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Recent reports suggest that Russell Westbrook could be on his way out of Hollywood in the near future. The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly held discussions with opposing teams about a possible trade for the former league MVP. Ben Simmons' name has emerged in the rumor mill, but it does sound like the Sixers have zero interest in bringing Westbrook to Philly.
This concundrum has presented itself as yet another opportunity for renowned broadcaster and bona fide LeBron James hater, Skip Bayless, to speak more slander towards the Lakers superstar. This time around, Bayless is saying that Westbrook has always been LeBron's safety net. That is, that James can always have Russ as his ultimate scapegoat if things don't work out.
In a recent episode of Undisputed, Bayless went on another all-out tirade against LeBron. The 70-year-old analyst started his lengthy rant by expressing his belief that LeBron should be fully accountable for the problems the Lakers are going through right now simply because he had a big hand in orchestrating this current team:
“I'm going a 100% LeBron, because you know and I know the buck stops there, with No. 6,” Bayless said. “He should have 100% say and 100% blame over this. You know and I know, if he had said no, it's not going to happen.
“Nobody can say no to [LeBron] in this franchise because he does run it, because he earned the right to run it.”
Bayless then went on to reiterate what he's been saying from the start — that this current Lakers squad just doesn't fit. At this point, however, Skip is (unsurprisingly) skeptical about the team being able to figure things out eventually:
Article Continues Below“I said this was gonna be a disaster, Bayless continued. “Now, I sit back and say, I'm sure he hasn't given up on it yet, because we've still got a long ways to go. But we see the handwriting and the reports that they're having internal discussions about, ‘How can we get out from under this?' … I just think it's virtually impossible.”
According to Skip Bayless, LeBron knew what he was doing all along. James had a clear appreciation of Westbrook's reputation and that at the end of the day, LeBron knew he could throw Russ under the bus if the situation called for it:
“I told you from the start, I believe LeBron looked at this two ways, it's the two-edged sword. He said, ‘If I can pull this off with Russ' — and maybe he still believes he can — he's saying, ‘If I can pull this off, I'll show the whole NBA world I did something nobody thought I could do.' If it doesn't work out, Russ is obviously a lightning rod for criticism. … The GOAT always needs a scapegoat. Russ can be the ultimate scapegoat. If this thing goes south you just say it's his fault and everybody will agree.”
Report: Lakers have had internal discussions to trade Westbrook
"This is 100% on LeBron. I said this is gonna be a disaster. The Lakers should try to get out from under Russ but it's virtually impossible" — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/fH3YIprU1p
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) December 15, 2021
Bayless has never been a fan of LeBron and this isn't the first time he's criticized the Lakers superstar. However, this just feels like an all-out attack not only on LA, but on LeBron's personal character as well. To even imply that LeBron James is this schemeing and manipulative is just too much. We are all familiar with the four-time NBA champs' competitive nature and we are all aware of his incessant desire to win, but could you really imagine LeBron going to these lengths to succeed?
