The Official NBA Thread: PLAYOFFS

[vood99]

People hate the lakers so much that they’re pretending Russ isn’t a bad basketball player. How exactly is he being scapegoated when he’s a huge part of the problem. If he were the 50 million player he’s supposed to be, the team would be better. Instead, he’s the worst starter in the NBA and fakes injuries if benched.

Russ takes zero accountability for his poor play.

The "injury" because he came off the bench just made it worse.

I truly wonder where Russ will play next year.

Dude has really poor attitude. Would a bottom feeder/lottery bound team want him after his latest stunts? (refusing to come off the bench and faking injury?) Just seems like he would be toxic with the young players at this point.

 

[dacomeup]

Two days after Bron says there are no shooters on this team, the team shoots 42 threes

Apparently Bev said on his podcast that Ham wants them to shoot 40 per game

 

[datznasty]

The only Lake with that dawg in him

 

[addict4sneakers]

Bron shooting 28% on 9 attempts from 3 a game too. He shouldn’t go without some minor blame

 

[Moheezy]

They get good looks. Bev taking 3s off the bounce though. He’s Hollywood now. Spotlights over street lights

just not hitting wide open shots
too reliant on the 3 ball

Cool, feels like those shots will come eventually for Nunn and to some extent Pat. Westbrook is who he is.

 

[ill steelo]

Not all bad. Only 1 turnover & 5 steals.

We’ve seen him make shots and still have worse games than last night.

His skillset is what it is. Blame Pelinka for acquiring him.

At this point it’s on the coaching staff to trot out optimal lineups and on Pelinka again to attach whatever picks he has to to get Russ out of there & salvage the remainder of Bron’s career.

 

[MVP]

Apparently Bev said on his podcast that Ham wants them to shoot 40 per game

He said from jump they're trying to replicate the Bucks offense. 5 out, the majority of the looks are good. They just can't knock them down *shrugs*

Also Bron been shooting like **** from deep as well.

 

[Maximus Meridius]

Lakers and these Rust shenanigans keeping the spotlight off Embiid lol

Don't worry he can't hide for too long

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

Russ takes zero accountability for his poor play.

The "injury" because he came off the bench just made it worse.

I truly wonder where Russ will play next year.

The CBA or PBA. He would be a God in Asia. The new Starbury of the Orient

 

[P C H]

Bron shooting 28% on 9 attempts from 3 a game too. He shouldn’t go without some minor blame

He be in jail vs LAC ngl

 

[P C H]

I don’t quite know how LAL can take less 3’s when every team is defending them the way that they are. Straight shell drill defense.

The alternative to LAL not taking soo many 3’s is equally as messy

 

[DLF]

Counter…

No Reddish. But add a 2027 or 2029 1st RD pick.

One of those picks have to go.

You guys know that man

Disagree.

No reddish. No Fournier. 2027 and 2029 firsts. PLUS 4 second rounders. Plus lakers send AD and Lebron.

Fair?

 

[addict4sneakers]

He said from jump they're trying to replicate the Bucks offense. 5 out, the majority of the looks are good. They just can't knock them down *shrugs*

Also Bron been shooting like **** from deep as well.

They don’t have a player of giannis caliber to apply the kind of rim pressure he does.

 

[DLF]

something isn't right with Embiid. He avoided the media yesterday as well.

James Harden effect.

 

[DLF]

The only Lake with that dawg in him

All dawg no shot

 

[DLF]

They don’t have a player of giannis caliber to apply the kind of rim pressure he does.

Rustle Beastbrook has entered the chat

 

[darthska]

SPOTLIGHT ON WESTBROOK AND EMBIID​

One of them will play their way out of it. The other one played college ball at UCLA.

-foe

 

[HIM]

Trading bron might be the best/fastest way to rebuild. Who would be the team to trade for hin though?

 

[a-friend]

You can talk about Beverly and his poor shooting all you want, that will come up.
That's a not going to hold.
Beverly was the most important player on the court because of what he brings outside of Offense.
Russ doesn't get those 2 steals when KAWHI was posting him up late if it wasn't for BEVERLY.
Russ also caught a posted up Kawhi deep in the paint late in the 4th and forced a Turnover/TTravel.
Those are just 3 examples that happen to include Russ.
Pick a player on LAL and they are giving max effort because they have always or, BEVERLY.
That team has no shot without BEV.
He could go 0-650 on the year and with THIS LAKERS TEAM, he's still a cog.
Some of those shots fall, just a few more and LAL could be 2-0.
Bev is fine if he can stay on the court and out of Foul Trouble.

 

[DLF]

He be in jail vs LAC ngl

Clips need to consolidate Morris and one other wing for another playmaker.

Russell Westbrook level playmaker

 

[rolaholic]

James Harden effect.

Funny enough, he's been the one showing initiative and leadership coming out of the offseason looking like a man on a mission

You can see that he put in a ton of work over the summer after another postseason failure and looks as locked in as we've seen him in years.

Would've been nice if Embiid brought the same mindset coming into this season

 

[getback]

AD reminds me of Rocky in II and III when he loses all his damns. Dude just looks like he's in cruise control. Has the talent to be great but he just doesn't GAF or something. Needs to go run sprints on the beach with Bron.

 

[Brosizzlew30.23]

Spoiler

Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, shown on the bench late in the fourth quarter, finished with two points against the Clippers on Thursday night. He missed all 11 shots from the field.

Enough bricks. Enough glares. Enough pouts. Enough is enough.

The Lakers need to trade Russell Westbrook now.


Stop waiting. Stop pondering. Stop posturing. Stop shopping.

The Lakers need to trade Russell Westbrook before his reckless play and divisive personality cost them whatever chance this otherwise feisty team has at a rewarding season.

They can surprise. They can entertain. Their new coach Darvin Ham appears capable of building a new culture that can shake up the Crypt and scare a few people. Believe it or not, they could even make the playoffs.


Yet they can’t do any of this while Westbrook and his clanks and his complaining are allowed to create a sort of mud into which this shiny new car’s back tires are sinking.

They can’t move forward with him. They are eventually going to spin into oblivion because of him. They need him gone now.

Witness their home opener Thursday night against the massively talented Clippers.

The Lakers played hard and smart and fought back from a 16-point deficit to lead by two midway through the fourth quarter.

But Westbrook missed all 11 shots, and they lost.

LeBron James continued to defy time with a double-double, Anthony Davis actually climbed off the floor to score 25, and Lonnie Walker IV introduced himself with 26 points.

But Westbrook missed all six three-point attempts, and they lost.

The outcome was a 103-97 Clippers victory, and, even though Westbrook had five steals including back-to-back swipes during crunch time, the verdict on his involvement was clear.

If he doesn’t play, the Lakers win this game. If he’s not on this team, the Lakers win this game.

All of this happened in the same week Westbrook publicly questioned the Lakers’ concern for their players’ health, claiming he tweaked a hamstring in the final preseason game because — gasp — he had to come off the bench.

The situation is untenable off the court, a complete mess on the court, and who knows what kind of somersaults are occurring in everyone’s heads?

The Lakers need to trade Russell Westbrook now.

Don’t wait until they can get more value for him from a tanking team. Don’t wait for somebody who won’t demand two first-round draft picks. Don’t wait to further showcase his abilities, because Thursday night the entire NBA saw what a nightmare this has become, and the Lakers must cut their losses and rip off the bandage and let the wound naturally heal.

How bad has it become? A guy on the other bench was openly feeling sorry for him.

Paul George, a Clipper and former Westbrook teammate with Oklahoma City, said it was obvious Westbrook was in the wrong place.

“It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here,” said George. “Quite frankly … it’s not geared for him with the roster they have as well.”

George sees what everybody sees, that after last season’s horrific homecoming, Westbrook doesn’t seem to want to be here anymore.

“I just want him to keep having that joy, keep having that excitement, that fun — that’s what makes him special, the fact that he can do that on a nightly basis,” said George. “I hate to see that it doesn’t look like it’s there for him. But, you know, hopefully in the end, it works out for him in his favor.”

They trade him now, it works out in everybody’s favor. The Lakers can pick up the shooters they so desperately need. Westbrook can play in the new surrounding he desperately needs. The only loser will be the Lakers' dwindling cache of draft capital, but it’s not worth surrendering this season for the future, especially since James still looks strong and Davis might finally be tougher and keeping Westbrook is the equivalent of waving a white flag.

Give Westbrook credit for facing the media in front of his corner locker after Thursday night’s embarrassment, although he spoke for only 2 minutes and 20 seconds while he answered in his usual terse tones.

How would you assess your game tonight?

“Solid, played hard, all you can ask for,” he said. “Go on to the next one.”

That’s pretty much the extent of his comments, almost as if he had already adopted the advice James said he would give him after a night like this.

“Just flush it down the toilet,” James said. “We’ve all had bad shooting nights. I’ve had bad shooting nights. Everybody in this league has had bad shooting nights. Who cares? I thought he played a great game. Defensively he was in tune. He was locked in. He pushed the tempo. He just didn’t make any shots and that’s OK.”

James has to be nice to Westbrook, he’s the one who convinced the Lakers to trade two championship pieces — Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma — to the Washington Wizards for him.

Rob Pelinka, the Lakers' general manager and vice president of basketball operations, is also responsible for this wretched bit of casting, as he listened to James and decided against trading for shooter Buddy Hield and acquired Westbrook instead. How would this team look if Pelinka had just followed his initial instincts?


Interestingly, the one person who carries the least amount blame for the trade is Westbrook himself. Yet much of what has happened since is on him.

He’s failed to integrate himself into a new system. He’s lashed out at fans. He’s been surly with the media.

And then, in the postgame news conference after Tuesday’s season-opening loss at Golden State, he recklessly accused the team of causing his hamstring injury because they … benched him?

“Absolutely,” he said, claiming that the preseason benching altered his pregame routine, which put his hamstring at risk.

“Being honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and loose,” he said. “For me, obviously the way I play the game, it’s fast-paced, quick, stop-and-go. And I just happened to, when I subbed in, felt something … definitely something I wasn’t used to … wasn’t warm enough.”

Ham heard it, and he wasn’t hearing it.

“Well first and foremost, let me be clear with this: The Lakers, myself, my staff, we would in no way, shape or form put a player or an employee in harm’s way … physically, mentally spiritually … we don’t stand for that … we’re not about that … that’s not who we are,” Ham said Thursday afternoon. “Second of all, Russ and I have discussed what was out there. Brief discussion. We moved on, we got an understanding. And again, as the coach of this team, we’re going to do what’s best for our team to be as successful as it can be. And I’ll just leave it at that.”

Westbrook has been in the starting lineup both games this season, and now some are wondering if the Lakers aren’t bowing to his outrageous accusations. All of this places pressure on a new coach who appears to be an old-school basketball soul with solid credibility and a bright future.

Keeping Westbrook is unfair to Ham. It’s unfair to the team. It’s unfair to the fans. It’s even unfair to Westbrook.

Before the game, new Lakers guard Patrick Beverley took the microphone and delivered the annual home opening address while issuing a guarantee.

“It’s going to be a helluva year this year,” he shouted. “We’re going to the playoffs!”

Only if they trade Russell Westbrook.

Now.

 

[DLF]

Trading bron might be the best/fastest way to rebuild. Who would be the team to trade for hin though?

Prob Clippers.

For Ballmer.

No picks. James and Jeanie package

 

[dacomeup]

Much respect to PG. I def thought I was invincible too. Anxiety is real