“They can be the next Kobe and Barnes” Jeanie Buss brings out legendary comparison for duo of Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook
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Jeanie Buss, the President and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, has finally shed light on the recent acquisition of Patrick Beverley and the situation with Russell Westbrook. On a segment with The Athletic, The President dismissed rumors of Westbrook’s trade now that Beverley is there, to emphasise herself she took the example of a legendary duo from Lakers history.
Matt Barnes and Kobe Bryant were two of the toughest players of the game, the infamous game in Orlando where Barnes is about to inbound the ball but fakes it right in Kobe’s face, but the mamba does not even flinch and remains unfazed. The game saw a few altercations between the two one that was almost physical. That game remains to be one that highlights the greatness of Kobe Bryant and his mentality and presence even in a tense situation. The game also was a turning point for Barnes, as the mamba gained respect for the guard and ended up making the Lakers sign him.
On the Athletic, Buss stated, “I remember all the videos that circulated when the Lakers brought in Matt Barnes and his relationship with Kobe over the years as one of the best defenders of Kobe and now he becomes teammates with Kobe. We’ve seen these storylines before.”
“Pat Beverley was put here to play defense, to be that guy that knows how to push his teammates, sets an example with how he approaches his job.He just brings that work ethic that we value, that coach Ham values and is going to be a leader in the locker room. It has nothing to do with Russ. People love to pull up storylines and create something, but that isn’t the case.”
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Kobe-Barnes Different From Westbrook-Beverley
While there are similarities between the two pairs, Kobe and Barnes while fierce towards each other, and there was really no hatred between the two. In the other case for Russell Westbrook and Pat Beverley have expressed publicly that they don’t like each other and with a rivalry that has been going on for almost a decade ever since Pat Beverley accidentally injuring Westbrook’s right knee in the 2013 playoffs. And Beverley on a podcast stated that he believes Westbrook is the reason of the bad image that he has garnered in the NBA, “He damaged my career. Coaching staffs, players, fans, they looked at me way different.”
With Jeanie Buss stating that she considered Russell Westbrook was the best player on the last season, it does sound very much like Westbrook may not after all be traded though nothing can be said for sure at the moment. But if Brodie were to stay, Beverley and him would have to work their differences out that have been malicious and personal, which the Lakers management and front office are probably hoping the two guards do before the season or even training camp starts. Many people believe that if the two are able to hash things out and work together with the Lakers adding more depth to their roster, they can be a legit title contender, while nothing can be said for sure, The Lakers will have to somehow solve the differences between Westbrook and Beverley.
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