After the Lakers’ exit interviews on Monday, there was a sense among the NBA community that the team was doomed to fail from the very start. At the dawn of the season, cracks were forming behind the scenes that nobody noticed at the time — and Russell Westbrook was at the center of them.
Last week, one report revealed that the 9x All-Star never really had respect for the team’s former head coach Frank Vogel, who was fired before the post-game interviews on Sunday.
In a story by The Athletic, however, it’s revealed that Vogel wasn’t the only guy who butt heads with Russ. During a film session early in the season, assistant coach David Fizdale found himself in an altercation with the star guard after calling him out for his shot selection.
(via The Athletic’s Shams Charania)
Throughout the NBA, teams are also keeping an eye on how the Lakers manage the Westbrook situation. Westbrook remained a professional throughout the season, but his partnership with Vogel failed to gain traction as the season went on. In an early-season film session, assistant coach David Fizdale challenged Westbrook on his shot selection, and the two had an animated exchange, sources said. That was one of the instances when Westbrook was challenged by a coach or teammate, and the style the coaching staff envisioned for Westbrook did not match what took place on the court.
It’s not uncommon for star players to get into it with the coaching staff. During an especially frustrating season, one could only imagine how tense everyone was at the time.
For Westbrook and the Vogel regime, however, it seems to be something more. In his exit interview, the former MVP himself implied that the veteran coach had some personal issue with him.
Luckily for the Californian native, Vogel is gone and the Lakers have already started searching for his replacement. Multiple highly qualified names (like Raptors legend Nick Nurse) have risen to the surface as potential candidates for the job.
No matter who they bring in, it will likely be Westbrook who becomes their biggest challenge of all. Just ask the last guy who caused to coach him in L.A.
