Not many would have thought that the Los Angeles Lakers would make it this far in the season, what with their brutal 2-10 start to the season, but here they are. After a resounding Game 1 win in their second-round matchup against the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, LeBron James and the Lakers showed that they have all the makings of a championship contender, especially with how wide open the title race seems to be this season.
This essentially prompted a conversation between two Lakers outcasts in Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley, with the two expressing their desires to receive a championship ring from the Purple and Gold should they manage to do the unthinkable. But this desire only served to irk noted Stephen A Smith, who could not believe the audacity of the two former Lakers.
Speaking on ESPN's First Take, Smith blasted Westbrook and Beverley for wanting to receive a free ring despite not being on the roster when the Lakers turned things around.
āHell no [they don't deserve rings]. Can we stop? Are you kidding me? I got mad love for Patrick Beverleyā¦ Russell Westbrook, mad respect for him, future Hall of Famer, never cheats the game with his effort. Always brings it. But the reality is that the Lakers are better without you than they were with you,ā Smith said.
"Hell no [they don't deserve rings]. Are you kidding me? ā¦ I got mad love for Patrick Beverleyā¦ Russell Westbrook, mad respect for himā¦ The reality is that the Lakers are better without you than they were with you."
Agree with Stephen A. Smith? š¤pic.twitter.com/lxNtttgMsX
ā ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 4, 2023
Stephen A Smith is right; the Lakers seemed to be going nowhere fast with both Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley on the roster. Before their departure, the Lakers had a 25-30 record; since the trade deadline, the Lakers have gone 23-11, including the playoffs, a testament to the Lakers' better roster construction in the aftermath of trading the two polarizing guards.
Of course, some franchises give former members of their roster a courtesy ring when they win a championship. But in the Lakers' case, the idea seems very preposterous, seeing how Westbrook's production and fit alongside LeBron James relative to his contract hamstrung them for a season and a half.
For now, however, the Lakers will know that any championship talk is premature, especially when they're facing a Stephen Curry-led Warriors team that never knows when to quit.
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