Frank Vogel was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday, and it seems as though some players on the Lakers are pretty happy with this decision. Throughout the season, LeBron James seemed pretty neutral on Vogel, however, there was clearly some tension between Vogel and Russell Westbrook. Numerous reports came out claiming that Westbrook was not happy with the way he was being utilized, and on Monday, Russ confirmed those reports.
In his exit interview with the Lakers, Russ said that he felt as though Vogel had a personal problem with him. Russ never felt comfortable with the coaching staff, and he never felt like the team gave him a real shot at being the player he knew he could be.
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“I’m not sure what his issue was with me or I’m not sure why, but I can’t really give you an answer why we never really connected,” Westbrook said. “That’s something that he has to answer…but I never…from the get go was feeling like I was having to try to prove myself to him and my capabilities and what I’ve been able to do in this game. It’s unfortunate, but it’s out of my hands.”
It’s hard to imagine what the Lakers would have been like had Russ been utilized in a different way, however, it couldn’t have been any worse than what we saw this year. The Lakers were truly awful, and now, Westbrook’s future with the team is in question.
You can watch Russ’ exit interview, down below.
[Via]