The Russell Westbrook experiment was a complete disaster for the LA Lakers, but it didn’t stop Paul George from doing everything he could to reunite with his former teammate.
Obviously, we know that PG campaigned hard for the signing of Westbrook, and his wishes were granted when the Clippers signed him to a minimum deal earlier this week. But according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on ‘The Hoop Collective,’ the team was originally against adding Russ until Paul George made the push.
“The Clippers are pretty much admitting that Paul George drove this decision,” Windhorst said of the team’s signing of Westbrook. “And from what I understand, they were internally against it at the start. Paul pushed for it publicly and privately. Kawhi supported it. And they looked more into it, and they were like, ‘Well, there are some things he could potentially help us with.’”
Report: Los Angeles Clippers were internally against signing Russell Westbrook until Paul George pushed for it https://t.co/bzFw4AkG5N
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 24, 2023
We all knew the Clippers were not going to make a move like this without the approval of their two top stars. Still, it’s surprising that they let PG sway their decision so much given how the same scenario played out with the Lakers.
Remember, back in 2021, it was LeBron James who was advocating for Westbrook it was all smiles there at first, too, before it all came crashing down.
Clippers Fans Hopeful For Successful Playoff Run
It’s easy to troll the Clippers for taking such an unnecessary risk when they were playing so well, but Russ is a guy who brings ball handling, play-making, intensity, and positive locker-room vibes to a team that needed more of all of those things.
Whether or not it will work in the long term is still up in the air, but Russ is finally in a place where he’s wanted — even if it took some convincing for the Clippers to bring him in.
Tonight, against the Kings, we’ll get our first look at this new-look Clippers squad for ourselves and then we can finally start making some judgments on their potential as a group.
But ultimately, the Clippers will only be judged by what they do in April, May, and June because they still have so much to prove together.
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