Although Russell Westbrook is listed as the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, he apparently doesn’t feel that he is truly playing the position.
When a reporter referred to him as a point guard, Westbrook snickered.
The Lakers traded for Westbrook last summer presumably to give the team more speed and athleticism, a legitimate third scoring option and to reduce LeBron James’ workload.
The results have been mixed. Although Westbrook has often played well, he has had some bad shooting games, as well as performances where he has turned the ball over too much.
He is effectively L.A.’s secondary ball-handler, as James is still its main decision-maker, especially in crunch time.
Westbrook’s somewhat inconsistent play and the Lakers’ poor 21-20 record has had the team’s fans calling for him to be traded for many weeks now.
However, trading him for a package that would be satisfactory for L.A. seems to be next to impossible for several reasons, including Westbrook’s huge contract.
The Lakers have been showing signs of improvement as they have been starting to near full health. They won four games in a row and five of six until losing on Sunday to the Memphis Grizzlies.
At the end of the day, the only viable solution is for the team to win games consistently for the rest of the season, even if Westbrook’s play is still somewhat up and down.
