The Los Angeles Lakers are in turmoil. The mess is larger than they would have imagined and they are barely in the spot for the play-in tournament. The Lakers are 10th seed after their game against the 76ers. In LeBron James’ absence, Russell Westbrook was the main focal point on Wednesday night.

Along with Carmelo Anthony, Russ West had the responsibility of seeing the Lakers through. Despite Russ, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk, and Melo all hitting the 20 point mark, the Lakers still fell short. The 76ers wrapped the game 126-121 to fashion a victory away from home.

Without LeBron James, the Lakers struggled to get momentum in the game. They lacked leadership and despite leading in the first and third quarters, they could not manage a victory.

LeBron James Snubs Russell Westbrook in 5 Words and Lakers’ Feud Seems Out in the Open

LeBron had played the last 8 games despite the soreness in his knee averaging 33.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Therefore, it was natural that without James, the Lakers would not have enough firepower, and once again, it was Russell Westbrook under the cosh.

Is Russell Westbrook the Lakers’ scapegoat or does he deserve the criticism?

Russ West has been a subject to constant criticism amidst a poor season for the Lakers. It is also by far the most underperforming season from the standards of the veteran. Russ has shown glimpses of his class in a few games, but he has not been able to find any kind of consistency. He might feel that he is the ‘scapegoat’ for a disappointing season, but Shannon Sharpe strongly feels otherwise.

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Sharpe was asked if Russ West had “shut people up” with his performance last night. Sharpe strongly replied “no!”

“Skip, does Russ realize that the Lakers have like one of the top three teams that was supposed to contend or win the title? You’re 11 games in the 500. You ain’t shut up no one. As a matter of fact, you make them talk more because you keep talking.”

Sharpe expressed his frustration. “Russ, do you get it’s not about one game? It’s about the totality of it and you guys have not been good. The Lakers haven’t been good. You haven’t played well. So you shut someone up for one game and you think that’s it, Skip, he doesn’t get it,” said Sharpe.

He continued, “I don’t get Russ. He thinks because they played good against Cleveland or they had a great comeback win against Toronto, all of everybody forgot about the rest of the season. Russ, have you looked around? Do you see your record? Do you know where you are? You’re fighting for your life to stay in the play-in tournament.”

After the Cleveland game, Russ answered the questions talking about his performances. He said, “I live for adversity and negativity from people. There’s nothing better than shutting people up.”

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However, after the game against the 76ers, he was soon under fire from the fans and the media.

Russell Westbrook is in the middle of a storm. With play-off qualification getting tougher, he really needs to step up and play like he has done all his career before this season. One of the best players with the ball and a player with the most double triples in the NBA. Russ West needs to really “shut people up” and help LeBron James. Even after all the chaos with LeBron and Russ in top form, playoffs are a possibility.