The Los Angeles Lakers are getting ready to face a new NBA season where they’ll face more challenges than last year. The Purple and Gold struggled to get things going last campaign and now are ready to turn things around and show the world they’re not done yet, although not many fans think they can finish over the .500 mark.
With the addition of a new head coach in Darvin Ham and different role players, the Lakers are ready to prove doubters wrong and make a statement in the stacked Western Conference. However, with all the problems they have right now, not even Ham’s new ideas or his desire to make Russell Westbrook a different type of player could be enough for the Lakers.
NBA insider Marc Stein recently explained why keeping Russ on the roster would be a major issue for the Lakers, considering his tense relationship with LeBron James.
“(Darvin) Ham is going to have to coach Westbrook, which is bound to be challenging in the extreme given that Westbrook is well aware that the Lakers have been trying hard to move him. And that James badly wants Irving to take his place.”
– @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/OxoaQA4ZTa
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) August 13, 2022
“(Darvin) Ham is going to have to coach Westbrook, which is bound to be challenging in the extreme given that Westbrook is well aware that the Lakers have been trying hard to move him. And that James badly wants (Kyrie) Irving to take his place.”
During the offseason, the Lakers have been linked with a move for Kyrie Irving, who seemingly didn’t want to continue his career with the Brooklyn Nets. Now that he re-signed with the Brooklynites, things appeared to get better between them, but the Lakers are still there, waiting to see what happens with Kevin Durant and bring in Kyrie in a reunion with LeBron James.
Meanwhile, Westbrook remains the starting point guard of the team, but it’s well known that the Lakers have tried to move him without any success. This situation could ruin the team’s chances to compete next season and waste another year of LeBron, who isn’t getting any younger.
