Has Russell Westbrook Been Good, Bad or Both for the Lakers This Season? (Plus 2nd Half Predictions)...

It's an easy question to ask, and a really hard one to answer.

Is Russell Westbrook playing well for the Lakers this season?

Ask 100 Lakers fans and you'll get 100 different answers, in part because even before the trade that brought Westbrook to Los Angeles, even before his genuinely disastrous first season in a Lakers uniform, Westbrook already was already a polarizing figure in the NBA community. Like Kobe, Westbrook for many is an avatar for larger conversations about how basketball should be played, and what ought to be valued. He's often been at the center of the divide between "old school" and "new school" analysts, or folks who just kinda don't like the guy and find him abrasive.

So there's no question he's not worth $47 million.

There's no question the trade was a horrible idea, and could haunt the Lakers for years.

But none of that is really related to answering the question of how well Westbrook is playing. For starters, well compared to who? Compared to what? What's the right measuring stick? Is it stars? Is it other bench players? And while many of his numbers (turnovers, true shooting percentage) are alarming, other metrics (net rating, particularly as the season has gone on) indicate he's having a positive impact when he plays.

And then there's the question of trades. Will the Lakers be able to pull the trigger? Is there even a trigger to pull? And how does the fact the Lakers may be stuck with Westbrook influence people's opinions of how well he's playing?

There's much to unpack.

Plus, more second half predictions! How many games for LeBron over the final 41? For A.D.? Do the Lakers make a trade? Will Russ be involved? Do the Lakers make the playoffs? If so, what seed?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Setting the table: Answering the question about Westbrook's play requires a defining of terms.

SEGMENT 2: So in context, is Westbrook playing well?

SEGMENT 3: How the Westbrook trade market impacts feelings about him, plus playoff predictions!

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