Lakers: Russell Westbrook Criticism After One Game Deemed Unfair To Rich Eisen

All the media talks about is Lakers guard Russell Westbrook's inability to play
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It wasn't pretty for the Lakers in their first loss of the season to the Warriors, but Lakers guard Russell Westbrook was rather efficient despite all the media scrutiny received in recent months. It remains to be seen if Westbrook will remain a Laker, but sports analyst Rich Eisen believes the criticism for Westbrook comes too soon.

To Eisen's point, it took just up until halftime for Charles Barkley to say the Lakers should trade Westbrook because it looked like the fun was being sucked out of him. The failures for the Lakers execution ultimately falls on the entire team, but Westbrook gets shined on the most for his airballs and clumsy turnovers.

The question of Westbrook's energy will remain a focal point for the future Hall of Fame guard, but it doesn't stop Eisen from giving his thoughts on the Lakers as a whole. Eisen believes Westbrook should not be getting the level of scrutiny, especially after just one game into the season (via The Rich Eisen Show).

"It took one night for the off-season long narrative for Russell Westbrook doesn't fit here and Darvin Hams plan is something he's not buying into. It took one day for that narrative to roost as the Lakers lose in San Francisco....Westbrook last night had a better plus/minus than LeBron and Anthony Davis. The Lakers now fall to 11-11 with all three in the lineup together.....It's just one game in and we're already talking about it."

The questions surrounding Westbrook and his desire to play for the team already came into question while the rest of the season is left to be played. It's not time to panic on Russell Westbrook yet. 


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Ryan Menzie
RYAN MENZIE

Ryan Menzie | Lead Contributor Ryan is an LA Native who has grown up praising the greatest athletes LA has had to offer. A love for sports ranging between basketball, football, volleyball and golf, a future Sports Management Masters graduate, and being engulfed into organized sports since seven years old, the passion and love for sports never ends for Ryan. If the words he writes don't paint the full picture of his true fandom, he will find more ways than one to tell the story and be more than willing to open up a nice LA sports debate with you. Favorite Player: Kobe Bryant  Favorite Moment: Kobe Bryant Final Game. Too many moments to choose from between Derek Fishers 0.4 second buzzer beater, the Lakers 3-peat or game seven against Boston, but can't beat a final memory like Kobe's final game.