Lakers News: Russell Westbrook Situation Labeled as 'untenable' by NBA Expert
The Lakers have been quite deliberate about two things this summer: injecting youth into the roster and publicly saying all the right things about Russell Westbrook. Rookie head coach Darvin Ham has defended Westbrook at every turn and is hoping that his complimentary prose inspire Russ to play defense on the court. Ham has championed the guard in seemingly every interview as part of the Lakers campaign to convince the league they're willing to move forward with their most ill-fitting piece.
The Lakers Make-Russ-Great-Again media tour is a noble effort, but the NBA world, from Adam Silver to 10-year-old Lakers fans, is fully aware of the team's desire to find a suitable trade for the nine-time All-Star.
Despite all the rosy language from Ham, The Athletic's David Aldridge, who's covered the NBA for decades, reinforced the perils of the Lakers starting the season with Russ on the roster.
"L.A. still has to resolve the Westbrook situation, which seems untenable, despite Ham’s public statements that he wants to make a go of it with the nine-time All-Star."
Ham already has the challenging task of fixing a team that failed to even make the play-in tournament this past season. He's universally respected in league circles, but installing his offensive and defensive principles in training camp, connecting with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and managing a stubborn Westbrook who appears to be at odds with LeBron, isn't just another log on the fire. It's a Sequoia-sized redwood.
The Lakers can provide all the Westbrook lip service they want, but starting training camp this fall with Russ on the roster is far from ideal.
