“Don’t let them miss your words Jeanie” - Jalen Rose believes Jeanie Buss doesn’t need to apologise for her comments on Russell Westbrook, believes she made the right point

LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently changed her comment regarding Russell Westbrook to avoid misinterpretation. However, former NBA player Jalen Rose believes it was unnecessary.

Buss initially said Westbrook was the best player for the Lakers last season, which she soon after corrected, saying she meant to say "most consistent." The statement might have rubbed fans the wrong way given how poorly the All-Star guard performed.

On "Jalen & Jacoby," Rose defended Buss, saying the focus was on the Lakers struggling without Anthony Davis.

"You ain't gotta apologize for what you said, first off, because the bottom line of what you were acknowledging is availability," Rose said.

"And as somebody like her that's been around the game for whatever, she's seen the game go from players having pride in playing 80 to 82 games a year to players realizing they can play 60 to 65 games, get the same money and elongate their careers to make more money longer. And so that's what she was talking about.

"But the real acknowledgment was that it's hard to win when Anthony Davis isn't on the court. That's something that, if it doesn't change this year, it don't matter how many games Russ or LeBron (James) play. And so, we know they wanna trade Russ. He knows they wanna play. He's under contract to move or the deal has not happened."

After acknowleding the Lakers' 33-49 run last season, Rose said:

"When you don't have a good season, some dominoes are gonna fall. And so she wants to also keep his value high and she wants to respect one of her players and a future Hall of Famer. Don't apologize to them. Don't let them miss your words, Jeanie."

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Stephen A. Smith believes Russell Westbrook will have a better campaign next season

Russell Westbrook of the LA Lakers shoots.

Much has been said about Westbrook's 2021-22 campaign. The Lakers guard was under heavy scrutiny by the media last season, straining his relationship with Kendrick Perkins.

However, analyst Stephen A. Smith believes Mr. Triple-Double will have a better display next season. On ESPN's "First Take," he said:

"What Russell Westbrook needs to understand is that the reason why everybody is so hard on his play is because Russell Westbrook has established a level of greatness."

After saying Westbrook's problem was psychological, Smith said:

"I think he'd be much better this year, make no mistake about it. I think Russell Westbrook will resurrect himself, and I think we all need to pay attention to that."

The Lakers will tip off on opening night against the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors. Although there are still rumors surrounding his departure, especially with the Patrick Beverley acquisition, he remains a Laker for the time being.