It didn’t take long before NBA circles realized that Russell Westbrook wasn’t going to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers. He wasn’t a good fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he seemingly refused to make adjustments.
Coach Darvin Ham got Westbrook to come off the bench, and he was excelling at that role. However, LeBron James commenting he wanted the team to get Kyrie Irving made it clear that he had overstayed his welcome.
So, the Lakers finally pulled the plug and found a trade partner for the former MVP. And now that he’s no longer on the team, GM Rob Pelinka admitted that the team wasn’t going to meet its expectations with him there.
NBA News: Rob Pelinka Admits The Lakers Failed With Russell Westbrook
“When we did the Russell Westbrook trade, we did it with the hope of bringing a championship – having a big three,” Pelinka explained. “Clearly, we fell short of that. But when something’s not working, as a general manager, your job is to fix it.”
“No one has a perfect track record,” the GM added.”But when you feel like a team isn’t performing the way it’s supposed to you gotta rearrange the parts. And that was sort of what we did at the trade deadline.”
Westbrook reportedly refused to be held accountable and was difficult to coach, albeit other reports state that he was always a great professional and a solid teammate. Whatever the case, it was clear that his future was away from Los Angeles.
He may have been tough to deal with for the coaching staff, but Lakers fans weren’t fair to Russ. Now, he’ll get a final shot to end his career on a high note, even if it’s not on a championship contender.