It didnāt take long before NBA circles realized that Russell Westbrook wasnāt going to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers. He wasnāt 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 heās no longer on the team, GM Rob Pelinka admitted that the team wasnāt going to meet its expectations with him there.
NBA News: Rob Pelinka Admits The Lakers Failed With Russell Westbrook
āWhen we did the Russell Westbrook trade, we did it with the hope of bringing a championship ā having a big three,ā Pelinka explained. āClearly, we fell short of that. But when somethingās not working, as a general manager, your job is to fix it.ā
āNo one has a perfect track record,ā the GM added.āBut when you feel like a team isnāt performing the way itās supposed to you gotta rearrange the parts. And that was sort of what we did at the trade deadline.ā
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 werenāt fair to Russ. Now, heāll get a final shot to end his career on a high note, even if itās not on a championship contender.





