On Russ, John Wall, and the Rockets' pick
It’s 6PM as I’m typing this, so we don’t know yet who the Rockets have drafted though it is looking like it will be a shocker if it isn’t Jalen Green wearing the red hat (not that one) at the end of the night.
The big news of the night so far is the imminent Russell Westbrook trade to the Lakers which I’ve managed to talk myself into, sort of, after just a few hours. There are rumblings right now on the internet that the deal will be expanded to include Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield which will certainly make things make more sense from the Lakers’ side. If it was an either/or between Russ and Hield, this one is a head-scratcher.
I think this is a good regular season move for the Lakers. Russ, when healthy, is undoubtedly a workhorse that can carry a team to at least some degree of respectability by himself. A floor-raiser, in the true sense of the term. That should be exactly what the doctor ordered for Lebron in this third (fourth?) stage of his career as he looks to conserve energy and preserve his body for the playoffs. The Lakers just need someone who can carry the load and prevent a free-fall in the standings when James inevitably goes down, essentially the outcome that occurred this season. Ironically, this was exactly how I rationalized the acquisition for the Rockets when it happened, especially on the heels of an injury-plagued season for Chris Paul in 2019.
The problem for Russ, as it always is and always has been, is that while he’s a floor raiser, he also lowers your team’s ceiling because in the postseason, his weaknesses (shooting and lack of IQ) are so magnified. Perhaps the Lakers can load up on enough shooting on the cheap to mitigate the spacing? Perhaps Lebron’s transcendence renders this all moot. Kendrick Perkins just said on ESPN that “this makes the Lakers the favorite in the West.” I thought they already were. They didn’t need to swing for the fences like this. We will see.
John Wall
A John Wall trade or buy-out should be the top priority for Rafael Stone this offseason after this draft selection is made. This is because the development of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green should be the top priority for this franchise and Wall’s presence on the roster is a direct impediment to fulfillment of this priority. This is not to say that Wall would be disruptive. I have absolutely no doubt that if staying, he would serve as nothing but a mentor for the two young guards, would impart wisdom regarding playing in this league, and would be a positive influence in the lockerroom. But Wall is also nowhere near the stage in his career where he is or should even be thinking about taking a backseat to anyone and sacrificing his game, particularly after injuries robbed him of what should have been his athletic prime. Quite frankly, I think it would be unfair to ask Wall to take a backseat just for the franchise’s interests.
But he’ll undoubtedly take shots and touches away from the young duo, as we saw happened with Porter Jr. last year when both shared the backcourt in tandem. Kevin Porter Jr. standing in the corner waiting for spot-up opportunities isn’t moving along the rebuilding timeline.
For what it’s worth, I think Wall can still be helpful to someone but perhaps I’m just attempting to talk a trade into occurrence.
And there it is. As expected, the team lands its man. Time will tell how this plays out. And countless words will be spilled on this very page about this player. But just less than a calendar year after the departure of the team’s last franchise player, the Rockets welcome their future in Jalen Green.