Darvin Ham deserves a lot of credit for the major transition Russell Westbrook embarked on during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers this season. While most folks believed that Russ would never accept his demotion to the bench, Ham found a way to make it work. For his part, Westbrook embraced the change, and it worked wonders for him and his team — at least to a certain extent.
The fact of the matter, however, is that this just wasn't enough to secure Westbrook's future with the Lakers. In the end, the front office still pulled the plug as they officially called time on Russ' time with the team. The former league MVP has since taken his talents across town. After securing a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz post-trade, Westbrook decided to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent.
For his part, Darvin Ham had nothing but kind words for Russ now that he's suiting up for the enemy:
“Well, I'll just say this: I appreciate Russ for everything he tried to do for us, for sacrificing, complying with my vision of him coming off the bench and having a more balanced lineup,” Ham said, via Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group. “I wish him well going forward, and that’s it.”
There's clearly no bad blood between Ham and Westbrook, and the latter's Lakers exit was nothing more than business. Be that as it may, you can be sure that Russell Westbrook will have some extra motivation when he faces off against his former team this season. That should be a treat.
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