Rough Start for Russell Westbrook & Philly is Bungling the Ben Simmons Situation

Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre

On today's episode, Jason kicks things off with a very quick thought on the Milwaukee Bucks' beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets on opening night. Giannis and the Bucks played with a certain level of swagger that you only get after winning a championship and they should be a force this season. In the nightcap, Russell Westbrook had a night to forget in the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Golden State Warriors. LeBron James and Anthony Davis looked as good as ever, but Westbrook's play reminded us all why so many doubted whether or not the trio could actually fit together on the floor. Russ was so bad offensively that you could actually hear Lakers fans groan anytime he took a shot. The reality is that LeBron and AD are good enough on their own to get the Lakers to the NBA Finals, but they won't win a ring unless Russ takes a step back. Later, Jason explains why he believes the Philadelphia 76ers are completely mismanaging the Ben Simmons situation. The longer they let his discontent permeate the locker room, the worse things are going to get. As much as Joel Embiid would like to focus on winning basketball games, the reality is that the media won't stop asking about Simmons' season of discontent until he actually gets traded. Recent history (Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jimmy Butler) tell us if a star wants out of town, he'll do anything in his power to ensure that it happens; Ben Simmons is no different. At this point, the question isn't if the Sixers will trade their disgruntled superstar, but when. Timberwolves? Trail Blazers? Spurs? Only time will tell.

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