Darvin Ham, the new Los Angeles Lakers head coach, praised Russell Westbrook right from his first day. Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets has said that, despite rumors of trades, he still wants to be with the Lakers. However, if another team offers him a contract, it would only be for a limited time.
Westbrook should be more able to manage the offense with Coach Ham at his side than he was last season. This should allow Westbrook to return to his best. In a recent interview, Ham stated that Marc J. Spears from Andscape was the one to watch.
“Counted out prematurely. “Counted out prematurely. Prematurely … I’ve had some great interactions with Russ, in person, over dinner, over the phone, over text messages. Russell Westbrook is my hero. His mentality and his approach are what I love about Russell Westbrook. Just to see him, a guy of that magnitude and everything he’s done in the league to get hated on.”
Ham added that Westbrook will “flourish” under his new game plan.
“I got a wholehearted plan, a clear plan on how I’m going to use him. It was shown to him and then he took it with him. I think he’s going to flourish.”
Darvin Ham, the new head coach of The Lakers’ Offense pic.twitter.com/3oNxdbu7Dq
— 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙗𝙝 ⁶𓅓 (@OVOLakeShow) June 16, 2022
If the Lakers don’t trade Westbrook for Kyrie, they have a plan B. Option B: To trade Eric Gordon or Buddy Hield, one of the two sharpshooters is available.
Frank Vogel was not the best coach for Westbrook last season. Westbrook spent much of his time watching LeBron Jam orchestrate the offense. Westbrook played point guard 13 years, where he orchestrated the offensive for any team, including the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets. It was obvious to Westbrook that he would not change his point guard play after thirteen years.
Westbrook’s average scoring output was 18.5 points, 7.4 boards, and 7.1 assists per contest, shooting 44.4 percent from the field. That is seen as a “down” year for Westbrook because fans have become accustomed to his triple-double averages.
Rob Pelinka (Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations) and the Nets General Management will meet during the Las Vegas Summer League Tournament. The Lakers will not trade Irving if they cannot reach an agreement on terms. Instead, their attention will be on Hield/Gordon.
After missing the playoffs last year, the Lakers can trade Westbrook for Hield or Gordon and make a deal. Their biggest problem was their three-point shooting. Hield and Gordon will certainly help.
If Westbrook gets a second chance with the Lakers, this time under Ham, he will play at a higher level, and help the Lakers reach the playoffs–while playing at a championship level.
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