Carmelo surprised Westbrook signed extension with Thunder

When Russell Westbrook announced that he was signing a three-year contract extension to remain with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer, the five-time NBA All-Star mentioned how loyalty was something he stood by, and how there was no need to wait on a new deal when he knew that was where he wanted to be.

Nonetheless, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was caught off guard by Westbrook's decision, especially considering he came to terms on the agreement one year before he would have become an unrestricted free agent.

"Yeah I was, to be honest with you, yeah, for him to do it that soon. But that's Russ," Anthony said, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "Russ don't give a damn about nothing. It's all about what he want to do and when he want to do it, how he want to do it. I think he wants to show people he was loyal to OKC."

It would have been hard to blame Westbrook had he elected to one day leave OKC, as the loss of four-time scoring champion Kevin Durant to the rival Golden State Warriors was a huge blow to the franchise and a tough pill to swallow. What Durant's departure did, though, was create an opportunity for the now 28-year-old to be thrust into the spotlight and not have to share it with someone considered to be on equal footing as him.

When Anthony contacted Westbrook over the offseason shortly after Durant's "decision," it became clear to him that his Jordan brand partner wasn't going to allow losing the former league Most Valuable Player to sway any decision he was going to make concerning his immediate and long-term future.

"I can tell that he was waiting for a moment like this where he can just go shine. He wanted to be the leader of that team regardless if KD came back or not," Anthony added. "He wanted that moment. You could just tell his vibe was different, his energy was different. You could just tell when people want those moments."

Now the only act in town, Westbrook has exploded into a walking triple-double with a realistic goal of averaging one for an entire season and becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson (1961-62) to do so.