Russell Westbrook has been labeled as everything from an innocent bystander whose life has been ruined by the Lakers after trading for him to the sole reason the Lakers find themselves in this situation. As usual, the answer is somewhere in the middle but trying to assign blame to Westbrook for the macro issues facing the Lakers misses the point and lets those actually responsible off the hook.
Two straight offseasons as abysmal as the Lakers have had don’t happen without some legitimate organizational rot. The issues with the Lakers run deep, and until they are addressed, chances are, mistakes like the Westbrook trade will continue to be made and, in this season’s case, not addressed.