Colin Cowherd: “Boats don’t sink because of the water around them, boats sink because of the water you let into the boat. LeBron let Westbrook into the Lakers. This was going to be a great year and now they’re sinking. LeBron and Westbrook like each other. The Lakers didn’t really want Westbrook, Vogel didn’t want him, but they brought in Westbrook. I thought it was fairly obvious why they were bringing him in. NOT for the playoffs – get him away for the playoffs. Old roster, AD is always hurt, LeBron increasingly so, Carmelo the same, bring him in, 30 minutes a night, just get production out of him – he’s a hustler. Last night he was benched. This is the danger of bringing in fading stars. Frank Vogel had to ask permission in the last week just to put him on the bench in certain spots. For Westbrook, it’s his fourth team in four years. Vogel benching Westbrook sounded completely reasonable to me but LeBron and Carmelo were coddling, ‘I HOPE WESTBROOK IS OKAY!’ But what if it isn’t? So what. Fourth team in four years, outrageously expensive. Carmelo is very well-liked on that roster I am told. He’s very supportive of players. Westbrook isn’t. Westbrook couldn’t get along with KD, couldn’t get along with Harden, couldn’t get along with LeBron. Why? He’s kind of selfish. He won’t do the screens, he doesn’t want to play defense, and he’s not really there to support his teammates like Melo is. Carmelo Anthony at some point came to terms that he’s a bench guy. Westbrook still sees himself as ‘IT’S JUST A SLUMP! IT’S JUST A SIX-YEAR SHOOTING SLUMP! I'LL BREAK OUT OF IT ANYDAY NOW!’ They didn't go asking Westbrook to carry them to a title, they just needed minutes. Almost everyone works with LeBron and he can’t even do this. Westbrook needs a long and hard look in the mirror. He’s like Cam Newton, the game has moved beyond him. What the game asks of stars now he doesn’t do well. You have to ask Westbrook now to bench him in key spots? The babysitting and coddling for Russell Westbrook, they don’t do that in baseball, they don’t do that in football, they don’t do it in soccer, and I don’t think they do it in hockey. You’re almost to the point in a Westbrook deal, and this is shocking to me, that you’re better to just write it off and move him. Just get him out of the locker room… Memo to NBA front offices: don’t give special treatment to players who are no longer special. Westbrook isn’t.” (Full Video Above)
Listen to Colin Cowherd explain why he thinks the Lakers should look to move Russell Westbrook as soon as possible, as the 33-year-old has watched his statistics plummet in January, shooting just .320 from the field this month, with only 13.8 points and 5.1 assists.
The Lakers dipped under .500 again Wednesday night after a home loss to lowly Indiana, and it came less than a week after their humiliating 37-point loss to Denver.
After finishing his third consecutive season averaging a triple-double with the Thunder after the 2018/2019 season, Westbrook has had disillusioned stints with the Rockets, Wizards, and now Lakers.
The NBA Trade Deadline is Thursday, February 10th.
Check out the video above as Colin details why it might be time for Los Angeles to pull the ripcord on a guy who the team doesn’t want anywhere near the floor come playoff time, if the comatose Lakers can even navigate through the play-in games.
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