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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Los Angeles Lakers News & Analysis > Celtics Commentators Throw Shade At LeBron James, Claim Russell Westbrook Was Scapegoated On Lakers

Celtics Commentators Throw Shade At LeBron James, Claim Russell Westbrook Was Scapegoated On Lakers

Celtics commentators Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter defend Russell Westbrook and take shots at LeBron James.

Gautam Varier
Oct 5, 2024
5 Min Read
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Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Russell Westbrook’s tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was disastrous, but Boston Celtics commentators Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter think he faced a lot of unfair criticism. During the broadcast of the preseason game between the Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, the two stated Westbrook was scapegoated and took some shots at LeBron James.

Brian Scalabrine: “But I’ll tell you what? I am rooting for him to make like nine threes against the Lakers because he got a lot of heat for that. That was a disaster team and he got all the heat for that whole thing. So I’m kind of hoping that he can make a bunch of threes against that team.”

Drew Carter: “You’re telling me one of LeBron’s teammates became a scapegoat out of nowhere?”

Brian Scalabrine: “Yeah.”

Drew Carter: “Are you kidding?”

Brian Scalabrine: “I know, it’s crazy, right?”

I also think Westbrook was scapegoated, although you could argue who was behind that. Carter and Scalabrine hinted at LeBron being the one responsible, as there always tends to be a scapegoat whenever his teams fail to live up to expectations.

When the Lakers acquired Westbrook from the Washington Wizards in 2021, they believed he was the piece who would take them back to the top. Instead, they sank near the bottom with him.

The Lakers went just 33-49 in 2021-22 and ended up missing the playoffs. Westbrook bore the brunt of the blame, as it was crystal clear he was a terrible fit next to LeBron and Anthony Davis. Did that fit play a part in the Lakers’ struggles? Sure, but that was far from the only reason why they were so bad.

For starters, that Lakers roster as a whole just wasn’t a good one. You had one too many players there who were well past their best like Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Avery Bradley, and DeAndre Jordan. Injuries were another big reason, as both James and Davis spent a fair bit of time on the sidelines.

So, when you have a bad roster, your two biggest stars miss time with injuries, and the third star doesn’t fit well with the other two, you get a disappointing season. I firmly believe there was plenty of blame to go around when it came to the Lakers in 2021-22.

The following season, Westbrook agreed to come off the bench in order to help the Lakers. While putting him in that second unit was the right move, the team continued to struggle and it was clear a breakup was needed.

That would happen in Feb. 2023, when Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz, in a three-team trade that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves. With that, he ended his Lakers tenure with averages of 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.

A fair few have come to Westbrook’s defense in the years that followed, as Scalabrine and Carter did here. Former NBA player Quentin Richardson blasted Lakers fans for scapegoating Westbrook while Charles Barkley has criticized the organization for doing the same.

As for the man himself, well, Westbrook recently called out the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers for not putting him in a position to succeed. The nine-time All-Star believes the Nuggets are doing that and seems confident he’ll succeed at this pit stop.

As for Westbrook’s preseason debut with the Nuggets, he finished the game with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Celtics were the ones who emerged victorious, though, winning 107-103.

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TAGGED:Boston Celtics ArchiveLeBron JamesRussell Westbrook
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ByGautam Varier
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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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