Google News NBA insider: Lakers know Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley isn't going to work
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ESPN's NBA insider Brian Windhorst thinks Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley can't really play alongside each other and feels the Los Angeles Lakers are well aware of that fact. Two weeks ago, the Lakers traded for veteran guard Beverley.
Since Beverley and Westbrook have a history, some thought that the Lakers trading for Beverley meant only one - the Lakers were definitely moving on from Westbrook. But since the trade, the Lakers have insisted that Beverley and Westbrook can play alongside each other.
Neither Westbrook or Beverley are known as great shooters and many believe that having them on the floor at the same time would be a recipe for disaster. The Lakers are still trying to trade Westbrook and Windhorst suggests the Lakers are publicly supporting Westbrook because they want NBA teams to think that they really see the former NBA MVP as a valuable asset.
Windhorst: Westbrook, Beverley together isn't going to work
“I know Pat Bev, he’s a teammate of ours here at ESPN. At times you can’t take everything that he says seriously and this one of those things you can’t take seriously,” Windhorst said on ESPN’s NBA Today.
”I just don’t believe that the Lakers think this is going to work. I think they’re saying that they’re trying to keep a stiff upper lip and trying to make the best out of this because they know they have any Russell Westbrook trade that makes sense for them right now.
So they’re going to try to make it work. But let’s just be honest – we live in an NBA era where you have to have shooting in the NBA. When the Lakers won their title a couple years ago was with shooting. All of LeBron’s great teams in his career had shooting.
You have Russell Westbrook – one of the worst three-point shooters in the NBA and Patrick Beverley who was coming off his worst three-point shooting season of his career. I guess I can’t rule anything out in the world, but this duo doesn’t make any sense on a basketball level.
I appreciate that they’re being nice to each other, so points for that”. This week, Beverley was asked about his relationship with Westbrook. Beverley answered that he and Westbrook were doing well and had only words of praise for his new teammate.