Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

Gotcha, mostly teasing, but I am hoping we don't extend Lebron. I don't have the confidence in him many do. I do like our coaching hire so maybe this shakes things up a bit. I think the coaching hire shows the front office isn't quite as in the dark as most think. With our young guys and Ham I'm looking forward to the season again.

 

He lives in his own little bubble unaccountable for his absolutely s***ty pay no attention defense. Definitely the staff tried that and what …. he cried to his brother he was “being singled out in those sessions”. Selfish f****** loser!

 

https://www.silverscreenandroll.com...-interview-trade-rumors-report-2022-23-season

 

Everything else aside, if you can make it work with Westbrook then you keep us from digging a potentially deeper hole. Many think his value as a trade chip increases at the deadline next year. So if a coach had a plan to make him, LeBron and AD work it’s certainly worth hearing, especially during an interview.

I think we make a deal but I don’t mind the team exploring options.

 

yeah, i've said that i don't think this is some elaborate ploy to raise his value, but i also don't expect him to be here in october. i just think they have to plan for the possibility that he's here, and it's an indication that trade discussions have gone terribly with teams trying to work us over in any russ deal.

i actually think there's a chance that some other large deal teams want to accomplish might be facilitated by russ's huge expiring, and we might end up coming out better than people think.

 

Theoretically the Big 3 should play better having spent more time together.

1) It forces the Big 3 to commit to each other
2) Lakers don't have to pony up any more assets (They're drained already)
3) Russ' $47 mil can be valuable at the deadline, if things go south
4) This seems like a decision with the franchise's long term health in mind rather than appeasing Lebron.

 

Still not buying any concrete statements like that this early in the process. Saying anything contrary to that loses us leverage. If teams aren't smelling desperation and blood in the water, they will ask for less.

Stein isn't buying it either (I doubt other GMs are either except for Mitch and maybe the Kings but what else can they say?)

 

I'm not sure what leverage we are supposed to have anyway. The dude is on an expiring contract and with any player on an expiring deal, a team has to be willing to give up assets for a player that might not want to resign with them. The bigger the contract, the bigger the risk involved. You don't hear anything about teams floating trades for John Wall at all for that reason. Except the Rockets, that's because they traded Russ for Wall and it looks like they'd rather have Russ back over keeping Wall on the exact same contract. The prudent business decision is to stand pat, giving up draft picks and taking on injury risks owed long term money reeks of desperation.

 

That makes sense and besides some "anonymous source " that's been refuted. I haven't seen anything concrete that suggests that Lebron wants Westbrook traded anyway. James has been pretty vocal with his roster opinions throughout his career. His latest take is that the team only needs to make a few minor tweaks and have some good health . That doesn't sound like he's advocating for some big trade to me.

 

the leverage play is not giving up multiple firsts to get rid of Russ. You start by saying we're not giving any, other teams ask for two, you settle on one. Or you say you're giving up no picks, they demand 1 first, you settle on a protected 1st or multiple seconds. It's negotiating that's taught in middle school, but it's motions we still have to go through.

that's if the team acquiring him wants anything to do with him. No one wants Russ the player or will want him to reup with them. It's a straight salary dump play for any team.

Bron and Klutch were very upset we wouldn't get them Wall at the deadline. Who do you think they were trying to trade for Wall?

 

Nobody wants John Wall man..the Rockets paid him to sit out. You haven't heard any potential trades for John Wall anywhere other than Houston hoping that the Lakers fall for that okie dope. Again besides some " anonymous source " who said that LeBron and Klutch sports wanted Russ gone? Lebron? Rich Paul? AD? Who?Lebron has a history of speaking his mind about roster moves..now he's all silent and working the shadows about Westbrook? That's your position? Everybody knows it but nobody wants to say it? You think that
they are just afraid of offending Westbrook or something?

The nobody wants Westbrook stuff is exaggeration too.The Wizards didn't want to trade him to us in the first place. The Rockets would rather have him than John Wall for sure. The cat avg 27 8 and 8 in Houston. 22 12 and 12 in Washington. Perhaps James and Davis teaming up in 21 games, and Nunn playing zero, were a bigger problem than Westbrook?
Anyway giving up a 1st rd pick to trade Westbrook still makes no sense at all.

On another note..when is the Ham press conference scheduled to take place? It will interesting to hear what he thinks on this Westbrook subject.

 

Sure that was a bigger problem than Russ himself but he was right behind and had they actually played together there was every indication from the terrible way he played the game most of the season with stupid decisions and turnovers, terrible shooting and infuriatingly lack of caring on defense …. that he would have torpedoed any real success with everyone healthy. Your take that he didn’t hurt us with his entitled attitude from day one (such as wanting NO part of the coaching staff’s desire to have anyone who rebounded, or had the opportunity to, should push the ball up) …. plus the unarguably BAD, Unintelligent play and not giving a crap on defense is a joke.

 

Not true. No one wants him at that price point. Clippers and Heat are both interested when Houston ultimately caves and buys him out. He's been training in Miami, Heat have a better idea of what he currently looks like than anyone else. I wouldn't be surprised if Oladipo left in FA and Wall filled in that role next year where they don't really care what that player gives them during the season, but are more interested in that player getting right by the playoffs.

Pincus has stated the Lakers were being pressed at the deadline by Klutch and Bron to make the move. Aaron Larsuel who works for the team has confirmed as much. Several of the national guys echoed the same from their sources. Don't know what more you want. Bron holding a press conference saying he wants him gone? Bron is the king of cryptic messages and behind the scenes plays. His goal has always been to avoid blood on his hands, take credit for the wins, and point fingers for the misses. The only lane he's been historically more direct with was with his coaches until the "coach killer" label stuck and then he backed off there to a degree.

Even Bron knows there's a chance we can't undo what he and Klutch did. Publicly pushing for the move only further divides the locker room and alienates Russ. Nothing to gain there.

I think his expiring is more valuable than we're currently hearing. But that's his value, a cap reset for another GM's mistake(s). There's a reason that's the only deals we're being linked to at all. Until the NBA can trade players to the China leagues, Russ the player isn't worth a pot to piss in.

It does when you have no one on your roster and have no means of getting better via a very weak free agency and no money to spend. Moving Russ with a 1st can nab us 2-3 players and most of the reports include at least two starting level players in return who fill needs and fit better next to our stars.

I imagine they'll probably announce a date tomorrow for... end of this week, first of next week.

I wouldn't put much stock into it. It's going to be rehearsed and close to the vest. He's not going to reveal anything groundbreaking on his secret sauce of how he plans to get through to him if he's still on the roster. And he's not going to say anything revealing about the chances of him not being on the roster.

 

What I know is 27 and 21 games played together by your franchise two best players is going to end up badly period. We already know this from the previous season. Now..you keep trying to imply that somehow this dude was going to torpedo the season regardless by basing it on what happened without the two best players on the team playing, and the MLE never playing in a single game. That's illogical. I have yet to see ONE player say anything negative about Russell Westbrook's attitude on that team. Reaves even stated that he was surprised with all this media talk about Russ and Frank because he never saw any of that affect the team. Everybody is lying I suppose, Vogel said that he didn't consider Russ some kind of disruption..he was lying too. You are reaching hard to support your opinion here man. The injuries killed the season it wasn't Westbrook.

 

Lebron James sat in a locker room surrounded by kids that idolized him and asked for a Davis trade. This same dude declared that a roster with his boy D Wade on it wasn't going to work in Cleveland. Another time complained that the Cavs were top heavy as f*** and needed to make changes. This dude is the one that relies on cryptic messages and innuendo to get his point across? I'm calling CAP on that take. The man has been in the NBA for almost 20 years, if he wants something done. I don't think he gives a damn about how it's perceived..ergo my above examples.

Again neither you or anyone else have put forth one single plausible idea why we would want John Wall over Westbrook. Now living in Houston, I will wager that we wanted Wood for Tucker and Nunn but the Rockets wanted that 1st rd pick for HIM..not for trading for Westbrook. The Rockets want players and a 1st rd pick for Wood right now. That makes more sense than that pick for taking Westbrook nonsense.

Trading for a 47 million dollar expiring deal is risky business period. I don't think Russ value as a player is the question. He isn't 25 he's 33. I do believe that we were serious about not taking back injury risks on long term deals either. I haven't seen any deal that makes more sense than keeping Russ to date.

I'm more optimistic than most I guess on the roster situation. We have Lebron and AD. I'm going to go with expecting more time in uniform together out of those two next season. From a practical standpoint, there isn't some fantasy trade involving Russel Westbrook that would overcome a repeat of James and Davis playing in less than 30 games again anyway. We also have Nunn, I expect more from him. We could shed some of these other cats without a doubt but No..I don't agree with the statement that we have nothing on this roster at all.
I have no idea how someone fits better with Lebron and AD without actually seeing them play with Lebron and AD. Russell Westbrook included.

We fired Frank..I like the Ham hire..I'd like to see him get the opportunity Vogel got in his first season at the helm...a healthy Lebron and AD to coach. That Russ the player crack is some BS too. However you are welcome to your opinions.

 

Brick isnt going to change being negligent on defense because he wants to chase rebs and he certain not going to shoot well from the perimeter....if they can dump him, pay him to stay home like hou did with wall. Brick does more harm than good with his time on the floor

 

Funny how whatever team he was on was more successful than the Lakers besides the bubble in the last decade. How does that work?

 

We all saw it. PLUS everyone who writes about it and has credibility. You’re either blind or too stubborn to admit it. You haven’t said you’re blind. The same old “who are you going to believe”, everyone here that tells you this …. “ME or all of your lying eyes?” It’s what you do.

 

You all saw what? Did you see James and Davis play in more than 21 games..5 straight? I missed that part..refresh my memory. Maybe you saw Nunn suit up and I missed that one too. I haven't seen EVERYONE or those writers explain that part away either.

I do remember a lot of " writers with credibility" saying that Lebron wasn't coming to LA for anything other than business.." why in the hell would he pick the Lakers otherwise?". Saw a lot of them say He and AD weren't championship caliber. I've seen a lot of "experts with credibility" say a lot of s*** in my lifetime. Most of it was crap but we tend to forget that and focus on the next slew of crap they think moving forward. "Jordan will never win because he's a ballhog".."Kobe was too selfish to win without Shaq". Etc etc. Hell Phil thought we should trade Kobe..Lebron too I hear.
I can form my own opinions. They don't have to align with yours or anyone else's. We'll see if mines, are more in line with the FO or not shortly.

 

LOL if he’s here it’s not because the organization wants him here. They’re trying to be done with stupid franchise hurting decisions and him being the lesser of the 2 evils between only bad trades available or seeing if they can MAYBE get some semblance of team oriented play out of this delusional and selfish now declining player before he’s benched or finally gone. Hope Ham can pull it off. Russ if he’s smart (oxymoron as dumb as he plays) should take the opportunity and correct all hi S*** from last year. And blame it all on Vogel. We’ll see. Doesn’t mean last year’s play from him didn’t happen.