I'm not a big fan of Westbrook, but people have to realize that this is a star league, and right now the Celtics have one star.
And Westbrook is a star. Riley and Ainge know that two stars are needed for a championship nowadays. Riley would give his eye teeth to get another star to pair with Butler. Westbrook paired with Walker would make the Celctics stronger, and Danny isn't getting any younger. It's been 10 years since his championship.
The Celtics get Westbrook, and all of a sudden the focus in the media is on them as a contender. Right now, they aren't among the contenders. Not bad, not great. A star is a star is a star. It sucks, but that's the NBA today, and that's the media.