Disgruntled Laker Russell Westbrook Got In 'Screaming Match' With Coach Darvin Ham
Trouble in LA? You don't say.
Now that the Lakers have seemingly devolved into a one-man show rather than a cohesive unit trying to accomplish playoff seeding in the Western Conference, the surrounding pieces are starting to crumble.
Tuesday night was to the brim with headlines as Lakers star LeBron James pursued history as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, which he accomplished with seconds left in the third quarter.
Leading up to LeBron's shining moment, an altercation reportedly broke out between Lakers head coach Darvin Ham and Russell Westbrook during halftime.
Westbrook (Finally) On The Way Out?
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Ham and Westbrook had a "brief" screaming match during the break. Westbrook's casual walk after getting subbed out in the second quarter reportedly rubbed Ham the wrong way. Ham confronted Westbrook about his lack of urgency and the star player barked back.
By the end of the 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the two appeared on good terms.
With the team continually floating Westbrook's name in trade talks, the veteran guard has certainly grown wary of taking a backseat in LA. Perhaps Westbrook reached a new level of "checking out" and is making a push to get out of Los Angeles.
On Wednesday afternoon, rumors of a potential trade between the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and Lakers grew stronger. Early reports of the potential trade detailed that Westbrook and a first-round pick may be headed to Utah, with a contract buyout in play for the Lakers. In return, LA could reunite with ex-Laker and current Timberwolf, D'Angelo Russell. Minnesota would receive Mike Conley in the three-team trade.
Still, Tuesday night's celebration of LeBron James' all-time record wasn't as merry as Lakers players had hoped.
As seen in a video, star big man Anthony Davis had little to no reaction regarding his buddy Bron's historic moment.
To top it off, the Lakers lost the game. One man's triumph wasn't enough for the entire team.