The 2022 preseason, just like the 2021-22 NBA season, was a disaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. They went 1-5 in the preseason, with the last game against the Kings seeing them get blown out by 47 points. It was the second time that the Kings had blown the Lakers off the court, as the first game between these two saw a 30-point win for Sacramento.
New head coach Darvin Ham had been trying out various combinations during the preseason as he looked to find the right balance, and in the lead-up to that last game, he made a very big change. Russell Westbrook, whom Ham had defended all offseason, was to come off the bench, a decision that raised a lot of eyebrows.
Kendrick Perkins Gives The Lakers A Brutal Reality Check About Russell Westbrook
Ham said that Westbrook was fine with it, but the experiment wouldn’t last long, as Russ exited the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. It is reported that the Lakers will continue to explore bringing Russ off the bench during the regular season, which would definitely not make him too happy. Coming off the bench once during the preseason is something Russ can probably digest, but not when the games actually matter. Kendrick Perkins was asked when will the two sides figure things out, and he said they never will.
When will Russ and the Lakers figure it out?@KendrickPerkins: "The month of Neveruary…" 😅 pic.twitter.com/a1l5RfPP8P
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 17, 2022
“The month of Neveruary. They would never figure it out… The Lakers will never figure it out when it comes down to the Russell Westbrook situation, whether that’s bringing him in off the bench to whatever the case may be.”
“It’s time to address the elephant in the room and the elephant in the room is that it’s just not going to work with Russ. I think the relationship is pretty much over. Darvin Ham is trying his best, but at the end of the day, this Lakers roster, the way that it’s currently constructed, and I love the Patrick Beverley addition, but Russell Westbrook is not gonna be in full acceptance of this sixth-man role with the Lakers. He wasn’t brought here to embrace that, he is getting paid a lot of money, so I don’t think it’s ever gonna happen.”
As Perkins says, Westbrook is not going to accept it, and things could get really messy behind the scenes and perhaps even in public, as Russ wears his emotions on his sleeve. Things were seemingly under control until this idea of Westbrook being sent to the bench came up, and it will be interesting to see what happens with Russ when he comes back from injury.
This situation is the last thing the Lakers needed, as they have probably the toughest opening schedule in the league. They need to be a united bunch if they are to have some success in those games, but they seem anything but united at this point.
