Inamin ni Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal na hindi ito makapaniwala sa nangyaring blockbuster trade kung saan lilipat na sa Houston Rockets ang kanyang teammate na si John Wall kapalit ng kapwa nito point guard na si Russell Westbrook.
Maaalalang iginugol ni Beal ang unang walong seasons ng kanyang karera bilang teammate ni Wall sa Wizards.
Pero ayon sa two-time All-Star shooting guard, batid niyang wala siyang magagawa kundi tanggapin ang pangyayari at umaasa itong magiging maganda ang pagsasama nila ni Westbrook, na dating NBA MVP.
“It was definitely kind of shocking and crazy to see the news the other day,” sambit ni Beal.
“You understand it’s the business of basketball. … It was a tough pill for me to swallow too but on the flip side you look at it and see who we are bringing in and the caliber of player in Russ and what he is able to do, former MVP, walking triple-double. He is going to bring a spark to our team and an energy to our city.”
Naglista ng average na 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds at 7.0 assists sa 57 laro si Westbrook sa Rockets noong nakaraang season.
Ang nine-time All-Star din ang itinanghal na NBA MVP noong 2016-17 season nang pumoste ito ng record na 42 triple-doubles.
Sinabi pa ni Beal na wala itong nakikitang magiging isyu ngayong kasama na nila si Westbrook sa koponan.
“I think there is a lot of false narratives that people have on him,” ani Beal. “So I won’t put any stock into those things until I get some time with Russ on the floor. I don’t think it will be anything where he comes in and he’s like trying to run the show and just do everything by himself. He realizes it’s a group effort. I don’t think it will be any issue.”
Mahirap naman aniya para sa kanya na magpaalam kay Wall, na huling naglaro noong Disyembre 2018 dahil sa natamo nitong mga injury.
“I’m trying not to get emotional now,” wika ni Beal. “It’s tough because he’s a brother. You realize that relationship was so strong but it was so crazy because a lot of people tried to break us apart, a lot of people tried to put us apart, put us against each other and it was always crazy because when we came together and had those conversations, it was the total opposite of what everybody was making and the rumors and the noise.”
Ang 30-anyos na si Wall ay may career average na 19 points, 9.2 assists, 4.3 rebounds at 1.7 steals sa 573 laro.
Si Wall na siya ring No. 1 overall pick noong 2010 NBA Draft ay ang all-time leader ng Washington sa steals (976) at assists (5,282) at pumapang-apat sa kabuuang puntos (10,879).
