Stephen A. Smith doesn’t think Pat Bev should get Lakers ring originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Patrick Beverley and the Chicago Bulls failed to make the playoffs after falling to the Miami Heat during the final game of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
But Beverley and Russell Westbrook, former teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season, haven’t forgotten where they played the majority of the season.
And each of them is on the lookout for hardware if the Lakers win the NBA Finals.
“Russell goes, ‘Hey Pat, Lakers win I want my ring.’ I ain’t gon’ lie, Russ, we gonna be suited and booted boy I’m gonna be right there waiting on that ring,” Beverley said on his podcast.
During the day, the discussion arrived on ESPN’s First Take show with Stephen A. Smith. Smith was dissatisfied with the idea of both Beverly and Westbrook receiving rings from a hypothetical NBA Finals win from the Lakers.
“Hell no. Are you kidding me?” Smith said. “The reality is that the Lakers are better without you than they were with you.”
Smith argued the Lakers’ standing before the trade deadline, when Beverly and Westbrook were on the team, versus after.
The Lakers were the 13th seed in the Western Conference before the trade deadline. Since the Lakers traded the duo, they earned the seventh seed in the playoffs and are currently playing in the second round of the playoffs.
Smith doesn’t believe the Lakers would have come this far if both of them still donned a Laker jersey.
There are no rules in the NBA that dictate if past members of a team get championship rings. The people who earn physical rings from a championship team are entirely up to the discretion of the organization.
Take the Anderson Varejao case for example. In 2016, Varejao played 31 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers to start the season. The Cavs cut him during the season and he signed with the Golden State Warriors, who he played 33 games for during the regular season. Both teams made the NBA Finals that season, giving reason for Varejao to earn a ring from whoever won.
Beverley played and started in 45 games with the Lakers this season. He averaged almost 27 minutes per contest, notching 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
Westbrook, on the other hand, played 52 games for the Lakers and started three of them. He played 29 minutes per game and averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game.
At the trade deadline, both Beverley and Westbrook were traded and similarly bought out by the teams who traded for them. Beverley was traded to the Magic, earned a buyout, and signed with the Chicago Bulls. Westbrook was traded to the Jazz, bought out, and signed with the Clippers.
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