Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

I am one of the biggest Russ haters, but I believe him to still be a good tank commander and easily go for 30 in a good game... he's just not a winning basketball player.

he played a lot better for us when Lebron wasn't available and he had to run the show.

 

Anyway I’m prepared to not watch this upcoming season again, if he stays lol Summer League is my Laker fix this year.

 

There is a twisted part of me, that wouldn't mind us not trading for Kyrie and Russ redeeming himself by having an amazing year as a defensive playmaking specialist to win a ring. That part of you that just loves cinderella comeback stories...

But the overwhelming rest of me is keen to secure Kyrie + a shooter.

 

Ben has become really under rated and is a buy low candidate now. I imagine with some health and the right team around him, he can get you to the conference finals. He'd need a top 5 shot maker next to him like a Durant for that team to be a championship contender. Which is why it's so odd to me that Brooklyn is blowing it up.

If I was them I'd just tell both Kyrie and Kevin that I have no interest in trading them, but we're going to put a winning team around them with the hope of winning a championship and letting them go next offseason if they're still keen to leave.

 

i'd moving in a three-team deal involving russ (take whatever rob's negotiated elsewhere) and tell kd i expect to see him in camp. and i'm not saying this as a laker fan, i just think getting kyrie out of there may naturally solve some problems for everyone.

 

Russ getting in reps with his former teammate who might be his teammate again?

 

Please go away, go far away..... take your skirts with you.

 

yeah, that's the only way he's able to be successful. he has to be handed the keys to the offense and given the ability to do as he pleases, which doesn't happen alongside lebron

he needs one star+shooters and to be given free reign on offense. that's how he was successful in OKC, houston, and dc

 

and if you want to finish 9th, this is the ticket! honestly, if lebron demanded a trade, i'd be confident that russ and whatever comes back could challenge for the play-in.

 

Call me crazy, as I look at things again and think about it more……I don’t care which way things go.

So, we trade him and get Kyrie. We have a shot at the Title and we have some intrigue after LeBron retires (though maybe we don’t extend Kyrie hard core, and give him a little deal to sign other people) and go from there. That sounds nice but also just .

OR we keep Westbrook. Now if we keep Westbrook (and we believe LeBron) MAYBE he does good but most likely LeBron doesn’t want that extension (hence the earlier comment) and so Westbrook and LeBron leave next year and we use that money. I WOULDNT keep AD either, unless we signed a big name All-Star or player of some kind to pair with him.

So, if Westbrook leaves next week and LeBron decided to as well, we can trade AD for a future OR maybe we sign the right people and at least stay relevant.

Neither is really a bad option right now. I know we want to win all the time, but we also could rebuild around Ham and use that to cut other ties (maybe Pelinka) and go from there.

Next year could really change things because of Westbrook and whatever we do with him.

 

You’d have blowing the whole thing up down to no stars to start over as an option? Don’t know about THAT. Need at least one star level talent , preferably two, and how do you then pull those back in? We were there for those post Kobe years and it sucked even though we rooted for the promising young players picked up through sucking.

 

may not have an option. if bron walks, we may be out of the klutch business and AD may opt to go out, too.

no matter what, it's key for us that AD has a good year this year. that way, even if he wants out, we can get a return. if he stays, he's a draw for a future star to join up.

anyway, given the options we've had with russ, i think i've warmed to just trying it out under a different coach. i would have (very) low expectations, but attaching picks to russ without bringing back top shelf talent is dumb.

 

Yeah. Contract/career year too has to knock sense into his hard head.

 

I don’t want to fully rebuild as much as the next Laker Fan. Honestly, I’d love to sign an all-star caliber person next off-season if it went the route of LeBron left and Westbrook was off the books. I think AD is still good, but as seen in NO, he probably hasn’t figured out how to lead. So he needs a CO, and so the options would be…find that CO for AD or yeah, trade him.

I mean, if you can get a good haul from day Miami or Boston (I know) or someone else for AD, why not? Maybe the team saves face and stays in the Playoff hunt until the next person shows up to the team to try and fill Kobe’s stardom.

Again, this is all dependent on IF Kyrie falls through, we don’t TRY and trade for Hield (like reports are saying) and IF LeBron gets so pissed he doesn’t sign an extension and also Westbrook doesn’t improve.

So a lot has to happen this season to get to NEXT off-season and seeing what happens. But again, maybe we “stand pat” and that’s the final nail in the coffin for Pelinka. It’d definitely be for Westbrook so……

 

is that from ham?

 

Yes, I'll link it.

 

No doubt he has a plan for Westbrook, Ham's job is to coach the players who are here, and until otherwise Russ is on the roster.