Russell Westbrook Articles - Page 35

Russell Westbrook was cooking for the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half of their loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Unfortunately, he missed a would-be game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds, as the Lakers fell, 117-114. (Westbrook’s shot came with the Lakers down by two. The Lakers fouled on the rebound, and P.J. Washington sunk […]

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis out, Russell Westbrook channeled his inner Kobe Bryant against the Charlotte Hornets. Unfortunately, though, it was not enough to help the Los Angeles Lakers win. Westbrook exploded for 30 points in the second half after the Lakers fell by 16 points in the first 24 minutes of play. In […]

The rumor mill has been very active of late and one of the biggest talking points has centered around a sensational trade deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets involving Russell Westbrook and John Wall. According to reports, the Rockets have shown interest in potentially trading for the embattled Russell Westbrook as […]

Unfortunately for Russell Westbrook, he has emerged as one of the biggest scapegoats for the Los Angeles Lakers as the team continues to struggle at this point in the season. Critics and fans alike have now taken out the pitchforks as they continue to criticize the Lakers for their decision to trade for Russ during […]

For pretty much the entire 2021-22 NBA season, there has been rampant trade speculation regarding the Los Angeles Lakers. Every single player not named LeBron James, Anthony Davis, or Austin Reaves (seriously) has been bandied about at one point or another as possible assets for the Lakers to use to improve their team. No player […]

The Los Angeles Lakers could trade Russell Westbrook right now if they wanted to. As Marc Stein has reported on over the past week, they have an offer on the “proverbial table” to send Russ and a 2027 first-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for John Wall. Don’t count on it. As I […]

It now feels like a lifetime away when the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled Russell Westbrook as their most recent superstar acquisition. While there was some doubt as to Russ’ fit with the current Lakers roster, the majority of fans were just hyped that Mr. Triple-Double himself was joining LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest […]

Much has been made about how Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel made the bold decision of benching Russell Westbrook in the dying minutes of LA’s January 19th loss to the Indiana Pacers. As it turns out, team general manager Rob Pelinka played a major role in the immediate aftermath of the incident as […]

It’s no secret that it hasn’t been smooth sailing throughout Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s basically the biggest talking point of the season thus far. The latest report from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shines the spotlight on how certain voices from within the Lakers organization illustrate how they deal with Russell […]

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to stumble their way through the 2021-22 season. The Lakers are 23-24 on the season, which has them in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. As they continue to struggle, there has been plenty of discussion on how they can upgrade the roster. Unfortunately, Los Angeles just doesn’t have […]

There have been a lot of rumblings lately about a potential blockbuster deal between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets involving Russell Westbrook and John Wall. While it feels a bit farfetched, this is actually the only trade that would work for both sides because of the similarity in the two veteran’s current contracts. […]

The most talked about franchise in the association is finally close to welcoming a vital player back to their lineup. After missing 16 games, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis’ status has been upgraded to questionable for their Sunday night contest against the Miami Heat. With the Lakers continually racking up horrific losses, they sorely […]

After being benched late in the game during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, Russell Westbrook came out with a noteworthy bounce-back performance on Friday against the Orlando Magic. Russ helped LA cruise to victory against Orlando, 116-105, as the former league MVP looked to make the most out […]

The Los Angeles Lakers trade for Russell Westbrook can’t be considered a failure just yet. After all, there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played. But all the data gathered thus far as we go past the midway point of the season screams like it’s hurtling remarkably fast towards that conclusion. With the […]

Russell Westbrook has been the mascot for the Los Angeles Lakers’ chaotic season. His unhinged playstyle is a perfect match for a team with so much drama. This past week has been especially dramatic but it ended on a high note. In a 116-105 win over the Orlando Magic, Westbrook recorded 18 points, 11 rebounds, […]

With the downfall of the Los Angeles Lakers this season, many have been blamed. Frank Vogel got a ton of slack for not incorporating the summer additions well enough. Anthony Davis was critiqued because he was unavailable most of the time, due to injuries. Even LeBron James had some criticism thrown his way, due to […]

Carmelo Anthony is no stranger to outside noise. The Los Angeles Lakers veteran was the franchise player of the New York Knicks for more than half a decade – the man knows how to deal with scrutiny. After their 116-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday night, Melo was asked during the postgame press […]

We’re going to learn a lot about the Los Angeles Lakers over the next five games. Forgive me for not overreacting to an eventually-comfortable win over the 8-39 Orlando Magic at the Amway Center. That said, the Lakers needed to beat Orlando at the end of a chaotic week that included the best win of […]

Tensions were high after Frank Vogel’s decision to sit Russell Westbrook late in the Los Angeles Lakers’ loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. But Vogel and Westbrook seemed to have buried the hatchet right away for the Lakers next game two days later, a relatively easy win over the Orlando Magic, 116-105. The […]

Russell Westbrook played a solid all-around game in the Los Angeles Lakers (23-23) important 116-105 bounce-back win over the Orlando Magic (8-39) on Friday at the Amway Center. Westbrook — who was benched in crunch time of the Lakers loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday — responded with 18 points (8-of-17 shooting), 11 rebounds, […]

Against all odds, there may exist one path for the Los Angeles Lakers to trade Russell Westbrook. According to Marc Stein, Westbrook’s former team, the Houston Rockets, could be willing to re-acquire Russ in exchange for the exiled John Wall … if the Lakers include their 2027 first-round pick in the deal. For the rebuilding […]

A lot has been said about the Russell Westbrook situation with the Los Angeles Lakers, particularly with the recent turn of events that saw Russ being benched late in the game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Anthony Morrow, an ex-teammate of Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has now chimed in on the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers may find a trade suitor for Russell Westbrook, after all. The chances remain extremely slim, but, according to Marc Stein, one of Westbrook’s former teams may be willing to take on the nine-time All-Star and his mammoth contract. Here’s what Stein wrote on Substack on Friday: I have been advised that […]

Russell Westbrook has yet to find his footing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Even as the purple-and-gold fall further down the standings amid his sustained personal struggles, though, the nine-time All-Star remains committed to the Lakers’ ultimate goal. In his first extended media appearance since being benched by Frank Vogel down the stretch of Los […]

The roller-coaster ride that is the Los Angeles Lakers’ season continues with its ups and downs. With rumors swirling around the job security of Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, he made the controversial decision to bench Russell Westbrook in the final minutes of their game against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The Lakers had […]

If you haven’t discussed the Los Angeles Lakers at one point or another, then the 2021-22 NBA season didn’t really happen. While the rest of the contenders are gaining steam heading into the second half of the campaign, LeBron James and Co. are still trying to figure things out. To many, the one that sticks […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a real mess right now. Aside from the fact that they haven’t been winning basketball games, the newest controversy to rock the squad was Frank Vogel’s shocking decision to bench Russell Westbrook in the closing minutes of Wednesday’s 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Reports have already emerged about […]

Russell Westbrook did not speak to the media after he was subbed out for the final three minutes and 52 seconds of the Los Angeles Lakers’ home loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. However, based on his immediate reaction to Frank Vogel’s bold decision, the nine-time All-Star earning $44 million did not seem thrilled […]

The boiling seat under Frank Vogel only got hotter after the Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Indiana Pacers, 111-104, on Wednesday night at Crypto.com Arena. The ugly result — Indy’s first road win since November — dropped the Lakers back under .500 (22-23) and negated any positive momentum they accrued from their win over […]

Embattled Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel made the bold decision to bench struggling star Russell Westbrook for the final 3:52 of the Lakers’ 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Vogel’s rationale for the decision was that he wanted to play the players he “thought were going to win the game.” […]

It’s a poorly kept secret that the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing their due diligence on a potential Russell Westbrook deal. The team may deny having any interest in parting ways with a player they traded for just a few months ago (and they gave up quite a haul, too) but it’s hard to […]

Los Angeles Lakers fans and critics alike are now looking back at this team’s offseason moves with a bit of regret. Now with the benefit of hindsight, it appears that the Lakers trading for Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards was not really the best decision for the franchise. It’s no secret that LeBron James […]

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel’s seat is hotter than ever. The Athletic’s Bill Oram and Sam Amick reported Vogel is being “evaluated on a game-to-game basis and remains at risk of being fired soon if the progress doesn’t continue, sources said. It’s unclear how much Monday’s win relieved the pressure that surrounds him.” […]

Russell Westbrook submitted his entry for dunk of the year on Monday night as he tried to end the career of Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. It’s one of the most emphatic dunks you’ll ever see from Westbrook and apparently, even Los Angeles Lakers teammate LeBron James could not agree any more. LeBron was at […]

Entering Monday, 33-year old Russell Westbrook — perhaps the most athletic point guard ever to play basketball — had converted under 60 percent of his dunk attempts since joining the Los Angeles Lakers. According to The Basketball Index, he was the most effective player in basketball at creating shot opportunities around the cup, but the […]

Russell Westbrook has been heavily criticized of late after what has been a terrible first half of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. Russ is well aware of all the slander and on Monday night, he decided to release his full wrath on Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert. The Lakers guard found himself […]

Here’s the good news: Anthony Davis is reportedly expected to return to the Los Angeles Lakers before the end of the month. Here’s the bad news: Basically everything else. The Lakers’ problems run much deeper than the absence of Davis (and Kendrick Nunn, for that matter). Los Angeles is 8-8 without AD this season and […]

All is not well in Laker Land. After Los Angeles’ 133-96 drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, icon Magic Johnson put the present-day Lakers on blast for their supposed lack of effort. The Hall of Famer took to Twitter to express his frustrations with LeBron James & Co: After being blown out by […]

It’s been an incredibly frustrating season for Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers. A team billed to be a championship contender has been troubled by injuries and a lack of cohesion. As a result, the Lakers sit at an even .500 record instead of dominating the NBA as they would’ve hoped. The frustrations from […]