Clippers officially add Westbrook

CLIPPERS

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, speaking on newcomer Russell Westbrook (0), said he just wants “Russ to be Russ.” MARK J. TERRILL – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Anthony Davis (3) and the Lakers face a tough road to making the NBA playoffs, two games out of 10th place and the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. JED JACOBSOHN – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Janis Carr

Correspondent

PLAYA VISTA >> He came in smiling, an obvious sign that Russell Westbrook was happy, maybe even thrilled, to leave behind the last year and half and start anew with the Clippers. A fresh start that began when the team officially announced Wednesday it had signed the veteran point guard.

Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

“I’m super excited, man. I’m just excited to get back to playing,” Westbrook said, still smiling. “I love to play basketball and I just have a lot of fun while doing it. I get to stay home, see the wife and the kids, and take them to school in the morning. That’s a big part of my day and, you know, nothing more important than that.”

Another big part of his life will be first fitting into a roster that has gotten the Clippers (33-28) this far, holding down fourth place in the Western Conference, then helping the team advance far into the postseason. The work begins with Friday’s game against Sacramento at Crypto.com Arena when Westbrook will make his debut.

Westbrook was back in the gym Wednesday after spending the past two weeks deciding his future after being traded to Utah by the Lakers and then bought out and waived, making him a free agent. He said his decision to sign with the Clippers was influenced heavily by the support he received from players, such as Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr.

Before the All-Star break, George and Morris Sr. campaigned for the former league MVP to join the Clippers, with George going as far as to say, “I’m a big believer in and a fan of what Russ’s work is, you know, having had one of my best seasons in my career alongside of him. I’ve seen what he can do, night in, night out and I think he’s still got a lot of game there.”

Lawrence Frank, Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said he took the players’ comments into consideration when deciding whether to add the mercurial point guard.

“We always listen, and everyone brings different perspectives,” Frank said. “I think with every decision you make, you listen to your partners. With Kawhi and PG, their opinion matters. (coach) Tyronn Lue’s opinion matters. The evaluator’s opinion matters, front office. So, what you do is you put it all together, and then ultimately, at the end of the day it is my job to do what’s the best decision for the Clippers.”

And that was taking a chance on Westbrook, who was moved by the players’ support.

“That’s a huge part, man, for anybody, for any normal human being in any situation in the workplace,” Westbrook said. “(To hear) that somebody, that a lot of teammates and people want you, is very important to me.

“I value that a lot. I’ve been in this league a long time and being somewhere that people want you and they embrace you, that meant a lot to me.”

That wasn’t the case at his last workplace. During his time with the Lakers, Westbrook went from starter to role player after a series of poor performances, battled the media and was booed by Lakers fans for shooting airballs, taking unnecessary fouls and playing lackluster defense.

Lue cautioned against comparing that Westbrook to the one in a Clippers jersey, saying “it’s not fair.”

“It’s not that he was better on one team or another, but what he brings to our team,” Lue added.

Lue said he wants “Russ to be Russ” and if he’s doing too much or not enough, the coach will pull him aside.

“We want him to be the player that he is, you know, the MVP, the Hall of Famer, everything he brings every single night,” Lue said. “We want him to be that person, that player. Then, we just got to make sure that it’s within the confines of our team and what we’re trying to do team-wise.”

Despite his struggles with the Lakers, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 52 games this season. With the Clippers, though, he is going to be counted on to push the pace, run the floor and pass — not necessarily shoot.

“I think he’ll make it a lot easier for PG and Kawhi,” Lue said. “We know the style of play we play, that a lot of times it’s a grind-out game with PG and Kawhi getting easy shots. But I think Russ can help manufacture some of those easy baskets like John (Wall) did for us. So, he brings just a different dynamic to our team and (we need to just) see how it fits in, how it goes.”