At the commencing of the halftime present, Charles Barkley explained in passing, “I have to have to get something off my upper body.” And as always, the TNT crew had to go to split simply because you know the men normally run the clock out with all the banter. When they came back from crack, they gave Chuck the phase and he went on to discuss about how “they” have taken the pleasure out of basketball for Russell Westbrook.

“It is really time for the Lakers to transfer on… They have taken all his joy out of life and basketball.”
Chuck goes off on Russell Westbrook with the Lakers pic.twitter.com/ktevt7J0ns

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 19, 2022
In the initial fifty percent of the match, Reggie Miller was speaking about how Russ averaged 18-7-7 past season, posing the rhetorical issue, “if you glimpse at most of the league would you want that PG on your crew?” The answer was an emphatic Certainly. At this place it poses the dilemma, what other outside variables are at engage in that could assist make clear why Russ is less than these scrutiny better yet, what could possibly have induced Russ to have the cheapest PPG considering that the 2nd yr of his profession?
Is it the strain of taking part in for the Showtime Lakers and possessing to live up to the greats? Is it simply because the ball gets operate by way of Lebron rather of him on offense? Is his desire in style finding in the way of his day job? Or does the harassment that Westbrook and his relatives have endured in his struggle to in good shape in with the Lakers have one thing to do with it?
I could see how all of those variables contributed to his lackluster performance last year, but I imagine #LakerNation, and all basketball fans for that make any difference, desires to give him a possibility to establish why he is a initial ballot corridor of fame.
You never just receive an MVP overnight.
It will take a great number of hours of determination to your craft. It’s hugely unlikely that Russ earns that form of award on this variety of Lakers workforce, but he is aware what it usually takes to be excellent. He’s also in his 14th year in the NBA, he’s no “young buck.”
The Lakers completed 11th in general in the NBA last time with a file of 33-49. Russell Westbrook played 78 game titles. Anthony Davis performed 40 online games and was out the rest because of to harm.
Could you envision seeking to find chemistry in your initially yr on a group with Lebron, when you experienced supposed on discovering that chemistry with Anthony Davis? There was no opportunity of the season’s video game system getting executed due to the fact of unexpected conditions, so there’s no feeling in using Frank Vogel or Russ as scapegoats. Regretably, Frank Vogel doesn’t have a likelihood to protect himself right after having enable go just 1 12 months just after winning a championship for one particular of the very best franchises of all time.
Russell Westbrook has the most triple-doubles in NBA historical past (194).
In Sport 1 of the 2022-2023 period, Russ had 19 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST. His match could not be really at 33, but he’s always heading to give his workforce 110% to check out and get the win.

Kyle Richards
I am a design and style thinker, a builder of electronic matters, and a organization believer in the electrical power of athletics.