“I love Russell Westbrook, man! We ain’t going to try to curtail his energy”: Lakers new Head Coach is happy to run it back with 2017 MVP than going for Kyrie Irving

While Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving are hanging in to know where they stand, the Lakers coach comes up with a statement that will smooth him, a bit.

A few weeks ago it certainly looked like the Lakers will have no option but to play Westbrook one more year as his $47 million contract sucks most out of their squad’s available cap space.

That changed when his former teammate in OKC, Kevin Durant, requested a transfer from his current team, the Brooklyn Nets. That also triggered them to look for options to offload Kyrie Irving. That’s when the Purple and Gold found a glimmer of hope.

And now Brodie looks all set to face an all-new challenge with another franchise as the Los Angeles Lakers target LeBron James‘ former teammate who just has a year left in his contract.

The pieces around that deal are yet in discussions which are making it take this long. While that is happening, the other Lakers coach has said something about their 9x All-Star point guard that will send chills to the bones of Laker Nation yet again.

Also read: “Damian Lillard wanted to sit down but Jody Paul didn’t return his call or mail”: Blazers’ $70 million superstar is getting ignored by the $20 billion worth franchise owner

Darvin Ham would love to start Russell Westbrook as starting point guard

Heading into this next season, Ham said he plans to deploy the 2017 MVP as the starting point guard of the Lakers. He also told Marc J. Spears of Andscape a little bit about his plans to use Westbrook, remaining on specific details but saying that criticism of Brodie and counting out the 33-years-old would be “premature”.

“Counted out prematurely. Counted out. Prematurely.” Ham said. “I’ve had some great interactions with Russ, in person, over dinner, over the phone, over text messages. I love Russell Westbrook, man. Just his mentality, his approach. Just to see him, a guy of that magnitude and everything he’s done in the league to get hated on.”

Darvin Ham says Russell Westbrook has been ‘counted out prematurely’ and will start for Lakers

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 7, 2022

Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game on 44.4 per cent shooting from the field and 29.8 per cent shooting from three-point range. If he does stay in LA when the dust settles after this offseason, it’ll actually be a little surprising to see how he compensates for last season’s shortcomings.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant watched Michael Jordan and karate tapes!”: Tracy McGrady detailed insane vacation schedule that an 18 year old Lakers legend had in Paris

If indeed the Lakers fail to reach a common ground with the Nets in negotiations, despite Kyrie’s desire to play in LA, this year might have the biggest impact on the legacy of Westbrook and Davis if not the Lakers.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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