A Lakers fan’s handbook to the understanding of Russell Westbrook

The website Lake Show Life has dealt with some polarizing Los Angeles Lakers players in the last couple of seasons. Kyle Kuzma, Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Danny Green all stood under the heat lamp at times in the comment sections. Even Dennis Schroder dominated debates for the one season that he was in Los Angeles.

But Russell Westbrook told the rest of those cats…Hold my beer!

Russell Westbrook officially got the KCP treatment after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day. It was their fifth game in a row to fall to a then-record of 16-18. Even though Russell Westbrook had a triple-double of 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, he was bad, real bad. He left the arena and left LeBron James and David Fizdale to play clean-up on aisle zero citing his effort and decision making.

When Russ talked a couple of days later, Stevie Wonder could see the cracks in the foundation of his confidence.

This quote was made after shooting 4-20 and missing LeBron James (who jumped in the zone he’s still in!) wide open in the right corner to drive to the basket only to get it blocked…by the rim.

But it was this statement that he made after turning the ball over nine times (seven in the first half!) against the Minnesota Timberwolves without their best two players. Before you read what he said via CBS Sports, understand he only hit seven shots in that same game.

"“My game is not predicated on shots or if I turn the ball over. Like, I miss some shots, that’s part of the game. I’m allowed to miss shots. I can do that. Like any other player, I can do that. I can turn the ball over, too. I can do that. That’s all a part of the game…When you watch a basketball game and figure out what impact making the right plays, boxing out, rebounding, whatever that may be, making the right play, making the right reads, that’s all about being a basketball player.”"

Well, the media personalities are circling.

ESPN’s Zach Lowe on his podcast:

"“I think it’s just time to call a spade a spade,” Lowe said. “Russ is not a superstar, whatever your definition of a superstar is. And when I hear that word, what I hear is ‘could make an All-NBA team this year’ kind of player. Russ just isn’t that player anymore.”"

Our personal favorite quote is from Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe: (Video here at the 13:13 mark)

"“Russ is like that pretty girl at a rival school that makes you say if she was my girl, I’ll treat her like a queen and then when you get her, you realize why all the dudes left her. That’s how Russ is everywhere, everybody. ‘Man, look how hard he plays. He rebounds, he assists, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then when you get him, you realize why all the other dudes left said beautiful girl. Now you realize why all the other said teams said ‘nah, we good without you.’ “"

But here’s the seriousness of the Russell Westbrook failed experiment to this point…

To be fair here, Westbrook has had slow starts in his previous two seasons and has rebounded well. But believe it or not, the Los Angeles Lakers are near the halfway point of the season. Many are checking the calendar waiting for Westbrook’s improvement to kick in.

Right now it’s not looking good for Russell Westbrook or the Los Angeles Lakers.

• Westbrook’s free-throw attempts are down and he is shooting a career-worst 65 percent from the line.
• His turnovers were always a problem over his career, but this is ridiculous.
• His offensive rating is the worst of his career since his rookie season.
• Never a great shooter (Being kind!), but he’s having one of his worst seasons shooting the ball from all over the floor. Oh, this includes layups.
• What’s worse? His overall net negative impact to his team when he’s on the floor. His overall estimated plus-minus is -0.9, the worst of his career.

Oh, by the way, Russ’ zero turnover game? Pay attention folks. The Lakers took the point guard responsibilities from him and gave it to LeBron. Yes, the man is playing point center. That’s how bad things have gotten for Russell Westbrook.

Lake Show Life is proud to present a feature that every Los Angeles Lakers fan will need for the rest of this season and the next. A complete Russell Westbrook handbook that will provide complete understanding for every turnover, bad shot, missed open shooter and blown layup for the immediate future.

Over the next several (Oh we have a minute for this article!) pages, there’s total in-depth analysis to break down all of the frustrating questions that have been asked from Lakers Nation from this site to all social media over the internet.

The staff recommends that you save this link and pull it out for every game for the rest of Russ’ tenure in the purple and gold. Why? Because despite what article you have read throughout this season…THERE IS NO WAY THIS DUDE IS BEING TRADED!

The Lakers are stuck with him in the lineup and you the fan are stuck watching his shots carom off the side of the basket from the left side.

To get total context here, Lake Show Life has to go back in time to when Russ was just known as Russell Westbrook. Let’s get started…

Ever heard of those basketball players that came out of nowhere and exploded at the right time? Well…Russell Westbrook! 

The staff of Lake Show Life realize that the Russell Westbrook stans are on edge after the first page, so we will make this clear that this is not “slander” or “hate”. Everyone that has played in a college basketball program can play. Russell Westbrook had talent when he came into UCLA, but no one (Even the Bruins program!) knew of the diamond in the rough they were getting in Russ.

Westbrook came in as the backup to Darren Collison (Yes the guy the Lakers brought in on a 10-day contract and released. Small world huh?) and was used as a defender and energy player off the bench. In other words, he was not Stephon Marbury or Allen Iverson as his freshman averages of 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists would indicate.

This role probably would have continued for Russ if Collison didn’t get injured and he didn’t inherit the starting point guard spot. He took advantage of his opportunities finishing the season averaging 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals. He was named to the All-Pac-10 Third Team and took home the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award.

What was huge for Westbrook was the fact that UCLA advanced to the Final Four in both of  Westbrook’s seasons with the team. March Madness is the time to shine and make a name for potential scouts for NBA teams. Plus all eyes in sports (More than the NBA at the time!) are focused on this basketball extravaganza. Russ used his time wisely and left after his second year.

Now looking at the college statistics, Russ did not look good on paper, but taking a closer look at the highlights shows the passion and the motor that he has a reputation for today. He used that quality to get drafted in the lottery by the Seattle Supersonics one week before the franchise moved to Oklahoma City.

He then teamed up with the previous lottery pick from Seattle by the name of Kevin Durant. Even though the two had success in OKC. This was where the media got behind the Westbrook legend despite the obvious flaws Los Angeles Lakers fans see today.

Read on to see what Lake Show Life is talking about…

Sure there were other situations at play, but the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook partnership is the biggest “What If?” since Kobe/Shaq!

These two players along with Sam Presti finding another diamond in the rough that turned into a uber-superstar in James Harden deserved a serious high five from the NBA. See the move from Seattle was very unpopular then and it is now! There are still fan groups to this day trying to get a franchise in the great Northwest.

It only took two seasons together to lead the Thunder into the playoffs. Russ took off in his first season as the starter averaging 16.1 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season. OKC more than doubled their win total and finished with a 50–32 record to qualify for the playoffs. The next year? The Thunder made the NBA Finals, taking on the Miami Heat led by LeBron James.

In Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals here’s is this writer’s opinion where the “What if?” started. Russell scored 43 points on 20-32 shooting.

In a pivotal game where OKC could have evened up the series, LeBron and the Miami Heat erased a 17-point deficit to win the game and take a commanding 3-1 lead that was never relinquished. Seems a lot like some of the blown Lakers leads this season doesn’t it?

Notes from this series of note.

• If you thought Kevin Durant gave LeBron the business in Golden State, that was nothing compared to the work he put on him in this series. Durant averaged 30.6 points on nearly 55 percent shooting with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Many believed he could have averaged 40. Why? Russ didn’t give him a chance. KD was the unstoppable matchup. 
• In Game 4, despite Westbrook’s offensive explosion, he gave up 25 points on the defensive end to a young Mario Chalmers. In crunch time, Chalmers blew past Russ (Seen in video!) for a layup to put the game away. Up until this point in the series, he was ICE COLD!
• Meanwhile, LeBron finished with 26 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds. In other words, he used his teammates.
• In comparison, in the last 16:46 of the game, no Thunder player scored besides Westbrook and Durant. 

This is how the whispers of Russell Westbrook not knowing how to win the big one started. Sure, everyone mentions the 3-1 collapse that led to the departure of Kevin Durant…

But this scenario started a chain of events that the Los Angeles Lakers are paying for even more than the huge contract that they are stuck with. Read on and let’s decipher how KD’s departure defined Westbrooks legacy. 

Most will look at Russell Westbrook’s triple-doubles and his MVP season. Lake Show Life shows how the media can influence the MVP voting!

Before the discussion of how the sports media can influence NBA fans for years and create narratives, take a listen to Los Angeles Lakers superfan Shannon Sharpe after Russ’ nightmarish Christmas Day performance.

The shock of Kevin Durant leaving Oklahoma City to go to a team in the Golden State Warriors, who were down 3-1 in a playoff series may resonate still today. But while KD’s departure drew ire from many (On par with LeBron’s “Decision”!), it set up Westbrook for superstar status. That and it gave every reporter in the country a storyline for that season.

While KD was vilified for taking the easy way out to two championships, Russ was celebrated for his loyalty and not leaving when things go bad. While the media played that narrative for years, the Thunder hit him with a max deal of $205 million, a contract that the Lakers are now stuck with the back end of. With Westbrook as the only option with the championship players long gone, he made history by averaging a triple-double for an entire season since the Hall of Fame great Oscar Robertson.

The MVP was basically mailed to the Westbrook household on April 9th, 2017 when he not only broke the triple-double record but nailed the buzzer beater to lead a Thunder team that was supposed to be the worst in the NBA to the playoffs as a sixth seed.

This was the apex of Westbrook’s career. He went on to be Mr. “Triple Double”, but couldn’t get the Thunder out of the first round of the playoff even though Carmelo Anthony and Paul George were brought in for championship aspirations.

This is why Russell Westbrook is so defiant with how he plays. He got an MVP by playing this way. He always turned the ball over…always took bad shots (Remember this guy took over 40 shots in a playoff elimination game!) and even though he put up a truckload of stats, they never translated to playoff success. But let’s look at his MVP and ask a few questions.

• When was an MVP given to a player whose team was a sixth seed?
• How much power did Russ have in the OKC organization to be challenged to look at his flaws and improve?
• How frustrated was Kevin Durant when he kept watching Russ jack up shots when he had the hot hand?
• Did the media create a monster based on analytics and box scores? 

Ah…analytics. A basketball analysis tool that is used by all and at one time was the bottom line to every decision this NBA team made when they acquired Westbrook from OKC for a point guard that famously got them one hamstring away from the NBA Finals, Chris Paul.

Yes, the Houston Rockets led at the time by the analytics guru, Daryl Morey. It was here where Lake Show Life basically analyzed Russ’ weaknesses in the middle of the playoffs in the bubble! We even predicted he would be traded! Read on…

The combination of LeBron James…Anthony Davis…Rajon Rondo (and his brother!) showed the NBA world that he’s not a championship point guard!

To be clear here, Russell Westbrook’s short stint with the Houston Rockets started the narrative change of regardless of being able to put up some big numbers, it doesn’t guarantee an organization will be satisfied.

When Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta decided to change how the front office implemented a more advanced basketball analytics type approach using Russ’ style of play as a cautionary tale, one has to realize things are going south…

"“It’s analytics you don’t see in the box score,” he said. “You don’t see in the newspaper. It’s different analytics. It’s at a higher level. You can look at a box score and think, ‘Oh my God, this guy had a triple double, he must be great!’ Where this person really was inefficient and wasn’t very good.”"

Before Westbrook demanded a trade out of Houston to Washington for John Wall, he did average 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. However, he also committed 4.5 turnovers per game.

When the Rockets acquired Westbrook for Chris Paul, again the media narratives were in play here. Most thought CP3’s career was over. Even Lake Show Life bought in…

• Los Angeles Lakers Report: Was Rajon Rondo telling truth about Chris Paul?

But what most fans forget is that Paul almost led the Thunder to a first-round upset over the Rockets in the bubble. One fingernail from James Harden to block Lu Dort’s shot preserved a second-round matchup with the Lakers.

Now if there is anyone from Lakers Nation that wants to throw stones at the decision-makers of the Russell Westbrook trade…now’s the time. Here’s what the staff of Lake Show Life means when we say “They knew what they were getting!”.  Everyone got to see Westbrook’s meltdowns in 4k in the bubble!

After Houston took a 1-0 lead, the Lakers, led by LeBron, AD and Rajon Rondo, spent the rest of the series embarrassing Westbrook by baiting him into one-on-one matchups. They gave him an hour to shoot 3 point shots and they took him out of his game knowing the Houston offense would follow him out of the series.

As for poise? Remember the back and forth with Rondo’s brother?

Marc Spears of The Undefeated reported Russell Westbrook had words with Rajon Rondo’s brother.

"Lakers guard Rajon Rondo says his brother, William, called Russell Westbrook “trash” and nothing more and gave him the “Damian Lillard” wave when the Rockets star asked what he said. Rondo said his brother didn’t say anything more and he is hopeful there will be no discipline."

Championship point guards have to keep their poise much like Chris Paul, who he was traded for. Sure both players moved on from their respective teams (Russ to Washington and CP3 to Phoenix!) but look at how much things have changed. Chris Paul is being celebrated as a leader on a championship-level team that goes further than numbers and Westbrook is mired in trade rumors that some Lakers fans are praying to be true.

Well to those fans, Lake Show Life is going to burst your bubble. Russell Westbrook is not going anywhere. Why? Read on to get the reality of this situation…

No…Not the player, but all of the assets to match up with that $44 million this season and $47 million the next!

Although the Los Angeles Lakers mortgaged much of the decade getting Anthony Davis into the fold, at least most use the “We got a ring out of the deal” to fall back on.

The mortgage for the rest of the decade is gone for the time being with the Russ deal. There was absolutely no flexibility until Rajon Rondo was traded last week. As of this writing, the Lakers have to sign Avery Bradley for the rest of the season while wink at Stanley Johnson with 10-day contracts to save a buck.

But let’s look at the official deal again, shall we?

The Los Angeles Lakers received:

• Russell Westbrook and that $44 million salary this season and $47 million the next!
• 2024 and 2028 second-round picks.

The Washington Wizards received:

• The rights to Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
• The rights to the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft which turned out to be Isaiah Jackson (Kentucky), who traded the draft rights to the Indiana Pacers for Aaron Holiday. 

Now let’s throw in the fact that the deal hamstrung the Lakers so badly that they basically showed Alex Caruso the door by lowballing an offer to him that was next to insulting. The Lakers have no choice but to make this work. Why? Rumors are already out that the front office has explored trades but to avail.

Sam Amick of The Athletic: 

"All of which explains why sources say the Lakers showed some covert interest in discussing a possible Westbrook trade with rival executives earlier this season. A deal appears extremely unlikely before the Feb. 15 trade deadline, if only because his deal that was once seen by so many as untradeable is such a massive obstacle. But inside the Lakers, it seems, there is some recognition that this hasn’t gone as (James and Davis had) planned ."

How about Ben Simmons? Michael Scotto of HoopsHype asked Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer that question…

"Jake Fischer: The only outgoing call I confirmed was to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons… When I got the information that they called about Ben, the conversation pretty much was, “We’re interested in Ben. How would we get there?” The obvious solution is Russell Westbrook. He’s not a player on that Sixers list that they have."

Speaking of Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, he discusses the possibility of Russ’ departure despite the front office’s efforts…

"The trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook simply hasn’t blended as well as Lakers figures hoped, and Los Angeles has held internal discussions on trade scenarios for Russell Westbrook, league sources told B/R. But moving Westbrook and the two years, $91 million remaining on his contract does seem unlikely."

Now let the staff of Lake Show Life destroy some myths.

John Wall:

To anyone that believed this deal was going down at any time is a casual fan trying to get into the conversation. Either they forgot that he demanded to be traded or just skipped that last page of this article!

Kevin Love:

Umm…the Los Angeles Lakers had a cheaper version in Marc Gasol last year and they ran him into retirement. Vogel talks defense right? Love is worse defensively than DeAndre Jordan with a $25 million+ price tag! Even if the Cavs added Ricky Rubio, that is now a moot point with his season-ending injuries!

Myles Turner:

He plays for the Indiana Pacers, right?

LeBron James torched Myles Turner so badly that the Pacers had to switch Domas Sabonis on him. Give him credit, his awful defense from the center spot is the reason the Lakers play LeBron at center now! Oh and pay him a ton of money? PFFT! 

Honorable mention: Jerami Grant

Good luck selling the fanbase the benefits of trading Talen Horton-Tucker and Russ for a player that is out with an injury. Plus someone has to be the best player on a horrible team like the Detroit Pistons. Wasn’t Russ the best player on the Wizards based on the stats?

Well Lakers fans, this concludes our special handbook to understanding Russell Westbrook. We recommend that you pull this article out every game and go to certain pages when he frustrates you.

Will it make him play better? No. But it will save you money in TV repairs when you throw objects at each turnover or on a new TV set when you throw it out the window if he passes up LeBron or Melo to shoot in crunch time!