballet. He defies gravity. He soars, no, flies, through the air. I laugh watching fans in opposing team cities boo Russ, knowing they would give anything to have him play for them. Mostly, I hope the people of Oklahoma City realize their incredible good fortune of being able personally to witness Westbrook maturing and developing his magic act right before our very eyes night after night. What entertainment! Often my head moves slowly from side to side as I watch Russell play. Sometimes it’s because he gambled again and lost on defense. But, usually it’s an involuntarily reflex to something he is doing on the court that can’t be done, according to the known laws of Physics. Vindication, I guess, is what I feel most for Westbrook, and a little bit for me too. Me in my role as his lone defender within my circle of friends during those early years. It was pretty brutal there for a while. I finally resorted to manufacturing a Superboy analogy and asked my friends to imagine how many holes were probably punched through tall buildings while young Clark Kent was learning to control his other-worldly abilities. My friends eventually calmed down. Truth is, things were better in Smallville even while Superboy was struggling with himself. Smallville definitely was much better off as he matured into Superman. So it is with Oklahoma City and Russell Westbrook these days. Hopefully, that will continue for a long time to come. What a great ride that could be.”