WEBVTT - 171. LeBron’s still got it 0:00:01.200 --> 0:00:07.560 The volume Lakers Tonight is presented by Fan Duel Sports Book. 0:00:07.640 --> 0:00:10.879 There's no better place to make every moment more than 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:13.000 with Fan Duel. It's a great place to bet on 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:15.760 the NBA. It's America's number one sports book, and you 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.560 get winnings delivered in as quick as two hours. Plus. 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:20.840 It's fun to combine multiple bets from the same game 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:23.640 into a same game parlay. If you are new, just 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.599 download Fan Duel sports Book app to get started. Now 0:00:26.800 --> 0:00:29.080 sign up with promo co Jason T so they know 0:00:29.240 --> 0:00:34.600 I sent you. 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In tennessee 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:40.840 redline dial one eight hundred eight eight nine nine seven 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:44.800 eight nine in Tennessee, visit www one eight dot one 0:01:44.840 --> 0:02:02.080 eight hundred gambler dot net in West Virginia. All right, 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:05.400 welcome to Lakers Tonight, presented by Fan Duel here on 0:02:05.440 --> 0:02:07.920 the volume. Happy Friday, everybody. I hope you all had 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.480 a great week. I hope you have big plans for 0:02:10.480 --> 0:02:15.280 the weekend. That was a hugely important Laker win for 0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:18.320 so many different reasons, not the least of which is 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:20.799 the fact that because the Pelicans lost tonight, they now 0:02:20.840 --> 0:02:23.280 have a two and a half game lead on the 0:02:23.360 --> 0:02:26.720 ten seat, which is immensely important for what they're trying 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:30.480 to accomplish. I guess if they intend to to try 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:34.120 to get out of the playing tournament, having that game 0:02:34.160 --> 0:02:37.680 at home is obviously a very big deal. This was 0:02:37.760 --> 0:02:40.519 a thirteen point win. You'd have to go all the 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:45.000 way back to January seven against the Atlanta Hawks for 0:02:45.120 --> 0:02:49.040 the last time the Lakers won a game this convincingly. 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:52.040 That's how rare this kind of thing has been. We're 0:02:52.040 --> 0:02:54.320 gonna break it all down tonight. I want to spend 0:02:54.320 --> 0:02:57.120 a good amount of time on Lebron and and just 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:00.359 because he deserves it for what he's putting forth here 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:02.560 in the last couple of weeks. We're also gonna talk 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:04.800 a little bit about Russ and his struggles and a 0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:07.519 little bit of a you know, seeing it juxtaposed against 0:03:07.600 --> 0:03:11.040 what he was sent away for is obviously frustrating in 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.280 a lot of different ways. We're gonna talk about Taylor 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.240 Horton Tucker, who flashed some crazy All Star place tonight. 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:19.359 We'll talk, we'll dig into him a little bit, and 0:03:19.400 --> 0:03:21.280 then if you guys stick around for the end. I 0:03:21.360 --> 0:03:26.680 want to share my thoughts after rewatching Brooklyn Philly in 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.800 some of the nitty gritty details about that matchup and 0:03:29.840 --> 0:03:32.280 what it might look like in a playoff series. But 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:34.800 I have to start with Lebron. So he finishes with 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:38.840 fifty points, seven rebounds and six six assists a team 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.280 for twenty five from the field. He is now currently 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:47.640 leading the NBA in scoring, which is ridiculous. I talked 0:03:47.640 --> 0:03:50.640 about this the other day. There are four players in 0:03:50.680 --> 0:03:54.800 the NBA right now averaging at least twenty nine points 0:03:54.800 --> 0:03:58.640 on at least true shooting, which is insane. That's just 0:03:59.120 --> 0:04:02.000 the We're in a golden age of NBA talent. You 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:05.880 could argue there are six or seven guys that are 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:09.800 top tier superstars right now. With the rise of Nicola Yokich, 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:12.400 and with the rise of Joel Embiide, and with the 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:15.320 rise of Luca don Chech. That's how deep the top 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:17.800 of the league is. And we are having some all 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:22.480 time great seasons that are being put forward by Janie Santana, Coopo, 0:04:22.720 --> 0:04:28.240 by Joel Embiat, young superstars in their absolute primes. Then 0:04:28.240 --> 0:04:31.160 we have Kevin Durant, who's also on that list of guys, 0:04:31.160 --> 0:04:33.160 who's averaging at least twenty nine and at least six 0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:36.400 true shooting. He is not quite as old as Lebron. 0:04:36.440 --> 0:04:37.839 He is a little older, but he's very much in 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:41.799 his prime. He's putting forth an all time great offensive season, 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:46.520 and Lebron is right there with them. It's you know, 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:49.840 Lebron went on his show. I think it was the shot, 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:51.919 but I can't even remember where I saw this clip, 0:04:51.960 --> 0:04:53.919 to be honest with you, but it was recent and 0:04:53.960 --> 0:04:57.640 he was lamenting his reputation as a score and the 0:04:57.680 --> 0:04:59.760 fact that he never gets credit for that kind of thing. 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:06.360 And I understand the sentiment behind where those people come from, 0:05:06.400 --> 0:05:08.640 the people that feel like Lebron is not a great score, 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:13.240 because what Lebron does lack is just that really really 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:18.000 fine tuned polish. Obviously, if you watch a guy like 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:20.800 Kyrie Irving dribbled the basketball, and you watch a guy 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:24.320 like Kyrie Irving and his footwork and his shooting ability, 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.960 it looks a little sharper. I wouldn't even say a little. 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.800 It looks a lot sharper than what you see from Lebron. 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:35.560 But too often that simple detail, that one esthetic detail, 0:05:36.200 --> 0:05:39.919 is used to undercut everything else about what makes Lebron score. 0:05:40.520 --> 0:05:43.080 Because even though he's not the most polished guy in 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:47.480 the league, he absolutely is skilled, as you've seen, especially 0:05:47.480 --> 0:05:50.600 there down the stretch, that crazy fade away he made 0:05:50.960 --> 0:05:54.520 over Kyle Kuzma over his right shoulder. That's an extremely 0:05:54.520 --> 0:06:00.880 difficult shot. That running, one legged, fading, floating double pump 0:06:01.000 --> 0:06:02.800 shot that he banked in off the glass in the 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.800 third quarter in his run. That is an incredibly difficult 0:06:05.800 --> 0:06:09.800 shot that takes a great deal of touch. Obviously, what 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.120 he does behind the three point line takes a great 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.360 deal of skill, So there is skill there, even if 0:06:14.400 --> 0:06:17.400 it's not the prettiest and most polished skill in the league. 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:20.680 And then obviously there's the physical element. The dude is 0:06:20.720 --> 0:06:24.400 like shock as a forward. He has this unbelievable physical 0:06:25.080 --> 0:06:27.320 set of physical tools that he can use to impose 0:06:27.400 --> 0:06:30.159 his will on the game. But the most important part 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:33.120 of it that people glance over is the way that 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:38.080 Lebron uses his brain to score the basketball. And he 0:06:38.160 --> 0:06:40.880 does so in two ways. One is with passing his 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:47.000 willingness as a passer. Throughout his career, his his relentless 0:06:47.080 --> 0:06:50.839 pursuit of making the right read on every single play 0:06:50.960 --> 0:06:53.800 has made it so that teams are reluctant to send 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:55.960 help at him a lot of the time. Not all 0:06:55.960 --> 0:06:58.600 the time, but a lot of the time, especially when 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:00.559 his teammates have it going the way they did tonight, 0:07:01.400 --> 0:07:05.440 and in those situations because he has passed himself into 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:10.480 single coverage, he is facing less individual defensive attention that 0:07:10.520 --> 0:07:14.560 helps him score. Another huge part of it is understanding angles. 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:17.400 How many guys have you guys seen in your lifetime 0:07:17.800 --> 0:07:21.120 at any level of basketball, including the NBA. The example 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.240 I think of all the time, it's like Ben McLemore. 0:07:23.320 --> 0:07:25.880 If you watched Ben McLamore do a workout, you would 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:28.720 think he's the most skilled player you know. You think 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.880 he's a top level skill, top top tier skilled level 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.840 shooting guard in the league. The problem is is that 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.720 he just never understood the angles and how to utilize 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:42.280 that skill to create shots. That's kind of what Lebron 0:07:42.360 --> 0:07:46.200 has absolutely down to a science. If he gets just 0:07:46.280 --> 0:07:48.760 that little bit of an inch of a step on you, 0:07:49.200 --> 0:07:51.360 he knows when he can press the issue when he 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:55.920 cannot press the issue. He understands the idea of leverage 0:07:56.440 --> 0:08:00.160 and getting even bigger, stronger defenders out of position so 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:01.760 that he can get to where he needs to go. 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.920 There are so many elements to what makes Lebron such 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.880 a great score, and so many people gloss over those 0:08:08.920 --> 0:08:12.760 elements to try to undercut it as stat padding or 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:16.360 he's just bullyball, He's just bullying people. And what they 0:08:16.400 --> 0:08:18.720 don't understand is he does have a great deal of skill. 0:08:19.240 --> 0:08:21.880 He does use his passing ability to get open. He 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.360 does have a scores mentality. He has that understanding of 0:08:25.360 --> 0:08:31.080 the intricacies of how to locate and identify opportunities in 0:08:31.160 --> 0:08:34.400 a defense to get to your own shot. And I 0:08:34.480 --> 0:08:37.760 hope that at some point, either soon or maybe it's 0:08:37.800 --> 0:08:40.360 after he retires, I don't know, but I hope that 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.960 at some point Lebron gets the respect that he deserves, 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:48.200 which is that he absolutely no question belongs on the 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:52.199 Mount Rushmore of NBA scores of all time. You have 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:55.199 to put him on that list and it will be signed, sealed, 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:58.520 and certified as soon as he passes Kareem at some 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:01.680 point in the next season. I was really happy for 0:09:01.720 --> 0:09:03.679 him that he had that kind of night, you know, 0:09:03.800 --> 0:09:06.800 and and I'm hopeful that over time he will convert 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:10.600 people into understanding what he brings to the table. For 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:12.280 those of you who are just joining us, this is 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.560 Lakers Tonight, presented by FanDuel Here. On the volume, we 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:17.040 were just talking about Lebron scoring. I wanted to take 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:19.360 a second to talk about his engagement level because I 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.480 thought it was immensely important at the beginning of the game. 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:25.920 I've been incredibly critical of Lebron over since the All 0:09:25.960 --> 0:09:29.080 Star break for his lack of intensity on the defensive 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:31.480 end of the floor and the way that that percolates 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.640 down the rest of the roster and has caused some 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.280 of the defensive issues that we've seen from the Lakers. 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:41.079 It's caused some of the un serious demeanor that we've 0:09:41.120 --> 0:09:43.960 seen from the Lakers. Those things are all related. That's 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:49.120 part of following your leader. And one of the things 0:09:49.120 --> 0:09:52.840 that's frustrating to me about that is I understand the 0:09:53.000 --> 0:09:58.520 idea that Lebron is in his nineteen season. I understand 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:03.360 the idea that it insane to ask him to be 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.640 one of the best players in the league after all 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:08.760 of the mileage that he has on his body. I 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:14.520 get that. But even under those qualifiers, what he was 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:19.559 giving wasn't enough, and it was directly impact in the team. 0:10:19.679 --> 0:10:24.480 I understand the sentimentalit, like I understand why, like tonight, 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:26.240 he tried in the first half and they were down 0:10:26.240 --> 0:10:30.080 seven after after two quarters. That's got to be frustrated 0:10:30.600 --> 0:10:32.920 when you're one of the best basketball players on the 0:10:32.960 --> 0:10:36.079 planet and you push your foot down on the gas 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:40.959 and it's not enough against the Washington Wizards on your 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:46.640 home floor. That's frustrating. So I acknowledge and understand why 0:10:46.760 --> 0:10:50.880 it's difficult. I know why he struggles with that. I'm 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:54.400 just saying it's not enough anyway, because had they lost 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:57.400 tonight for whatever reason, some shots don't go down, he 0:10:57.400 --> 0:11:00.200 gets thirty five instead of fifty. You know, to Allen 0:11:00.240 --> 0:11:01.959 doesn't get to hit some of the shots he hits. 0:11:02.440 --> 0:11:03.920 You know, Malik doesn't hit some of the shots he 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:05.880 hits in the fourth quarter. There's a version of that 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:08.520 story where they lose, but at least then you go 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:11.320 back to the locker room with the dignity and the 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:14.960 respect of the fans because you try and again, no 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:17.600 one's asking you to leave your absolute heart and soul 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:19.920 out there. That's unfair at this point in your career. 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:23.680 But what he was giving wasn't enough. And like we 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:26.640 talked about it earlier, with where they are situated in 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.360 the standings right now, they're actually still is a little 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:34.360 bit of a chance. Look at Brooklyn. Brooklyn last night 0:11:34.400 --> 0:11:37.960 going into the game was below five hundred. But all 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.000 it takes is get your talent back on the floor. 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:45.360 And play good basketball and play into your strengths. Now 0:11:45.440 --> 0:11:49.440 I don't think they have enough, but hell, you're gonna 0:11:49.480 --> 0:11:52.320 put the mileage on your body anyways, chasing Kareem, go 0:11:52.559 --> 0:11:56.439 for it? Why not try? Did you know that next 0:11:56.480 --> 0:12:01.920 Wednesday will be one month to the day since Anthony 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:06.679 Davis sprained his foot. We're pretty close, probably about two 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:11.160 weeks away from getting Anthony Davis back. You could probably 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:15.600 get seven or eight regular season games in with Anthony 0:12:15.679 --> 0:12:19.280 Davis in preparation for a playoff from why not go 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:22.760 for it especially? And this is the most important part, 0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.400 it seems to me. Although I'm a little worried after 0:12:26.440 --> 0:12:28.319 he had to take some time off after Golden State, 0:12:28.880 --> 0:12:32.120 he's starting to look a little bit more athletic as 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.200 time is passing by. I don't know if that's related 0:12:34.240 --> 0:12:37.360 to his conditioning and just getting back into shape. I 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:40.040 don't know if that's some healing going on with this knee. 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:42.600 I don't know. A big part of it will be like, 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:44.960 if we get the report from Shams tomorrow or from 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:48.120 from David McManaman that Lebron doesn't plan on playing on Sunday, 0:12:48.120 --> 0:12:51.120 then forget all of this. But if he really is 0:12:51.160 --> 0:12:53.520 starting to trend in the right direction physically, and if 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:57.280 Anthony Davis is right around the corner, why not. If 0:12:57.280 --> 0:12:59.240 you lose, you lose, you go home, you rest up, 0:12:59.280 --> 0:13:01.760 you try again next year. But why not go for it? 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:04.719 And I hope they do. The bottom line is what 0:13:04.760 --> 0:13:07.600 you saw from Lebron defensively tonight, which was nothing crazy. 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:11.199 He wasn't out there like Draymond. He just put a 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:14.520 respectable effort on that side of the floor. And that 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:18.440 is enough for this team to look competent. And that's 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:21.160 all I ask for from Lebron. It's literally it. I 0:13:21.160 --> 0:13:23.160 don't even care if he takes a few possessions off 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:27.240 here and there, that's not the issue. It's that unbelievable, 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:31.000 you know, embarrassing, let letting go of the rope that 0:13:31.120 --> 0:13:33.440 was taking place right after the alcar break. That's what 0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:36.680 can't happen, regardless of how many miles you have in, 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:39.719 regardless of how great your resume is. But a big 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:41.880 night for Lebron and I'm glad we were able to 0:13:41.880 --> 0:13:43.680 get to see that, and we gotta enjoy this for 0:13:43.720 --> 0:13:46.160 as long as we can. I wanted to move on 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.280 to Russ because he obviously had a really rough game. 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:53.199 He's had a handful of decent games as of late. 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:56.319 I I I almost cracked myself up sometimes with the 0:13:56.320 --> 0:13:59.480 bar that I evaluate Russ with, I pretty much say 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:03.240 he played okay if he didn't actively sabotage the team. 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:05.840 One of the most frustrating parts of this season has 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:09.200 been not even just Russ fans, but the pockets of 0:14:09.280 --> 0:14:13.520 fans that have tried to convince us that he's been 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:17.560 good when he very much has not. The good games 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:20.720 have been the outliers, the games where he has, like, 0:14:21.040 --> 0:14:22.880 you know, a thirty point triple double like you did 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:26.720 against the Rocket, those are the outlier performances. More often 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:28.720 than not, that hasn't been the case, and that's typical 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:32.160 for an aging star. That's what happens. You tend to 0:14:32.200 --> 0:14:35.240 have a handful of moments where you can kind of 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.120 look like your old self, but for the most part 0:14:38.200 --> 0:14:41.640 you can. And even in that Houston Rockets game, which 0:14:41.680 --> 0:14:45.040 was one of his better games, as you saw in 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:47.320 the video I tweeted out earlier, he was bad and 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:52.280 crunch Time took two really bad jump shots, smoked three 0:14:52.360 --> 0:14:55.240 layups right at the ram, two of which were remarkably 0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:58.960 easy layups. You know that's that's just kind of the 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:01.640 reality of where we're at with the Russell Westbrook experience 0:15:01.720 --> 0:15:05.080 right now. 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As I really look back at this, which 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:54.800 is normal to do when you're playing against the team 0:16:54.840 --> 0:16:57.560 that you traded these guys too, that you traded these 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:03.760 guys four, you know there there is a case to 0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:08.840 be made that the two worst trades in NBA history 0:17:10.000 --> 0:17:13.879 involved Russ at Westbrook. And it's wild because a normal 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.480 terrible NBA trade is like what you saw with the 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.200 Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets in the early two 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:25.639 thousand tents. It's we want to win now, so we 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:29.400 cash in a ton of assets for some older established players. 0:17:30.200 --> 0:17:32.879 They come in were relevant for a little while. That 0:17:32.960 --> 0:17:37.280 Brooklyn Nets team was you know, they were winning at home, 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:39.919 trailing two games to one. You know, they had a 0:17:40.000 --> 0:17:42.360 chance to tie that series before Lebron dropped forty nine 0:17:42.359 --> 0:17:44.040 on him and knocked them out. That was a good 0:17:44.040 --> 0:17:47.240 basketball team. They cashed in for that moment, and then 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:49.040 they fell apart, and then it became one of the 0:17:49.080 --> 0:17:51.280 worst trades ever because they lost all those assets. That's 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.120 usually what a bad NBA trade looks like. Or it'll 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:56.639 be like James Harden, you know, like the Harden trade. 0:17:56.920 --> 0:18:00.639 We thought, yeah, maybe James Harden might become a superstar, 0:18:00.760 --> 0:18:02.879 but he just played horrible on the Finals, like we 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:06.040 didn't know what he was gonna be like. Usually, that's 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:08.720 what a bad NBA trade looks like. What is so 0:18:08.840 --> 0:18:11.760 unusual about these trades. Let's go back to Chris Paul. 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:17.240 The Houston Rockets are so unbelievably good that they had 0:18:17.320 --> 0:18:20.920 the one of the in my opinion, the most talented 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:23.600 roster of all time, that two thousand seventeen, two thousand 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.760 eighteen Warriors roster. They had them on the ropes. That's 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:31.399 how good that Houston Rockets team was. But because James 0:18:31.400 --> 0:18:34.520 Harden had a personal beef with Chris Paul, they shipped 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:39.000 Chris Paul and two first round picks and two pick 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:43.920 swamps for Russell Westbrook. So not only was Russell Westbrook 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.840 the not the best player in the trade, but there 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.639 were assets attached to it. And here we are again. 0:18:51.119 --> 0:18:56.640 Since December, Kyle Kuzma is averaging twenty one point eight points, 0:18:57.600 --> 0:19:02.919 nine point four rebounds, and four assists on percent true shooting. 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:08.840 In the same span, Russell Westbrook is averaging sixteen point 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:12.280 eight points, seven point four rebounds in six point one 0:19:12.280 --> 0:19:18.320 assists on forty eight point one percent true shooting. He's 0:19:18.359 --> 0:19:23.040 below when we wait everything with his three point shots 0:19:23.040 --> 0:19:26.680 in his free throws. That's how ridiculously bad he's been 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:29.800 in this stretch. And Kyle Kuzma is a much better 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:33.880 defensive player. There are thirty one NBA players this year 0:19:33.880 --> 0:19:36.240 that have attempted at least five shots in the restricted 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:40.359 area per game. Russ would be dead last in that group. 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:43.160 If it wasn't for Damian Lillard trying to play through 0:19:43.160 --> 0:19:45.240 an abdominal injury for a part of the season this year, 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:49.200 Dame was dead last Russ Smith is three point two 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:54.160 shots in the restricted area per game. That's how bad 0:19:54.200 --> 0:19:59.240 he's been this year. Kyle Kuzma very clearly was the 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:03.399 best player the trade, and he was attached to a 0:20:03.520 --> 0:20:06.880 really good role player in Contavious Caldwell Pope, another really 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:09.800 good role player in Montrez Harrold, and a first round 0:20:09.840 --> 0:20:13.520 draft pick, and the Lakers took back more salary. Now, 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:17.040 to be clear, it's Genie Buss's fault that they didn't 0:20:17.080 --> 0:20:20.919 pay Alex Crusoe, but we also know, because Alex admitted it, 0:20:21.160 --> 0:20:25.840 they offered him six millions. So if they didn't take 0:20:25.880 --> 0:20:28.640 more money back in the Russell Westbrook trade, there simply 0:20:28.680 --> 0:20:31.720 would be more money available to try to counter the 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:35.000 bulls and try to make a deal with Alex Crusoe. So, 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:39.520 as far as I'm concerned, maybe it's a partial casualty, 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:43.600 but it's absolutely, at the very least a partial casualty 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:47.520 that Alex Caruso was part of this trade. And it's 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:50.320 just wild to me that twice in the last the 0:20:50.400 --> 0:20:53.800 last handful of years teams have made this mistake. And 0:20:53.840 --> 0:20:56.439 it goes to show you that the reputation that Russell 0:20:56.440 --> 0:21:00.919 Westbrook passed around the league vastly, vastly super recedes what 0:21:01.080 --> 0:21:04.480 his on court product is, you know, and and it's 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:08.119 and it's just frustrating for the fans to watch because 0:21:08.119 --> 0:21:12.040 it's like in that game tonight, everything for the Lakers 0:21:12.280 --> 0:21:16.760 was humming on all cylinders except for Russ. It was 0:21:16.800 --> 0:21:19.640 actively hurting the team in so many different ways. Those 0:21:19.680 --> 0:21:23.840 were gut punches, those mislayups he had in transition, him 0:21:23.880 --> 0:21:25.920 getting into the lane and picking up his dribble, which 0:21:25.920 --> 0:21:29.600 is the turnover damn near every single time, it's one 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:33.119 of the you know, it's wild, and you know, I 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:36.280 think it's over this, this sequence of Russ getting traded 0:21:36.280 --> 0:21:38.160 for more than what his value is worth. My guess 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:40.480 is that the Lakers will finally have to attach assets 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.160 to him this summer. But man, what a wild ride 0:21:43.160 --> 0:21:47.840 this Russell Westbrook experience has been as a basketball fan, 0:21:48.000 --> 0:21:51.520 I can't remember anything like it. I I can't ever 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:56.840 remember watching a player as infuriating as Russ. And it's 0:21:56.840 --> 0:21:59.760 funny because I've been accused by many people, mostly Russ 0:21:59.800 --> 0:22:07.159 stand of using Russ for engagement baiting or you know, 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:10.320 making it about something that it's not and I'm gonna 0:22:10.400 --> 0:22:13.480 just make this as perfectly clear as I possibly can. 0:22:14.400 --> 0:22:18.040 I generally forget that one of the time I tell 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:21.840 you guys exactly what I think, I am authentic with you, 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:25.199 But I would argue the most authentic opinion I have 0:22:25.359 --> 0:22:27.800 is the way I feel about Russ. He offends my 0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:31.520 basketball character as a basketball as a person who grew 0:22:31.560 --> 0:22:33.720 up around the game of basketball, and right now, I 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:36.200 trained kids, I coach kids. I I live and breathe 0:22:36.200 --> 0:22:38.480 the game of basketball, and the way he plays the 0:22:38.520 --> 0:22:41.800 game is offensive to me. It's real. I'm not making 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:44.240 it up. I have to be honest in the sense 0:22:44.320 --> 0:22:47.439 that it affects me. It's a bias, for sure, but 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:50.280 I've also gone to great lengths this year to try 0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:53.320 to circumvent that bias. You guys have heard me on 0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:55.480 this show. Like I said, I hold him to a 0:22:55.600 --> 0:23:00.240 ridiculously low bar. When he doesn't actively shave point, it's 0:23:00.280 --> 0:23:04.080 I credit him after the game. I try hard to 0:23:04.200 --> 0:23:06.879 be positive about Rus. It's just really really difficult for me. 0:23:07.280 --> 0:23:11.200 One last Lakers note before we move on, h Taylor Horton. 0:23:11.240 --> 0:23:16.040 Tucker continues to show ridiculous All Star flash. He had 0:23:16.080 --> 0:23:18.320 to move on Corey Kissberg on the right wing right 0:23:18.359 --> 0:23:20.280 in front of the Lakers bench, where he just did 0:23:20.280 --> 0:23:22.480 a standard ripped through and then a pullback dribble and 0:23:22.560 --> 0:23:25.680