The Los Angeles Lakers had to come up with a reaction after last season’s disaster. The Lakers struggled throughout the season due to LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ persistent injury concerns. They somehow managed to get in the postseason through the play-in tournament and were knocked out by Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Therefore the Lakers front office have acted very swiftly as they have signed Russell Westbrook and other veteran talents like Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza and Dwight Howard. The move came as a reaction to last season where they gave a chance to the younger players to shine at the big stage instead, they fell flat on their faces in LeBron and AD’s absence.
Westbrook has joined the Lakers to support LBJ and AD as a third star player who can dominate the court and control the play, especially in the offense. He is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the NBA and can come up with triple-doubles with ease. However, some experts feel that he is not a suitable player for the Purple and Gold army.
Recently on the Undisputed podcast, NBA Analysts Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe discussed Westbrook’s move to the Lakers. Bayless is not convinced how Westbrook is a better fit for the Lakers than Dennis Schroder. He said, “Shannon Sharpe told me the Lakers are better than last year. Are you sure Schroder wasn’t a better fit than Russell Westbrook? You’ve been seeing for over 13 years of Russell Westbrook. You knew what he is what he is not. Now he is LeBron’s.”
Bayless is hopeful that Lebron can make this work but he still has his doubts. “If anybody can make this work, I believe LeBron could.” He then reasoned again and added, “But in the end, even LeBron will throw up his hands and say I’m sorry this is a disaster, this was a mistake. That’s what will happen ultimately.”
The expert Analyst highlighted how Brody is a solo player and gave examples from the past of how things fell flat with him and Kevin Durant and also James Harden during his time at the Houston Rockets.
“Russell Westbrook is a solo act. And all of a sudden when you put him with LeBron James the ultimate distributor, it’s fire and water. It does not blend; it does not work. In the end, he’s going to become the ultimate scapegoat. KD tried for 8 seasons, Harden wanted out after 1. James will too, soon enough.”
It will be interesting to see how Frank Vogel and LeBron James manage this star cast which includes the likes of Westbrook, AD, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and others. While the team looks absolutely ready to bring home the 18th NBA title, it still needs to be in sync to achieve that feat.
