Skip Bayless has completely lost hope in Russell Westbrook, after his time alongside LeBron James
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Fans of the Lakers didn’t have any expectations that were too high going into this season. And yet, they have been disappointed yet again by LeBron James and his crew.
While the franchise finally has some defense again, they can’t hit a barn door with a needle right now. In fact, the team as a whole is shooting 21.2% from deep right now, after 118 attempts. That’s just 25 made three-pointers.
But, for some reason, fans have elected to put a lot of the blame on Russell Westbrook, despite the whole team frankly being atrocious. But, out of nowhere, out came Skip Bayless, electing to share the blame by… dumping about half of it on LeBron James’s head instead.
Let’s dive into it, shall we?
Skip Bayless says it’s LeBron James’s fault Russell Westbrook is on the Lakers, laments on the latter’s weak displays
You can’t know of Skip Bayless, without knowing that he absolutely adores LeBron James.
If the King decided to shine his crown, Skip would be there, beautifully remarking how Michael Jordan did it better. If LeBron James tied his shoelaces on camera, the 70-year-old would be on TV, crying about how elegantly Jordan did it.
Heck, the man was probably there at every one of James’s children’s births, probably remarking how Michael Jordan’s ex-wife did it better. Simply put, Bayless has been with the player every step of the way.
And just as the world was starting to come down on his teammate, he is here once again, choosing to include LeBron James in it.
Take a look at the talk show host’s rant on the matter below.
A USA Today piece calls Lakers lack of offseason moves ‘negligent’ of what’s left of LeBron’s prime years:
“LeBron is the driving force because he’s the face of the Lakers and league in Year 20. It’s still about LeBron James. It starts and finishes with him.” — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/5STWgmyaPl
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 25, 2022
This is one of those things where it’s hard to disagree with Skip Bayless.
At the end of the day, you have to imagine the King has some major influence on the front office’s decisions. So, if this has failed, he most definitely must shoulder at least some of the blame for it, alongside Brodie himself, of course.
However, it’s important to ask- Has Russell Westbrook really been as bad as they say?
Russell Westbrook deserves a chance
When it comes to Russell Westbrook and the Lakers, we do believe their time together should’ve elapsed.
However, when it comes to the player individually, frankly, he deserves far more leeway than what has been given.
There are many great players in the NBA who have been known to struggle when the season just begins. In fact, Trae Young has shot 32.4% from the field, and 25% from beyond the arc, over the last 3 games. But, he is given the benefit of the doubt because of how great a player he is.
And it’s something Russell Westbrook deserves too.
The man has shown the ability to get by his defender, despite them sitting deep during the last 3 games. He has taken several shots at the rim but just hasn’t had much luck with his finishing.
His playmaking hasn’t been bad at all either. It’s just a matter of finding his groove, while his teammates convert the dimes he throws them.
While his numbers are bad right now, the early signs from this season are anything but. And so, while his time with the Lakers is almost certainly up, fans shouldn’t count the Brodie out just yet.