“He shouted Russ is with us every time he touched the ball” Stephen A. Smith urges how Russell Westbrook cannot forget the disrespect shown by Patrick Beverley
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Russell Westbrook, Stephen A. Smith and Patrick Beverley
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise is dreaming of the ‘unimaginable’ of two veterans to pair. The news of Patrick Beverley joining the LA Lakers was shocking and even gave fuel to Westbrook’s probable departure from the franchise. With both, the players not sharing good memories on the court, NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes he cannot coexist with Russell Westbrook, even if they play for the same franchise.
Westbrook and Beverley rather had the most savage altercations on the court in the past. Both players played in opposition to date Beverly never backed down from enticing Westbrook into making mistakes, with his defense and by his mocking too. Last season, Beverley led the charge as the Minnesota Timberwolves players mocked Westbrook for shooting an airball.
Jeanie Buss provided positive statements for Westbrook recently. On “First Take,” the panel reacted to Jeanie Buss’ statement, after Smith talked about how she was right to change her initial statement of Westbrook being the best player of her franchise, he went on to talk about the Lakers’ new acquisition.
He said, “Anybody wearing the Lakers uniform has expectations. Which brings me to my point about Russell Westbrook and as it pertains to what Jeanie Buss has had to say. He never cheats the game with his effort. He always shows up when healthy. He earns his money, we got nothing to say in regards to that.”
Will Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley keep their differences aside and play together as pair?
Los Angeles Lakers did try making things work with Russell Westbrook last season, but the experiment failed and Westbrook was heavily criticized for his poor performances throughout the 2022 season. So he was expected to be traded in the following offseason, but the Lakers added the strangest piece into their roster in Patrick Beverley, which could be a masterstroke if it works well.
But many analysts are not accepting the fact that Westbrook and Beverley can jell well in the same team. Stephen a Smith, one such analyst said, “I’m not of the mindset that the combination of him and Patrick Beverley can coexist … . Patrick Beverley is a Hall of Fame agitator. This dude walks into a locker room and there’s a standard in a culture that he’s trying to infuse. And he will irritate his teammates just as much as he’ll irritate the opposition.”
Stephen A. Smith highlighted the rivalry that exists between the two players. It started with Beverley’s inclusion in the league and went on till last season’s match-up between the two. 54-year-old analyst recalled, “Patrick Beverley was one of the people that was screaming on the basketball court last year. When he was in Minnesota and Russell Westbrook playing against him. Patrick Beverley was one of the people screaming ‘He with us every time he touched the ball.”
The ultimate disrespect shown by Beverley could not be forgotten. Smith added, “‘Let him shoot, he with us.’ You see what I’m saying? Russell Westbrook ain’t the type of dude, that’s just gonna forget stuff like that. I don’t think stuff like that’s going to happen. So I think that they cannot coexist and it will have to change.”
But Los Angeles Lakers and head Coach Darvin Ham are of a different opinion. They see possible chemistry between Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook and even stated that they will reportedly play side-by-side on the backcourt.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins believes they could be the most dangerous defensive backcourt. He believes the defensive-minded guard will bring the best out of Westbrook so that Westbrook will be free from any defensive worries and the former MVP can focus on his offensive duties.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)