Skip Bayless had the gloves off and he was ready to whip on some Russell Westbrook after the Lakers lost to the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies and Russ committed six turnovers.
Russ told the press: “It happens to the best of us.”
Bayless wasn’t buying what the future Hall of Famer was selling.
Bayless needed a target to get the morning juices flowing and co-host Shannon Sharpe was all too happy to indulge him after the 108-95 loss. Sharpe, an extreme LeBron apologist, even licked some shots at the King’s propensity for turnovers. LeBron’s free throw shooting has long been a point of ridicule on the show.
Every once in a while, when you least expect it, the Lakers flex all of their Hall of Fame-bound muscles. And then you have what we saw last night, against an incredibly shorthanded Grizzlies team. More @Undisputed, now on FS1 https://t.co/bTXB6MGdkA
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 10, 2021
Skip Rips Russ
But as the Super Team Lakers struggle to maintain a .500 record and rumors of a kettle brewing under the feet of coach Frank Vogel surface, Bayless expressed his frustration with a scathing indictment of Russell Westbrook’s legacy. He used a questionable comparison to Allen Iverson (who Skip just wrote a big piece about for GQ Magazine) to get his point across.
“Allen Iverson has the biggest, best heart you’ll find in a human being. Not so much with Russell Westbrook. So that’s the big difference…
Allen Iverson wanted to win badly, it was like a blessing and curse. He was on a team in Philadelphia that was so all-time mediocre that he had to shoot until his arm fell off because he was all they had. Not so much with Russell Westbrook. He was on a team with Kevin Durant and James Harden…Really?”
Added Sharpe: “And Russ had these guys in their prime.”
Skip added: “He wears No. 0, and I keep saying this, because he has 0 rings.”
Skip went on to rave about AI’s self-transformation and the way he went from “villain” of a white, privileged “establishment” to this beloved figure in his retirement.
It was kind of a low blow against Russ, who has been the center of criticism and a popular figure to tear down as LeBron’s experiment continues to fall on tough times.
Sharpe said, “I’m not too sure (Russ) has the desire that they have to win a championship.”
Skip put an ice cold topping on the borderline slander and said, “Anthony Davis used the immortal line once again, ‘We keep telling Russ you have to be yourself.’ No, that’s the worst thing you can tell him to be. When he’s himself, you’re in trouble.”
How quickly the tide turns. Westbrook had been on a roll of late and complimented for better cerebral play.
Every once in a while, when you least expect it, the Lakers flex all of their Hall of Fame-bound muscles. And then you have what we saw last night, against an incredibly shorthanded Grizzlies team. More @Undisputed, now on FS1 https://t.co/bTXB6MGdkA
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 10, 2021
He’s still averaging 20 points, 7.7 boards and 8.6 dimes and might finish the year with another triple-double season. Westbrook has his fans and his detractors and the media heads that aren’t feeling him will always point to a lack of a championship as the first knock on a guy who might be the inevitable scapegoat in the Lakers’ potential demise.
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