[OFFICIAL] Russell Westbrook as a Los Angeles Laker thread

I'm sure some stupid team will find a way to help the Lakers get competitive again. It always happens.

 

i remember folks saying westbrick could keep this team afloat. LOL.

they can't even qualify for a play in

he's been a flat out bad player for years w/ just horrendous bball iq

 

I think they need to trade AD but because of the horrific cost levied on them by the Pelicans its the one story they cannot stomach. To them, AD was the good trade, they won the chip. The trade we KNOW will happen is the Westbrook trade. LeBron is PISSED and he holds the Lakers by the balls. He is not going to do this again next year with Russ on the team. Klutch wants Wall on the Lakers and it will happen. The deal they wouldn't do in the season because they wanted to save face they will do in a few weeks or draft time. The Lakers cannot make the trade with OKC and give up both of their future firsts for just cap space. They will give 2027 1st to us for Wall. Its the best deal they can get.

 

I wouldn't be so sure LeBron even stays in LA.

You can't call his time in LA anything other than an astounding success, turning a bottom-feeder into a title winner overnight. He's got nothing to prove.

 

Last night was the ultimate microcosm of the 2 players.

Chris Paul had 6 points, but was +22 while his team eliminated Westbrook's Lakers. Westbrook derailed 2 franchises (one could argue 3 because Durant didn't want to play with him), while the Suns officially clinched their best regular season ever. In fact the Hornets, Rockets, Clippers and Suns all had their best regular seasons ever with Chris Paul. His other team OKC, grossly overachieved in the one season he was there.

CP3>>>>>>Westbrook, not just now, but for their entire careers. I really hope he stays healthy and gets his ring so everybody will shut the hell up about it.

 

If it weren't for the Bubble Ring I don't even know if LeBron would still be a Laker this year. He cemented his (albeit brief) legacy as a Laker with that championship and if he retires or leaves next summer via Free Agency no one in Lakerland is going to beg him to stay IMO.

The Lakers need to start the transition process towards a rebuild this summer and if LeBron wants to stick around for one more year as a Laker, great, but if not they can trade him for one or two worthwhile assets. But, like I said, before, I don't think the Lakers ownership/front office has the balls to be that bold. Hell, they held onto Kobe for as long as they could, trotting out mediocre teams the last few years Bryant suited up because they were in denial of the inevitability.

 

There have been only a handful of players that have the ability to elevate their teammates' performance as well as their pocket books in the past 20-30 years: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, LeBron James and I would also put James Harden on that list.

Paul has made a lot of players look better than they are over the course of his career that "Point God" is one of the most appropriate nicknames ever.

 

Pretty much. Those Clipper and Hornet groups were fringe playoff teams...at best, and he drug them into being real winners. Then people act like he had "so much talent" around him, and was a choker because he couldn't drag them far enough.

 

The choking thing was funny to me. Paul wasn't blessed with height and strength like a Harden, LeBron or Giannis or the hops like Morant or Iverson so his game had a pseudo-limitation on it where he needed to rely on taller teammates to execute and execute well. Paul can do pretty much damn near everything else--run an offense, defend on the perimeter, hit open 3s, run the PnR, hit mid-range shots, agitate the opposition, etc.--but it's hard to excel in crunch time nowadays as a traditional point guard because the teammates you have set up throughout the season need to execute and shine when the moment comes.

 

Is this how he ended up on the official top 15 coaches of all time list? Ahead of Rudy? Ahead of Adelman? Ahead of Bickerstaff?

 

I really wish Game of Zones was still being made just for this Lakers season.

 

And to think that we gave up 2 FRP and 2 swaps to trade CP3 for Westbrook... That has to be one of the dumbest trades of all time.

 

welp, they didn't even make it to all these games before phx shut the door last night and all the other games were L's haha

 

Only if they decide to trade AD. Even the stupid teams don't want any of the Lakers remaining garbage.

 

- Tough to trade LeBron because as good as he is, doesn't change the fact that he's aging.

- Tough to trade AD because as good as he is, he's always in street clothes and his contract runs through the end of 2024 (with a player option to follow)

- Tough to trade Westbrook because as athletic as he is, he sucks and his contract is still massive, with a player option to follow. And you KNOW he's going to opt in.

Aside from those 3, Malik Monk seems like the best player. And that's really sad for the Lakers lol.

 

I'm hear for the gloat bang.