Russell Westbrook lays into Lakers head coach Frank Vogel after 2nd straight benching
A tense situation for the Los Angeles Lakers reached boiling point on Tuesday when Russell Westbrook made clear what he thought about how his playing time was being handled by head coach Frank Vogel.
The comments came after the Lakers' 131-116 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, in which Westbrook did not see the court at all in the fourth quarter, even when his team cut a large deficit to 10 points. It was the second straight game in which Westbrook was benched for the end of the game, as he also missed all of overtime in the Lakers' previous win on Saturday.
Westbrook clearly had an issue with those changes, as he complained to reporters after the game about Vogel's lineup decisions.
From Silver Screen & Roll's Harrison Feigen:
"You never know when you're coming in, you never know when you're coming out. You never know when you're playing, you never know... a bunch of things. And I'm speaking for me personally, so it's a difficult process to be able to figure out and create some rhythm and some consistency where we can actually see what we're able to do as a team, but those decisions are made by him and his coaching staff, and you've got to live with it and move on."
Westbrook went on to take a number of subtle — and less-than-subtle — shots at Vogel.
When asked about a moment with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at the end of the game, Westbrook said he told them he wished he could help them, but couldn't because he wasn't in the game. When asked about Vogel's communication, Westbrook bluntly said Vogel hasn't been clear with him about his playing time.
The most pointed remark, however, came when Westbrook was asked about any benchmarks he needs to hit to get back in the closing lineup. He rejected the premise that he should have to do anything.
Russell Westbrook’s answer when asked what benchmarks he has to hit to be in the closing lineup: pic.twitter.com/Nobrx2ov8K
— Giannis Wobtetokounmpo (@WorldWideWob) February 9, 2022
Westbrook's answer:
"I shouldn’t have to hit any benchmarks, to be honest. I put a lot of work in. I got a lot of respect in this game. I earned the right to be in closing lineups. Numbers would say, I don't have to explain that. Like I said, once again, it ain't my decision ... Unfortunately, just gotta go with and figure it out the best I can and be there for my teammates as much as I can and make sure I come into work and do my job."
It has become increasingly clear over the past few weeks that all is not well with the 26-29 Lakers, and Westbrook may be the biggest problem at this point.
Russell Westbrook and the Lakers aren't working out
Acquired last summer to form a Big 3 with James and Davis, and push the Lakers back into title contention, Westbrook has instead struggled to replicate his past success alongside his fellow stars. Entering Wednesday, he was averaging 18.4 points per game, his lowest mark since 2009-10, and shooting 43.7 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep.
The former MVP has became a frequent target for Lakers fans, with his lowlights regularly going viral. He is a regular in hypothetical trades on social media, but it's hard to see any team taking on his enormous contract without enormous concessions or sweeteners from the Lakers.
A trade may be the only way back to the top for the Lakers at this point, though. James certainly seemed to question whether the Lakers, as constructed, could compete with the NBA's elite teams.
Here's the transcript of my press conference exchange with LeBron James to close out the evening. It's hard not to read into this: pic.twitter.com/hcdnJqrXlB
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) February 9, 2022
With the trade deadline looming on Thursday, the Lakers don't have much time to make a change.
