The Los Angeles Lakers were supposed to be one of the clear-cut favorites to win the NBA championship this season.
Instead, they've failed to string good games together and have barely beaten bad teams, playing below .500 and currently sitting at the ninth spot in the Western Conference.
Moreover, it seems like Russell Westbrook's fit with the team has been one of the biggest reasons behind their struggles, as he's failed to make adjustments and his poor shooting has hurt the team more often than not.
LeBron Encouraged The Lakers To Trade For Westbrook
To make things worst, it seems like the Lakers could've had Buddy Hield instead of Westbrook. Rob Pelinka reportedly had a deal in place with the Sacramento Kings before LeBron James and Anthony Davis talked him into trading for the former MVP instead, per NBA insider Marc Stein:
“James and Davis encouraged the Lakers’ front office to go all-in for Westbrook rather than proceed with GM Rob Pelinka’s plans to trade for Sacramento’s Buddy Hield," reported Stein.Bayless Blames Bronny James For The Westbrook Trade
Unsurprisingly, that has led FOX analyst Skip Bayless to point the finger at LeBron and blame him for the team's struggles, going as far as to imply that it all had to do with his son being a fan of Westbrook:
"I read yesterday Westbrook has been Bronny's favorite player. Could that be part of the reason LeBron pushed to acquire Westbrook instead of the player Pelinka had a deal for – Buddy Hield? What a mistake that was by LeBron. Wesbrick: So many team-wrecking turnovers & ugly misses," Bayless tweeted.Bayless Takes Another Shot At Westbrook
Westbrook has been a bit of a liability in crunch time this season, which is why Frank Vogel made the tough call to bench him late in games.
That happened again during the Lakers' narrow overtime win over the New York Knicks, as Westbrook didn't see the floor during the final five minutes of the game:
"Lakers survive in OT, mostly because the Knicks went colder than New York is. Lakers won in spite of Westbrook going 1-10, 0-3 from three, 3-7 FTs, including 2 costly late misses in reg. GUESS WHO DIDN'T PLAY IN OVERTIME? WESTBROOK, BENCHED," Bayless said.Even if Westbrook has underperformed this season, the Lakers' woes and issues go beyond just one player. Hopefully, they'll be able to make some moves before the deadline, as this roster isn't going to get the job done in the postseason.
]]>The Inquisitr
