Has there ever been a player who destroyed a contender the way current Westbrook did?

[RRR3]

The Lakers were the champs in 2020, first seed in 2021 before injuries messed them up and even then very likely at minimum make the finals if AD doesn't go down in the playoffs. Then Westbrook arrives and they can't even make the play-in (LeBron and AD missed a ton of games it's true, but even when healthy the team didn't play well). More of the same this year until Westbrook is traded and the Lakers suddenly look like a great team again, and even after LeBron gets injured yet again they continue to play well without him (a huge contrast to how they played without him pre-trade). Meanwhile, Westbrook has joined the Clippers who were on a hot streak before he arrived, and they are 2-5 since they acquired him. Westbrook was a great player in his prime, but his refusal to admit he no longer is seemingly makes him the most cancerous player in NBA history. It's truly incredible one man can destroy a good team like this.

[nayte]

Dude you have said this in multiple threads . No need for its own.
You are right either way

[RRR3]

Dude you have said this in multiple threads . No need for its own.
You are right either way

If I start a thread, there's a chance one of the board's historians will know another player who has negatively impacted a team like this. I'm honestly curious.

[Axe]

Dude you have said this in multiple threads . No need for its own.

[ImKobe]

Lakers did a poor job building around WB/Bran/AD + Bran & AD were constantly injured. WB's contract also made them a really top-heavy team so of course they're a lot better without him when they got 3 solid players in return with D'lo being an upgrade over Russ by himself.

[RRR3]

Lakers did a poor job building around WB/Bran/AD + Bran & AD were constantly injured. WB's contract also made them a really top-heavy team so of course they're a lot better without him when they got 3 solid players in return with D'lo being an upgrade over Russ by himself.

Who could they have signed that made them a good team with WB? You're also ignoring the team played mediocre even when LeBron and AD were healthy.

[Kblaze8855]

Lebron and AD missing like 120 games the last 3 years is probably reason enough to not wonder why they stopped contending. There hasn’t been reason to turn on a laker game for years. Everytime you try it’s some random grab bag of role players filling in or one of them working their way back or playing 20 minutes then going to the back. It’s like trying to watch the nets the last few years. Theoretically a great lineup, but it never plays together more than a week. Just a bunch of wasted national TV games. Wouldn’t be shit with or without Westbrook under those conditions and they aren’t now. Teams aren’t good when you win a few games or bad when you lose a few. You’re what you consistently are. And the Lakers are consistently injured and are injured right now. Whether they win a few in a row or lose a few doesn’t matter to the big picture. What did the Knicks just win like 10 straight?

You matter or you don’t. The lakers have not mattered for a few years because their stars play together like 30 times a season. The rest is just struggling for talking point because any team with Lebron just has to be talked about all day. But there’s really nothing to analyze.

Stars aren’t playing together for any meaningful length of time…team isn’t good. Got it. No deep dive required.

[RRR3]

Lebron and AD missing like 120 games the last 3 years is probably reason enough to not wonder why they stopped contending. There hasn’t been reason to turn on a laker game for years. Everytime you try it’s some random grab bag of role players filling in or one of them working their way back or playing 20 minutes then going to the back. It’s like trying to watch the nets the last few years. Theoretically a great lineup, but it never plays together more than a week. Just a bunch of wasted national TV games. Wouldn’t be shit with or without Westbrook under those conditions and they aren’t now. Teams aren’t good when you win a few games or bad when you lose a few. You’re what you consistently are. And the Lakers are consistently injured and are injured right now. Whether they win a few in a row or lose a few doesn’t matter to the big picture. What did the Knicks just win like 10 straight?

You matter or you don’t. The lakers have not mattered for a few years because their stars play together like 30 times a season. The rest is just struggling for talking point because any team with Lebron just has to be talked about all day. But there’s really nothing to analyze.

Stars aren’t playing together for any meaningful length of time…team isn’t good. Got it. No deep dive required.

I just did some research and the Lakers were 11-13 when all 3 played together this year and 11-10 when all 3 played last year. Which means over the course of one and a half seasons, the trio put up a 22-23 record. That is not good. Can't blame their struggles on injuries when they weren't good even when healthy.

[Kblaze8855]

10-11 in an 82 game season? And you think that shows injury isn’t an issue? You think the record from random appearances in and out of lineups means injuries aren’t an issue?

The lakers have been a “But if not for the injury….” team for 5 years outside the covid season with the long break to get healthy for a playoff run.

For 5 years I’ve been hearing “Yea but when Lebron played they were….” or “When AD comes back”.

That team barely ever existed as envisioned. I bet AD left injured in 4 of the 21 games you referenced.

Nothing that team did or didn’t do is even worth talking about. Just a bunch of noise over a team that is rarely justified because it’s always Lebron or AD and 8 guys who seem shocked to be on the floor.

Team barely plays together for any extended period of time to judge them. We just get force fed stories because it’s in LA and Lebron is on the roster even if not on the court.

Team has been nothing to talk about most of the last half decade because it’s never a real team. I literally don’t even turn on laker games anymore. Just have to deal with dozens of topics on an injured so what team because Lebron is on it.

They aren’t even that interesting as they have been. People just can’t talk about much else.

[RRR3]

10-11 in an 82 game season? And you think that shows injury isn’t an issue? You think the record from random appearances in and out of lineups means injuries aren’t an issue?

The lakers have been a “But if not for the injury….” team for 5 years outside the covid season with the long break to get healthy for a playoff run.

For 5 years I’ve been hearing “Yea but when Lebron played they were….” or “When AD comes back”.

That team barely ever existed as envisioned. I bet AD left injured in 4 of the 21 games you referenced.

Nothing that team did or didn’t do is even worth talking about. Just a bunch of noise over a team that is rarely justified because it’s always Lebron or AD and 8 guys who seem shocked to be on the floor.

Team barely plays together for any extended period of time to judge them. We just get force fed stories because it’s in LA and Lebron is on the roster even if not on the court.

Team has been nothing to talk about most of the last half decade because it’s never a real team. I literally don’t even turn on laker games anymore. Just have to deal with dozens of topics on an injured so what team because Lebron is on it.

They aren’t even that interesting as they have been. People just can’t talk about much else.

They were 10-13 with all three playing this year, bringing the total to 22-23, see the edit. That's a discernible pattern and I would say any team with LeBron and Anthony Davis going 22-23 over a 45 game span should raise alarm bells. Additionally, the Lakers were 42-30 with LeBron and Davis missing huge chunks of time in 2021, so that isn't a good argument either. That's not a "if not for injury team", they still made the playoffs even with severe injury problems back then. So what changed? I don't know how much more evidence you need of current Westbrook being destructive, at this point you're just ignoring the evidence to be pedantic.

[post]

curse of the bald mamba

[Nb1]

Lakers did a poor job building around WB/Bran/AD + Bran & AD were constantly injured. WB's contract also made them a really top-heavy team so of course they're a lot better without him when they got 3 solid players in return with D'lo being an upgrade over Russ by himself.

I feel it's a mix with this. The whole roster was just a mess and didn't fit. Add WB who plays crazy, turns the ball over all the time, can't shoot, etc and its a recipe for disaster.

I'm sure with this exact roster now and with WB it would be much better. But i don't ever want to see Russ playing for us again tho.
I like the team now and if Bron comes back and we stay healthy we can go far!

[Kblaze8855]

They were 10-13 with all three playing this year, bringing the total to 22-23, see the edit. That's a discernible pattern and I would say any team with LeBron and Anthony Davis going 22-23 over a 45 game span should raise alarm bells. Additionally, the Lakers were 42-30 with LeBron and Davis missing huge chunks of time in 2021, so that isn't a good argument either. That's not a "if not for injury team", they still made the playoffs even with severe injury problems back then. So what changed? I don't know how much more evidence you need of current Westbrook being destructive, at this point you're just ignoring the evidence to be pedantic.

You are talking to me about a champion team that turned to a 7th seed and went out in the first round largely due to injury and using that season as evidence injury “isn’t” the main issue.

At this point there’s little left to say. Two stars who miss what will end up hundreds of games before they’re done together is a lesser issue than the presumed third guy on the team that was doomed either way.

And we have to discuss it because one of the stars is Lebron. So be it.

[Manny98]

Literally only one of the Clippers losses was on Russ, he's been solid for them

He was just a bad fit on the Lakers, more Pelinkas fault for trading for him in the first place

The constant Westbrook bashing is getting boring at this point

[Axe]

You are talking to me about a champion team that turned to a 7th seed and went out in the first round largely due to injury and using that season as evidence injury “isn’t” the main issue.

At this point there’s little left to say. Two stars who miss what will end up hundreds of games before they’re done together is a lesser issue than the presumed third guy on the team that was doomed either way.

And we have to discuss it because one of the stars is Lebron. So be it.