[OFFICIAL] Russell Westbrook as a Los Angeles Laker thread

OK I can get on board with this

I would add that at 37 with an eroding gas tank, one could make the argument that LAL are better served by LBJ choosing to expend most of his limited energy on OFF to remain near-elite on one end, rather than trying to maintain his 2way game and ending up just above-average on both ends

Nobody else on the Lakers roster is capable of carrying the OFF, so maybe it's the role players like THT that need to pick up the slack defensively to help out old man LeBron

I still think the main culprit is AD's injury/performance
He's the 2way superstar in his prime who should be carrying this team, allowing LBJ more rest and limiting Westbrook's negative impact

Russ lobbing shots off the top corner of the backboard or airballing midrange pull-up jumpers isn't helping either, but he was never intended to be more than a third piece to support the big 2 anyway

 

Westbrook’s brother was on a Lakers Twitter space the other day defending him to his dying breath…I get it tho, gotta protect family

 

LeBron has gotten blame for the Westbrook trade, where have you been?

He is having an epic season considering his age and the team around him, but it's his fault he has that team around him, and people have pointed that out.

 

smh half of those clips are him trying to bank in a jumper. It's still awful but it's completely misleading. Him hitting the backboard was intentional.

 

Is he lifting heavy before games?

 

D*MMIT!!!



Rocket River
You have to warn a brother. . .

 

I think the big part in that is. . . . .that shot was in his arsenal
He would hit it at a high clip . .. .does not seem like it anymore

Rocket River

 

I'm a bit sad to see the bank shot go extinct. Feel like Russ is the last guy to consistently try it.

 

I would ask LeBron to take a backseat on scoring, but scoring has always been his best attribute. That's why it's the one that is still at an elite level. So maybe the only solution is Anthony Davis.

Of course, if he comes back close to his normal level and the Lakers turn it around, guess who's going to get the credit?

 

I watch a lot of sports shows. Last night, I heard Rob Parker blame LeBron for getting Westbrook. But hating on LeBron is his thing. Haven't heard anyone else do it.

I did see Nick Wright give LeBron a bronze metal for his game against the Kings. Same game he shot inefficiently, was a -12, played bad defense on key plays down the stretch, and made an indefensible pass to a player on the ground in the last couple of minutes. That's been the norm. Even Skip has taken it easy on him.

I don't think we should consider his age. I don't feel sorry for him or whatever. Not cutting him any slack. But even if we did, Kareem had the greatest age 37 season of all time. He had rock solid numbers, won the championship, and won the Finals MVP. Yeah, he had Magic, but he somehow outshone him in the Finals.

 

Half a season and that's just his shooting lowlights. The turnover reel is probably even worse

 

Lol. Westbrook played like this against the Lakers in the bubble playoffs. I guess the Lakers weren’t paying attention.

 

hilarious.. never change russ

 

Those last couple of lines are hilarious. "if I was open for a corner 3, you'd just toss to the nosebleeds." Something like that.
As long as I live, I'll never understand why LA dealt for Westbrook. I love it, because it's been a disaster for them. Laker lunacy.

 

while kareem was certainly good, i don't think 22/8/3 really compares to 29/7/7, even if we all agree lebron is not exactly lighting it up defensively (kareem only averaging 8 rebounds at 7'-2" says he probably wasn't digging that deep in the hustle areas by that point in his career). practically leading the league in scoring is just another level of carrying from what was expected of kareem with magic around. especially considering lebron is actually doing it with a 62.5 TS%, which is tied for his best adjusted TS% since his miami days so his offense at least is not just racking up points with no regards for efficiency.

 

it's not just that people keep trading for westbrook, it's that somehow they feel the need to give up good assets to do it. like i get the john wall trade because wall is terrible and expensive, but we still got a pick. but this guy was traded (with a gun to morey's head) for chris paul and 4 picks!!!! and then traded for several valuable players on the lakers. teams aren't just begging other teams to take him, they are getting stuff back. it's amazing.

but LA has too much visibility with lebron around for his play to go unnoticed and now he should officially be untradeable without attaching assets to him.

 

only one explanation NBA is WWE...and the results(w column) you achieve have no bearing on finances...

 

I didn't look too closely at Kareem's numbers. Saw that he won the FMVP at 37 and that settled it.

So, he was also Second-Team All-NBA. Had his second highest TS%, averaged 2.1 blocks, and got his numbers in 33 minutes. In the Finals, he averaged 25.7, 9, 5, and 1.5 blocks. Going to be tough for LeBron to match that even if he does end up leading the league in scoring.

 

NSFW