Lakers: Frank Vogel's Handling of Russell Westbrook Played in Role in His Firing
Throughout the 2021-22 NBA season, there was speculation that Laker's head coach Frank Vogel would be fired. This was after the Lakers could not produce out on the court and were losing games. Many could see that the team could not work well together. However, once the season was coming to an end and the Lakers did not make the Play-In Tournament, experts reported that Vogel would be fired soon after the Laker's final game.
Now, Sam Amick from the Athletic explained that a part of the reason for Vogel no longer being with the Lakers is because of how he handled Russell Westbrook.
"When the decision was made to fire Vogel, sources say his handling of Westbrook and the inability to find a way to make him a more productive part of the program were among the factors that played a big part. There was a strong sense that it was on Vogel to make the Westbrook experiment work, and the fact that it didn’t led to questions about whether Westbrook had been put in a position to succeed. That sure smells like the hope of a Russ revival to me."
This was a huge issue for the Lakers because although Russell Westbrook has been a powerful player throughout his career, he clearly struggled in LA. Westbrook was the only player out of the Laker's "Big Three" that played almost every game. LeBron James, and especially, Anthony Davis were both injured for portions of the season, so Westbrook had to step up.
Nonetheless, with a new head coach in the works, Westbrook could finally get the leadership he needs to improve.
