For the last several months, Los Angeles Lakers fans have been down on Russell Westbrook, and most of them are ready to move on from him due to his disappointing play this season.
But according to legendary rapper and lifelong Lakers fan Snoop Dogg, Westbrook’s struggles weren’t his fault, but rather the fault of outgoing head coach Frank Vogel.
Shoutout to @SnoopDogg for defending Russell Westbrook last night on the @fullsendpodcast pic.twitter.com/VSgSvGpSUV
— Nour (@Ruonq20) April 21, 2022
“He’s a killer,” Snoop Dogg said of Westbrook. “He’ll find himself out of it. Remember, the coach wasn’t f—— with him. Coach used to sit him on the bench, take him out the game. That f—- with your mentality too, when you’re this great, and you’ve got this coach telling you, ‘Sit down, hold on,’ then when you get in, you definitely reckless because you ain’t in a groove. Basketball is a groove thing. The coach and the player have to be on the same page to where you understand my minutes affect the way I play, and by you sitting me down, you affecting the way I play because now I can’t do the things I normally do. Now I’m out here rushing and trying to get people involved instead of just running the game. Russell ain’t never sit on the bench.”
Westbrook’s play was up-and-down this season, due mainly to his shooting struggles and problems with turnovers. A couple of times when the triple-double maestro was in a slump, Vogel benched him in crunch time of close games, and he clearly wasn’t happy about it.
Westbrook apparently didn’t respect Vogel, and teammates had numerous issues with him. When he was having trouble converting layups, others on the team questioned if something was wrong with him.
As a result, he reportedly felt like he was in a “dark corner” due to a lack of support.
By all indications, the Lakers will at least try to trade Westbrook this offseason, and there are already at least two teams rumored to be interested in him.
But pulling off such a trade won’t be easy. Reportedly, rival executives feel Westbrook has lost his value as a viable player, while the Lakers seem unwilling to take back anyone who has a history of injuries, such as Gordon Hayward or Malcolm Brogdon.
However, if L.A. is able to consummate a Westbrook trade that brings back some decent value, it could greatly help it recover from a terrible season and become a competitive squad again.
