Russell Westbrook Hung Out To Dry?
Russell Westbrook was terrible on the Lakers. I think that’s something we can all agree on. However, was it something that LA wanted? Did they do things to make it happen? At least one NBA assistant head coach believes so.
Now on the Los Angeles Clippers, the former MVP has pretty much been able to stay out of the headlines alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, near the end of his time in purple and gold, the anonymous coach believes that Westbrook was “left out to dry” by the Lakers.
“[The Clippers] are letting Russ be Russ, that is something a lot of us have been saying for a while,” one Western Conference assistant coach said, per Sean Deveney of Heavy.
“The Lakers brought him in and tried to make him a different player, tried to force him to be something he is not. And that led to a lot of the problems they had with each other. But the Lakers left him hung out to dry there.”
– Western Conference Assistant Coach via Sean Deveney, Heavy
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? It’s not the craziest thing we’ve heard during the 2022-23 NBA season. Of course, the first name everyone probably goes to is LeBron James. Could you believe it was Westbrook who assisted him on the bucket that made him the all-time leading scorer? Talk about irony.
In all honesty, there was some friction there. From their opening day loss to the Warriors last season, it just felt like an uphill climb.
The Lakers missed the play-in last season and were hanging on to their last thread ahead of the trade deadline. Westbrook went from a career starter to coming off the bench this season. They cut ties following a huge trade where the Utah Jazz eventually bought out the rest of his deal.
However, Westbrook leaving has more or less turned the Lakers’ season around. The Lake Show are now 7-2 in their last nine games following a primetime loss to Westbrook and the Clippers. However, the fact of the matter is LA will finish at least .500 this season after being very far from that with Westbrook.
Brodie Revenge?
Since switching sides, the Clippers have started Westbrook rather than playing him off the bench. We are approaching the most wonderful time of the year in the NBA, and Wednesday’s game between the Lakers and Clippers had massive playoff implications.
The Clippers seem more and more set for the five seed and a first-round matchup against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers, on the other hand, dropped into the seventh seed and would have to beat out the Golden State Warriors for the six seed. To say that a lot was at stake in this game, regardless of who you root for, would be an understatement.
Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers can be described by pretty much anything besides a match made in heaven. It was a disaster that the Lakers may or may not wanted to collapse. However, both sides are gonna have a great view of one another as we approach the NBA playoffs.
