Bill Oram believes LeBron James's partner is dragging the team down; says talks of Russell Westbrook getting benched details the problem
It's been a bumpy ride for the UCLA alumnus and California born guard Russell Westbrook since joining the LA Lakers. The 6-foot 3-inches NBA All-Star was poised to win his first championship title with the Lakers as his trade was one of the most talked about moves. Joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis to form the Big 3 in the purple and gold franchise excited the fans.
The supposedly beautiful story of dreams coming true turned sour as Russ continues to struggle to turn his fortune around at LA Lakers. He has been blamed largely for the Lakers' terrible run this season. He currently averages 18.1 points, his lowest since his sophomore season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
On the Bill Eisen Show, The Athletic's NBA writer Bill Oram was confident that the Lakers are dead in the water and that any hopes of winning a title are long gone.
"The fact that you've got a guy making $45 million and the possibility of benching him is in play, really tells you about what a problem the Russell Westbrook acquisition has been. He (LeBron) has a co-star or a partner out there that is dragging the team down."
Has Russell Westbrook lost favor from the LA Lakers coaching staff?
Russell Westbrook has featured in all but one LA Lakers game played this season. Amongst the roster, he has made the most appearances (61), with Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony coming close with 56 and 54 games respectively. Time and time again, coach Frank Vogel has trusted the 9-time All-Star by giving him more playing time.
ESPN Sources: There’s an increasing push among many in the Lakers organization to demote nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook from the starting lineup, but so far coach Frank Vogel has resisted bringing him off the bench: es.pn/3sKJXe5
But then again, so will every coach if the player is earning a mammoth $45 million per season. Is it time to reduce his playing time and give someone else the opportunity? Bill Oram seems to think so during his conversation with Vogel, who happens to be considering all angles.
"Russ made it about how his role has changed every single night and I asked frank about that and he said we coached the whole team... blah blah blah and then I said have you considered, you know, this is something to get talked about, like, is bringing Russ off the bench a possibility and I think it's telling that he did not dismiss it. He didn't say yes, but he said we talked about everything."