LA Lakers News Roundup: Darvin Ham remains positive about Russell Westbrook, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope believes Nuggets could've beaten Lakers in 2020 Playoffs, and more | July 11th, 2022
The LA Lakers have taken the offseason by storm. They went from deciding to stick with Russell Westbrook, to potentially moving him to acquire Kyrie Irving.
Despite the rumors surrounding Westbrook, new head coach Darvin Ham has maintained his stance on the guard's impact. Ham believes the former MVP has plenty to offer and is excited to coach him in the upcoming campaign.
Meanwhile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope's statement in his latest interview as a Denver Nuggets player may not sit well with his former teammates and Laker fans. KCP boldly claimed the Nuggets could've beaten the Lakers in the 2020 playoffs had Anthony Davis missed the game-winning shot in Game 2 of the series.
More on the latest news circling the LA Lakers as of July 11th, 2022, below:
Darvin Ham says he’s excited to have Russell Westbrook next season
Darvin Ham has supported Russell Westbrook since arriving in LA as the Lakers' new head coach a few months ago. Ham believes the former MVP is far from done. The former NBA champion has outlined several ways how Westbrook could help the LA Lakers contend for the championship.
Ham spoke about turning Westbrook into a hard-nosed defender and making him adapt to various roles offensively. He sounded optimistic about the former OKC guard having a positive impact on the game.
During his recent appearance at the LA Lakers Summer League game against the Charlotte Hornets, Darvin Ham said this about Russell Westbrook:
“Russ in my opinion, he’s in great shape, he’s durable. And in this four out one in system, he’s going to have a chance to screen and roll and make plays in the half court. He’s going to have the chance run on the break, slash, get layups.”
Ham added:
"So, I'm excited as hell to have Russell Westbrook."
"I'm excited as hell to have Russell Westbrook"
New Lakers coach Darvin Ham has some high hopes 👀 https://t.co/sZA9SZj8Gy
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes bold claim about the Nuggets’ chances against LA Lakers in the 2020 Playoffs
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, one of the fan favorites with the LA Lakers, may have infuriated a few among the Lakers nation. KCP signed with the Denver Nuggets this offseason.
During a recent interview, the shooting guard praised his current team and spoke about their ceiling. KCP hinted that the Nuggets would be the team to beat when healthy.
He brought up their matchup against his former team, the LA Lakers, during the 2020 playoffs conference finals. KCP and the Lakers won the title that year. But he believes the Nuggets had a shot at beating them if Anthony Davis missed the game-winning shot at the buzzer in Game 2 of that series.
“I always tell people this story. If AD didn’t hit that 3, I think we would have lost that series. That’s what I think about this Denver team," said KCP (via Harrison Wind).
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on joining the Nuggets: “I always tell people this story. If AD didn’t hit that 3, I think we would have lost that series. That’s what I think about this Denver team.” https://t.co/GhMGGPXuB4
Andre Iguodala calls out the media over constant attacks on Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook had a tough first year as an LA Lakers player last campaign. The Lakers failed to qualify for the playoffs, and Westbrook was criticized heavily for underperforming.
His critics have relentlessly gone after him, and several players around the league have shown their support for Westbrook during this time.
Rich Paul wanted @stephenasmith to tell the world that the report he wanted the Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook and a pick for John Wall was "a damn lie."
silverscreenandroll.com/2022/2/21/2294… https://t.co/fUJue7JZvP
Warriors' free-agent forward Andre Iguodala was the latest to sound off on Russell Westbrook's critics. Here's what he said on his podcast show, 'The Point Forward' about this:
“When these headlines hit or certain news hits the wire, sometimes you gotta take a step back and say, ‘Why would this be put out?’ I get pissed when they always have Russell Westbrook’s news like ‘This package went, they declined it. This team declined Russell Westbrook, this team declined Russell Westbrook …’
“What are you really trying to do to this man? What did he do to y’all? ‘Cause, y’all just constantly keep doing this. What are you trying to accomplish?”