“LeBron got caught up in the star power….Westbrook is fraudulent” - Skip Bayless reacts to Magic Johnson saying LeBron James is to blame for the Lakers not getting DeMar DeRozan
NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has come under immense criticism this season for the roster assembled by the team as the performances have been below average.
On Fox Sports' morning show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, Skip Bayless lambasted King James for acquiring Russell Westbrook instead of DeMar DeRozan as the duo have failed to establish chemistry all season long and the team is on the verge of not making the Play-In tournament. Bayless said:
"LeBron got caught up in the star power of a guy who for last five years had averaged a triple-double, it's impossibly great. The problem is Westbrook isn't Magic. Like, Westbrook to me, got exposed. Westbrook is fraudulent because he is a stat machine who only cares about his personal stats."
The pace at which Russell Westbrook has played this season has often been a problem for the Lakers as the oldest roster in the league simply cannot live with the speed of Westbrook.
That, coupled with the injuries the Lakers have suffered, has contributed to the franchise potentially not even making the Play-In tournament this year.
Magic says LeBron is to "blame" for Lakers passing on DeRozan
“LeBron got caught up in the star power of Russell Westbrook. But Westbrook got exposed, he's fraudulent.” — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/PbiYun9ssz
Why has it gone so wrong between LeBron James and Russell Westbrook this season?
Russell Westbrook's return to his native Los Angeles to play for the LA Lakers alongside LeBron James this season was viewed as a homecoming that would bring the championship to the franchise this season. However, things haven't panned out that way with the team outside the Play-In spot with a 31-47 record.
The former OKC Thunder superstar has a history of not getting along with other superstars on the court either. He has struggled to establish chemistry with the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, although the latter has missed a lot of games this season and the trio have not played that many games together in a stretch of games.
Russell Westbrook stats without Lebron James this season : 17 games
- 21.4 Ppg
- 8.6 Apg
- 8.1 Rpg
- 44.8 Fg%
- 35.7 3pt% ( 4.9 Attempts )
- 72.2 Ft%
Russ is better as main ball handler and would be better if he was not being used as a spot up shooter https://t.co/Gud3rzRkXz
The duo of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook on the court together has not worked because of the lack of threat from the perimeter of both the players, although King James possesses far more threat from range than Westbrook. This led to the paint being packed with both of them trying to do most of their damage inside the arc.
The Lakers and Westbrook's defense have also been shockingly poor this season. His team is ranked 23rd in the league in defensive ratings and this along with the turnovers he is generating (3.8 per game), coupled with his exhorbant salary of over $44 million, made him an almost immovable prospect before the trade deadline day as the franchise considered cutting their losses and trading him to another team.