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With Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis and LeBron James playing a preseason game, praise or criticism couldn’t be too far behind. All eyes were on the LA Lakers’ first game since last season’s humiliating end to their campaign.
Skip Bayless, who had almost the entire season to throw shots at Westbrook, was back at it again. The Fox Sports analyst promptly took a dig at the former MVP’s celebration after making a layup:
“Early in the Lakers' preseason game, Westbrook just drove on De'Aaron Fox, laid it in lefty ... and did 'rock the baby' on Fox. Now that is desperately pathetic. It's the first preseason game! But Russ is on the trade clock to prove he's still Mr. Triple Double.”
With a little over nine minutes left in the first quarter, Westbrook, who was standing in the corner, received a pass from James. Russ quickly attacked De’Aaron Fox’s defense, leaving the Sacramento Kings' guard a little off balance. Westbrook drove straight into the heart of the defense before exploding with a lefty layup.
Following the and-1, Mr. Triple-Double celebrated with his trademark "rock the baby" celebration. Russell Westbrook usually does his patented celebration if he gets hyped after a play. It was the game’s first signature moment and something Bayless didn’t want to let go of without ripping Westbrook.
Pre-season or not, the former MVP has always played with his heart on his sleeve. Seeing him celebrate that way was nothing out of the ordinary. The sequence was the second time in a row that Westbrook scored on a layup against De’Aaron Fox.
He must have been feeling it, which is why he busted out the "rock the baby" move.
It's worth noting that the Lakers ultimately lost the contest 105-75.
The LA Lakers could still eventually trade Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook hasn’t looked this engaged with the LA Lakers since his first month with the team. He hustled on both ends of the floor and moved with purpose to his spot when LeBron James and Anthony Davis were loading on one side against the Kings.
The Lakers clearly wanted to push the pace and Westbrook was a big part of that. Early on, they had several easy looks simply because they pushed the ball out early. Westbrook was significantly involved in a few of those plays.
A preseason game, however, doesn’t guarantee anything for when the real battle starts. The off-the-ball impact Westbrook has eagerly showed for Darvin Ham started well last season as well, but became non-existent towards the end.
It remains to be seen if the nine-time All-Star can sustain his newfound enthusiasm to contribute without having the ball in his hands most of the time.
If Westbrook sputters, particularly during the LA Lakers’ tough early season schedule, general manager Rob Pelinka could pull the trigger and trade him. Just as training camp started, reports emerged that the Lakers were very close to trading Russ to the Indiana Pacers.
The Lakers are rumored to be in a “wait-and-see” mode before ultimately moving on from Russell Westbrook. Indiana is supposedly open to sending Myles Turner and Buddy Hield to Hollywood if they get two future first-round picks along with Westbrook in return.
