The NBA Season Hasn't Even Started Yet And There's Already Drama Brewing With The Lakers

Jeff Bottari. Getty Images.

If there's one thing the NBA will always have, it's drama. On the court, off the court, it doesn't really matter. Nobody does drama like the NBA does drama. That's part of what makes every season so much fun, you know shit is going to hit the fan at some point with some team, it's more just a matter of who it will be and when will it happen,

When it comes to the Los Angeles Lakers, apparently they didn't even need to wait until the regular season actually started to get their drama rolling. I think that surprises a total of zero (0) people, and it involves all the players you would think that could possibly be dramatic about something.

Things obviously begin with Russell Westbrook. We all know the Lakers want him off the roster. I imagine Russell Westbrook knows this too. And while I do this he's unfairly been the scapegoat for some of the Lakers issues, he is not without fault. Take last night's game against the Wolves at home. With the preseason wrapping up, teams are getting all their shit in order for the start of the year. That is also true when it comes to Russ being a little bit upset

Very weird behavior right from the intros. The entire team gets together in the paint and Russ is nowhere to be found. That just seems weird and not the actions of a guy who is thrilled to be on a team. Now maybe you want to spinzone that and say who cares this is just a preseason intro. Fine. But there's more

Now this is just straight up disrespectful to my fellow coworker Pat Bev. He's doing what you want a good vet point guard to do. The score is close, he calls for a quick regroup to settle everyone down and make sure they're on the same page. Maybe he was going to talk about some defensive rotations or something. Maybe he was going to give a quick pump up speech to get the Lakers over the jump. The point is, Pat Bev might be new to the Lakers but he's not new to the league. If LeBron and AD can come over to his huddle, what's the deal with Russ? Again, does that look like a guy who is buying into what the Lakers are doing, or does that look like a guy who hates his life that wants off this team immediately, almost as if he's reached his breaking point.

Things went further than just Westbrook though so I don't want to make it seem like this is a blog that's only picking on him. How about AD

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First off, for some reason whenever someone talks about themselves in the 3rd person I always kind of feel like their being an asshole. That and my brain immediately goes here, every single time

There's just something douchey about talking this way unless you're the Rock. He might be the only one who is allowed to do it. Already we're not off to a great start here with AD. But focus on what he actually said. For years AD has been too scared to play the 5. It's bizarre. Someone who somehow made the Top 75 team is afraid to guard centers. I thought he was supposed to be this generational defender? Every single year he says the same thing and I'll never understand it. The Lakers are at their best when AD is at the 5! This isn't new either! Is it because Naz Reid gave him the business in the game last night (22/13)? 

What's the craziest part about all of that is the fact that the Lakers WON THE TITLE with AD playing the 5, and he's still crying about having to do it. What a baby.

All I know is if we're already dealing with this stuff in the fake games, just wait until they count for real. How do we think this team handles a stretch where maybe they lose 3 of 5? What do things look like if guys don't love Darvin Ham's rotations or system? Based on what we're seeing, I think the word you're looking for is "disaster". Either way, the Lakers are without a doubt going to be the most talked about Play In team in the league this year and Patrick Beverly will be breaking everything down with Rone on their new podcast.