Lakers teammates 'isolating' D'Angelo Russell after video surfaces

Post #1 » by **Slava** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:32 am

Sources told ESPN.com that some teammates' trust in Russell is eroding after a video surfaced in the past week that shows Russell recording a private conversation between himself and teammate Nick Young. Young does not appear to realize he is being taped.

The video, which is believed to have come to light last week via the Twitter account of a celebrity gossip site, shows Russell filming Young while asking questions about Young being with other women. Young got engaged to Australian rapper Iggy Azalea last summer.

While it's unclear how the video became public, sources say the resulting tension in the Lakers' locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.'s limp showing in Salt Lake City on Monday night, when they absorbed a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz. The loss was the Lakers' worst in franchise history.

ESPN

Russell is an idiot but nothing good comes out of Nick Young.

EArl · Post #2 » by **EArl** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:34 am

That doesnt bode well for Russ. Snitches get stitches

MelosSoreWrist · Post #3 » by **MelosSoreWrist** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:40 am

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15095276/dangelo-russell-center-los-angeles-lakers-rift-video-took-nick-young-made-public

While it's unclear how the video became public, sources say the resulting tension in the Lakers' locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.'s limp showing in Salt Lake City on Monday night, when they absorbed a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz. The loss was the Lakers' worst in franchise history.

Various Lakers officials are aware of the issue and are dismayed with Russell, sources say, but to this point they have chosen not to intervene.

"Right now," one source said, "they're handling it by isolating him."

Austin Brown, Russell's agent from Creative Artists Agency, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.

Said one team insider: "This was a prank gone wrong and a mistake by [Russell], and he has to be held accountable, but I would hope he isn't overly criticized for it."

The emergence of the video, sources said, has been the talk of the locker room for the past several days and has led to a tangible strain between Russell and some teammates.

At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

"It's bad," one team source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "It's about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there's no trust."

How big a deal is this? He seems to have maturity issues but then again he is 19 years old. You can try to get rid of Nick Young and Lou Williams but you can trade away everyone and you cant have a starting point guard no one likes.

BEazy · Post #4 » by **BEazy** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:41 am

One question why is Nick Young hanging out with a 20 year old? I don't know, I think Young kinda brought that upon himself. Young should know Russell is still immature in some ways.

8 more games and this crap of a season is over finally...

RSCD3_ · Post #5 » by **RSCD3_** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:51 am

ScHoolBoy B wrote:One question why is Nick Young hanging out with a 20 year old? I don't know, I think Young kinda brought that upon himself. Young should know Russell is still immature in some ways.

8 more games and this crap of a season is over finally...

This is different than immaturity it looks like russell was being malicious here, what use wpuld he have of it if not to blackmail something outta young, nobody just brings a cell phone into a private conversation, goads them into telling them there secrets and it so happens to leak.

Who would want to play with a weasel like that? Big negative for FA's.

ArC_man · Post #6 » by **ArC_man** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:53 am

What an idiot...

Edit: Inb4 warrenpeace's "I told you so"

TylersLakers · Post #7 » by **TylersLakers** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:54 am

Saw this on the celebrity blogs last week and just hoped it would die. It's full force now.

Post #8 » by **Danny Darko** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:54 am

Russell literally needs to be taught lessons... I don't mean getting his ass kicked, although he seems to deserve it. He and Okafor have both been very immature and we are putting immature kids into the league now on the regular. At least Okafor didn't break a well known league rule (and i'm not condoning Nick's actions but setting a teammate up for public disgrace is common sense type stupid).

Not that our season wasn't bad enough, but he's besmirched the farewell to Kobe... who I believe did something similar to Shaq, so maybe Kobe will have some type of valid advice, but dang. Also he's validating the worst coach ever's opinions (which should never be validated).

gts1 · Post #9 » by **gts1** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:59 am

MelosSoreWrist wrote:http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15095276/dangelo-russell-center-los-angeles-lakers-rift-video-took-nick-young-made-public

While it's unclear how the video became public, sources say the resulting tension in the Lakers' locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.'s limp showing in Salt Lake City on Monday night, when they absorbed a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz. The loss was the Lakers' worst in franchise history.

Various Lakers officials are aware of the issue and are dismayed with Russell, sources say, but to this point they have chosen not to intervene.

"Right now," one source said, "they're handling it by isolating him."

Austin Brown, Russell's agent from Creative Artists Agency, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.

Said one team insider: "This was a prank gone wrong and a mistake by [Russell], and he has to be held accountable, but I would hope he isn't overly criticized for it."

The emergence of the video, sources said, has been the talk of the locker room for the past several days and has led to a tangible strain between Russell and some teammates.

At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

"It's bad," one team source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "It's about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there's no trust."

How big a deal is this? He seems to have maturity issues but then again he is 19 years old. You can try to get rid of Nick Young and Lou Williams but you can trade away everyone and you cant have a starting point guard no one likes.

It's a big deal if it's all true. He's crossed a line that the "he's just a kid" tag doesn't explain away his actions

And please let's not hang this on Young. I don't like Nick any more or less than the next guy but he did nothing wrong here other than confide in the wrong person

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

Tarik_shaq · Post #10 » by **Tarik_shaq** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 4:59 am

I posted a thread about this 3 days ago.

Why the hell is this not locked, but mine does now that bleacher report and realgm reports this???

moonpie · Post #11 » by **moonpie** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:04 am

Let's trade Russell for Ish Smith

Leor_77 · Post #12 » by **Leor_77** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:07 am

I have a feeling that this has caused some serious strain between Nick Young and his fiance (captain obvious, I know). None of us know about it, but the teammates probably do. She might not be talking to him and might want to call the engagement off.

BEazy · Post #13 » by **BEazy** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:12 am

I mean at the very end of the video DLo even said thanks for sharing that on my video. All Nick Young said is "Huh?" I'm sure Young heard that and should've took DLo's phone and deleted it.

At least that's what I would do if I knew there was a video of me saying that...

The Laker Kid · Post #14 » by **The Laker Kid** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:13 am

At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

Very awkward. It probably went like this:

MelosSoreWrist · Post #15 » by **MelosSoreWrist** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:31 am

gts1 wrote:
MelosSoreWrist wrote:http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/15095276/dangelo-russell-center-los-angeles-lakers-rift-video-took-nick-young-made-public

While it's unclear how the video became public, sources say the resulting tension in the Lakers' locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.'s limp showing in Salt Lake City on Monday night, when they absorbed a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz. The loss was the Lakers' worst in franchise history.

Various Lakers officials are aware of the issue and are dismayed with Russell, sources say, but to this point they have chosen not to intervene.

"Right now," one source said, "they're handling it by isolating him."

Austin Brown, Russell's agent from Creative Artists Agency, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.

Said one team insider: "This was a prank gone wrong and a mistake by [Russell], and he has to be held accountable, but I would hope he isn't overly criticized for it."

The emergence of the video, sources said, has been the talk of the locker room for the past several days and has led to a tangible strain between Russell and some teammates.

At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

"It's bad," one team source told ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne. "It's about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there's no trust."

How big a deal is this? He seems to have maturity issues but then again he is 19 years old. You can try to get rid of Nick Young and Lou Williams but you can trade away everyone and you cant have a starting point guard no one likes.

It's a big deal if it's all true. He's crossed a line that the "he's just a kid" tag doesn't explain away his actions

And please let's not hang this on Young. I don't like Nick any more or less than the next guy but he did nothing wrong here other than confide in the wrong person

Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

I'm not blaming it on Young. I'm just speaking from a organizational pov. If Russells relationship with Young is irreparable, the organization can trade Young and players like Williams to keep a top young prospect. But you cant trade the whole team to keep Russell.

gts1 · Post #16 » by **gts1** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:33 am

You really wonder what Russell's end game is with all this... Nobody is this stupid by accident

MelosSoreWrist wrote:I'm not blaming it on Young. I'm just speaking from a organizational pov. If Russells relationship with Young is irreparable, the organization can trade Young and players like Williams to keep a top young prospect. But you cant trade the whole team to keep Russell.

From an organizational point of view you hope they sort it out among themselves and it get's known around the league that all is well but if the whole team is against Russell and it becomes clear during exit meetings that it's going to hurt you going forward you you have to think long and hard about moving the problem out of your locker room...

Fact is Russell has played OK this season but not so well the he has enough cache to allow the team embrace the problem and have everyone else fall in line like they did with Kobe and Colorado.

What do you do if Randle and Clarkson and Nance as examples say they want nothing to do with the guy? What if a prospective free agents first question is about Russell's standing with the team? All extreme example's but this team has a very small margin for error this summer

Also puts a whole new light on Kobe's and Byron's comments about there not being anyone on the team that's the new face of the franchise doesn't it.... They obviously knew about this when those comments were made

moonpie · Post #17 » by **moonpie** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 5:44 am

The Laker Kid wrote:
At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.

Very awkward. It probably went like this:

gts1 · Post #18 » by **gts1** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:03 am

Found on twitter...oh boy...lol

Edrees · Post #19 » by **Edrees** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:06 am

Wait I still don't understand who anyone got a hold of the video on russell's cell phone. If russell sent it to people I don't see how it can be malicious. People are jumping WAY TO QUICKLY to judgement when we have no idea what happened.

Yeah we gave nick young the benefit of the doubt when accused by that woman but russell doesn't get any benefit before the facts come out? not fair.

There must be a reaossns the article doesn't mention Randle or any other lakers. I'm not convinced other lakers are ignoring him. It might just be those 2 guys.

What probably happened is russell was immature and pulling some prank and his intentions got mis understood. Just becaues he's immature doesn't mean he's trying to black mail anyone. Geez.

sportscrazy · Post #20 » by **sportscrazy** » Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:16 am

As an outsider, this is really bad. Not in the real world sense, but in the locker room sense. Players have certain rules and values among each other and a rookie going out of his way to break that makes that rookie pretty toxic. A clear difference in real world vs. locker room is that was Ray Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, allegedly did is WAY worse in the real world, but as far as the locker room, no one cared so long as he brought it on the field each week. What Russell did is no biggie in the real world in the grand scheme of things, but this is so bad in the way he is perceived among other players in the league right now. Kobe, being very sensitive to situations like this I'm sure, due to his own past allegations is especially enraged that this happened with ten games left of his time on a professional basketball court and that surely has an influence on league-wide veterans perception of Russell right now too. In time this will pass, I'm sure, but this is not a good look for Russell right now and will be fresh in the minds of free agents this summer. There's real world stupid and locker room stupid as I explained and this is REALLY bad locker room stupid. I'm a Knicks fan, so I can relate being that our head coach was trying to get with players' wives (Derek Fisher), but firing Fisher was an easy choice. Deciding between building a new core around Russell through the draft or trading him if this thing comes up with free agents is a much harder choice.