"Whomever thought Russell Westbrook on the Lakers could help you win the championship, you are delusional" – Shannon Sharpe critical of decision-makers behind trade
Russell Westbrook's poor season for the LA Lakers has drawn continuous, immense criticism.
On Fox Sports' morning show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," former NFL star Shannon Sharpe lambasted the idea of Westbrook with the Lakers as he claimed everyone knew the combination wouldn't work. Sharpe said:
"First of all, they should have never put Russ in this situation. Russ should have never been on the Lakers. You know how you write a letter: 'To whom it may concern.' Well, whomever thought Russell Westbrook on the Lakers could help you win a championship, you are delusional."
Sharpe continued:
"Russ can play one style. Russ looked good from a distance. Once you get up close to him and see all the imperfections he has in his game, there is a reason why he has not come close to a championship game since Kevin Durant left."
The reason Westbrook is playing for the Lakers is because LeBron James wanted him there. The Los Angeles front office wanted to acquire Buddy Hield from the Sacramento Kings rather than Westbrook.
"You know how you write a letter: "To whom it may concern?" Well, whomever thought Westbrook on the Lakers could help win a championship, you are delusional. There is a reason he hasn't come close to a title since KD left him."
— @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/eCoDL6G9BN
Russell Westbrook and his history with superstars
Russell Westbrook, after being drafted fourth overall by the Seattle Supersonics in 2008, has played with some of the greatest players of all time. However, he has made the NBA Finals just once in his career, with Kevin Durant on the OKC Thunder in 2012.
Westbrook started by playing with KD, James Harden and Serge Ibaka for the Thunder but soon saw Harden and KD depart as the former wanted a bigger pay day while the latter went chasing championships.
Soon after, the Thunder managed to rope in Paul George as Westbrook had another superstar partner. Arguably the best season of George's career took place with Westbrook as his teammate, but they were eliminated by the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers early in the postseason.
Russell Westbrook career:
Made 53 game-tying/go-ahead FG in final min of 4th-qtr/OT, most in NBA since 2008-09 (made 2 Wednesday)
13-73 on potential game-tying/go-ahead 3-pt FG in final 24 seconds of 4th-qtr/OT (missed 1 Wednesday) https://t.co/yC18HD25kW
Thereafter, George made a move to the LA Clippers while Westbrook went to the Houston Rockets as the Thunder went into rebuilding mode.
Westbrook was reunited with his former superstar teammate Harden in Houston, and with Mike D'Antoni as their coach, they were a legitimate threat in the West. However, that ended with a first-round elimination at the hands of LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers.
Westbrook was on the move again, this time to the Washington Wizards, as he suited up alongside another star teammate in Bradley Beal. Beal went on to have the best season of his career as he led the league in scoring, but the Wizards did not advance out of the first round.
In August, the Wizards traded with the Lakers, with Westbrook coming to LA for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell. His first season with the Lakers (22-23) has not gone according to plan thus far, and there is little indication they will be able to turn their fortunes around.
Westbrook's inability to win a championship despite playing with all these superstars is a concern as many believe he is the issue. On the other hand, George and Beal have had their best seasons to date with Westbrook as their teammate.