Westbrook on Vogel: “I don’t know what his issue was with me”

[Willie Colon]

Westbrook is the most stubborn and least self-aware player I've ever seen. This is a major prediction but I don't think he will be in the NBA after next year. Even though he can still play, no team will want his attitude. He will be like Melo before Melo humbled himself. I don't see Russell ever humbling himself.

I think he'll end up like Iverson, who preferred retirement over coming off the bench.

[Slim Charlez]

Westbrook is the most stubborn and least self-aware player I've ever seen. This is a major prediction but I don't think he will be in the NBA after next year. Even though he can still play, no team will want his attitude. He will be like Melo before Melo humbled himself. I don't see Russell ever humbling himself.

I think he'll end up like Iverson, who preferred retirement over coming off the bench.

Beat me to it. So many similarities between the two guys, their games are not 100% alike because Westbrook is bigger but they both relied heavily on athleticism and getting to the basket at will that once they lost that they didn't know how to adjust and just fell from grace in what seems like overnight fashion. I don't think we see Westbrook in the league past next season.

[Capn'O]

All these 'team sources' popping up... The Lakers are in full meltdown internally... Good. Melt that **** down... Melt it aaalll down...

I hope your kids of rich dude are easier to push out than ours. Bad ownership sucks.

[CIN-C-STAR]

Westbrook is a narcissist with a victim complex.
Yikes.
Would not want that toxicity in my lockerroom if I was rebuilding or contending tbh.
I think it worked OK for the Wiz only because they don't actually know what they're doing

[MrBigShot]

Russ has always played with a chip on his shoulder and only knows one way to play, going 100mph. It's hard to turn that off, and accept that you aren't a great player anymore when you were an MVP 4-5 years ago.

Truth be told the best role for him right now, on a contender, might be as a 6th man off the bench. Roll with the bench unit and play the way he's accustomed to for 28 mins a night, but there's absolutely no way in his mind he feels he isn't still a star caliber player.

[righterwriter]

I'm shocked that people couldn't identify the type of player and person Russ is. I've seen it for years. The guy is toxic. I don't care how many triple doubles he got.

[darkse1d]

See...**** like this is what makes me dislike Russ a lot. Get this bum of the team. Go be Russ in the Iraqi div 6 league.

So which team do you have in mind that will take his 47m salary?

[righterwriter]

Westbrook is the most stubborn and least self-aware player I've ever seen. This is a major prediction but I don't think he will be in the NBA after next year. Even though he can still play, no team will want his attitude. He will be like Melo before Melo humbled himself. I don't see Russell ever humbling himself.

I think he'll end up like Iverson, who preferred retirement over coming off the bench.

Iverson was always a "me-first" player, but at least he wasn't outright hostile in the locker room like Russ is.

You can be an a-hole if you are an amazing player, and still find a place in the league.
You can have diminished skills as you get older, as long as you are a good guy.

But if your skills are fading and you are an a-hole, it's just not gonna work.

I think the Lakers waive him. Another team will try him out for the minimum, like the Hornets or Pistons, but Russ will Russ his way off the team by the All-Star break.

That leaves him with the option to play overseas. I think he could take a Marbury-like role, where he is a god in China who averages 35/15/15. But eventually he may cause some international incident that forces him out of the country.

[NO-KG-AI]

Russ has always played with a chip on his shoulder and only knows one way to play, going 100mph. It's hard to turn that off, and accept that you aren't a great player anymore when you were an MVP 4-5 years ago.

Truth be told the best role for him right now, on a contender, might be as a 6th man off the bench. Roll with the bench unit and play the way he's accustomed to for 28 mins a night, but there's absolutely no way in his mind he feels he isn't still a star caliber player.

He doesn't seem to have any issue turning it off when he has to play defense, or set screens, or move without the ball, or do anything that doesn't directly impact his points/rebounds/assists total.

[DaddyCool19]

I wonder if anyone will even think about signing him, if he doesn't learn to himble himself.

[Pablo Escobar]

Russ has always played with a chip on his shoulder and only knows one way to play, going 100mph. It's hard to turn that off, and accept that you aren't a great player anymore when you were an MVP 4-5 years ago.

Truth be told the best role for him right now, on a contender, might be as a 6th man off the bench. Roll with the bench unit and play the way he's accustomed to for 28 mins a night, but there's absolutely no way in his mind he feels he isn't still a star caliber player.

He doesn't seem to have any issue turning it off when he has to play defense, or set screens, or move without the ball, or do anything that doesn't directly impact his points/rebounds/assists total.

He's the dude on your team during pickup ball that takes all the shots but gets angry at everyone else when they stop trying on defense .. I'm surprised Kd lasted as long as he did with this arrogant pos.

[Luke Skyowner]

Vogel might be the first coach to get fired that I feel happy for. Nobody deserves to coach this team except maybe MJax. Please make it happen, it would be high comedy!

amount of eye rolling between players and coach would be cartoon like!

[Slava]

Quite honestly, **** this dude. He blamed anyone and everyone for his level of suck this season and said the season was only a failure because he did not get to average a triple double. I hope his next contract is in Guangdong.

[Pachinko_]

Come on now. Think about it from Westbrook's perspective, look at how things have gone for him: He got $300m, personal awards, praise and media attention over 14 years, and now all of a sudden you're gonna tell him he's doing it wrong? Nah, you're doing it wrong. He just does what he always did, which made him tremendously successful beyond his wildest imagination, and he ain't changing it any time soon. If you don't like it that's your problem, shouldn't have brought him along. End of story.

[Eric Millegan]

Would be hilarious if Westbrook has a halfway decent season next year and Lakers re-sign him to another contract.

They'll ship him to Indiana.

Hield Brogdom for frp and wb

Keep dreaming, Laker fans... smh.. No one wants Westbrook or the Lakers 2078 first round pick.

[Ryoga Hibiki]

They'll ship him to Indiana.

Hield Brogdom for frp and wb

Keep dreaming, Laker fans... smh.. No one wants Westbrook or the Lakers 2078 first round pick.

Given how this organization is trending, 2 future UFRP can be extremely valuable.
In 2027 LeBron and possibly Davis will be out of the league and they'll have no draft picks to build on in the meantime.
A team not looking to compete next year should think about it. NYK? ORL? DET? HOU should pair Russ and Wall trading Wood+Gordon for that package

___
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[Ill News]

Westbrook is the most stubborn and least self-aware player I've ever seen. This is a major prediction but I don't think he will be in the NBA after next year. Even though he can still play, no team will want his attitude. He will be like Melo before Melo humbled himself. I don't see Russell ever humbling himself.

I think Melo is the wrong comparison for Westbrook at this stage of his career. He's more like the next Iverson. Remember how Iverson flamed out of the league after his Denver stint because he couldn't accept a lesser role at that stage in his career, and he never really added much to his game? That's the road Westbrook's heading in.

I for one wouldn't mind if Westbrook isn't in the league in two years. Never liked his standoffish attitude towards the media, as if he believes in his mind that he should be impervious to criticism. That and his style of play doesn't appeal to me; even in his prime years it struck me as pretty brainless, solely reliant on his supreme athleticism. No wonder he always made ill-advised decisions in crunch time lol

[og15]

“Russ [Westbrook) never respected Frank [Vogel] from Day 1,” said one Lakers staff member with knowledge of the situation. “The moment Frank said anybody who gets the rebound can bring it up the court, which is just how the NBA is played these days, Russ was like, ‘Naw, I’m the point guard. Give the ball to me. Everybody run. Frank was like, ‘No, we have Talen [Horton-Tucker)] We have Austin [Reaves]. We have Malik. We have LeBron. We have AD. They can all bring the ball up.’ He was like, ‘Nope, I’m the point guard. Give me that s—. Everybody get out the way.

“From that point on, in training camp, it was a wrap, ‘cause now Russ is a fish out of water. He doesn’t know what to do. That’s how that started.”

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2022-04-08/inside-la-lakers-disappointing-season-lebron-james-anthony-davis

Read that yesterday, if true, basically they got off to a terrible start and there was no return. I don't really think that was a hill for Westbrook to die on though, not sure why that's even a big deal (well I guess triple doubles), but that's unfortunate.

[nomansland]

Do coaches still get paid when they're fired? Sorry if that's a stupid question. If so, Vogel can chill for a year (not that he couldn't anyway) and probably have his pick of jobs in a year or so.

If they're still on a contract, they do.

[Buckets22]

Westbrook has the bball IQ of a turtle...