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The Beginning Of The End For Russell Westbrook

Wednesday night’s benching in the fourth quarter was the beginning of the end for Russell Westbrook.

The truth is, it should have happened a long time ago, but Westbrook’s name was too big for someone to dare sit him when the game was on the line. It’s become apparent steadily over time, that Westbrook’s good play no longer outweighs his bad play, and his time with the Los Angeles Lakers will likely be his last stop at a championship contender or a genuine title favourite (which the Lakers were prior to the season).

For years Westbrook’s shortcomings were overshadowed by his impressive box scores, but for anyone who religiously watched the NBA, he slowly transformed into the hardest superstar to win with in the league. The low efficiency shots, the turnovers, the out of control play, the missed layups, the stubbornness to adapt, the inability to play off the ball, the non-existent floor spacing, the low IQ, have all come to light this season when the microscope has magnified in LA.

Westbrook is by no means a bad basketball player, but as a “star” who’s making $44 Million this year, and $47 million next year, his deficiencies are so detrimental to a team that his market value is basically zero unless a team is seeking a salary dump in the coming seasons.  

If Westbrook really wanted to salvage his time at the Lakers, he’d ask to come off bench and lead the second unit in a limited role that may not guarantee he ends games. But as we all know, he would never do that, his ego is too big and he simply can’t accept he isn’t the player he once was.

Is he the sole reason the Lakers are struggling? Absolutely no, but every play down the stretch that the ball is in Westbrook’s hands instead of LeBron James or Anthony Davis’ it’s a loss for the Lakers. The decision Frank Vogel made was the right one. 

Now, it looks as though Westbrook’s days are numbered and he’ll likely find himself putting up big numbers for a bad team in the near future. 

The sad truth is he’ll probably enjoy doing so as well.