Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

Russ shot fine at the rim at the start of season and to finish it. There was this weird middle of the season point where he was terrible. He still finished shooting 56.5% within 5 feet of the rim for the year though.

His bigger problem was defence and better playmaking and I think Ham could get him to buy in on D more and potentially stagger his minutes with Lebron better to have the ball more in his hands.

 

LOL you can probably bet his agent is motivated to tell him what’s at stake for him financially if he doesn’t help win games and carry his weight defensively.

 

I think the front office should accept how bad of a mess up it was and attach a first round pick and get some talent here and move on. If we are truly rolling into the season with him I hope we don't see him traded at the deadline because it would be sign of the team officially being out and the front office admitting a mistake far too late.

You have Lebron and AD, you do what it takes right now to win.

 

Thinking about Russ on this team:

Arrgh: going from the title, likely favorites to win another win sans injury, to last year, and no chance of winning again this year. Sigh, don't care if the Lakers are healthy they don't have enough talent around AD/Lebron and Russ is not just bad relative to his contract, he's just a bad player who think he's star on both offense and defense. Instead of a big 3 with all the injuries to AD/Lebron and Russ bad play negating the other two, you have a big 0.5. Might as well try to tank for a lottery pick since the Lakers own the pick this year. (I think I'm being sarcastic but not so sure: lottery pick can be used to trade for a star as Russ's contract is off the book so you get one more shot at a title with AD/Lebron or you can trade em both and start over? Arggh just don't see a way out of this unless they can use Russ's contract as an asset)

 

Success is now measured by if we make the “play in” game

 

The Pelicans can swap first rounders with us next year, so we’re not really incentivized to tank.

I know this because I was also recently wondering whether we will/should just end up tanking

 

because they know no team wants to get near him

 

one day, Russell Westbrook will look back on his time on the Lakers with such fondness



LA is a tough crowd

 

That Westbrook and a pick (or whatever it was) for Wall trade looks soo sweet right now...

 

nah. just on principle you don't make that trade.

i also find it really funny that people think because wall is going to the clippers that he's going to be magically good again. the guy had two devastating injuries, is on the wrong side of 30, and his game was predicated on speed. he's been a minus on defense since he got hurt, and was a minus overall the last time he played, which was over a year ago.

they're both just over the hill huge contracts.

 

Wall will contribute for the Tennants wayyy more than Westbrick will for us, he's still a good playmaker. I get what you're saying though.

 

i disagree, but we'll see.

 

Yeah, Wall will just have to prove me wrong. He hasn't played in years and was injury prone before that. Just don't know how he is able to come in and pick up where he left off. Even in a limited role for the Clippers.

Also just feel like you don't pay someone a total of what, 90 million bucks, to sit out a season and then just go away if you think they've got anything in the tank. I know he didn't want a role off the bench but it says a lot to me about what the Rockets thought of him. We've been burned multiple times with picking up another teams damaged goods for a high price tags. No way should we have given up a pick for Wall.

 

i think folks (or maybe just me) are still burned by batum's rennaissance (see what i did there?) in clipperville. i certainly didn't see that coming, and it was a similar deal (signed a huge contract then got hurt and became useless for like 3 full years). the nice thing is that they have a bunch of other guys who can pick up the slack if wall sucks or can't play. wouldn't that be cool?

also, all these "lakers have to attach a 1st to move westbrook" articles are disingenuous, imo. they have to attach a pick if they want a name player back or if they want a team to eat a lot of his deal using space (okc was asking for both 1sts, i'm sure). but any team taking him would most likely just be sending stuff they don't want out. no first would be necessary there.

this is what i mean. the metaphor is more like walking into a 5 dollar shake shop, putting 5 dollars down and asking for a shake, and the guy at the counter saying it's 6 dollars for you because you look hungry. then sitting down and looking at the clerk until he quits being an a**.

the bolded is just not true at all, or, again, disingenuously using the unprecedented case of an expiring this large.

we traded deangelo russell (2nd overall pick and future allstar) and a bad contract for brook lopez's big expiring and a late 1st. this stuff happens. just need the right partner/situation.

again, let's let FA play out and see who's left counting their change/missing their targets.

we may still have to play next year with russ, but i'm not giving up on moving him until i see all possible dance partners pivoting to other things.

charlotte's gotta get off some future money if they keep bridges, for example.

 

I would just send him home then. I don't want him on the floor playing, nor do I want him on the bench pouting.

 

Buha was on the Kam bros pod this morning. He thinks Russ still gets traded. We're currently in a game of chicken with the rest of the league of whether we're giving up a first(s) or the other teams are going to accept clearing money off their books for Russ' expiring.

He doesn't think the Kyrie to LA talks are dead. Less likely than before, but not dead. We are deeply engaged in talks with him before he opted in. Bron approved. And he thinks we would include a first to get Kyrie.

 

Definitely agree that the Clippers have put together a deep squad. That would be nice at some point for us.

I also agree that we may have to be a bit patient and let the right deal emerge. I feel like we’ve got something cooking but we will know soon enough.

 

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I think a deal happens. There’s just no other real way to drastically improve the team. There’s no benefit to us coming out and saying that though so we’re just putting out the message that we will keep him.

I honestly don’t think we’d pass on a good offer to hold on to a draft pick.