Russell Westbrook blamed several factors for his and the Lakers’ disappointing season, including Frank Vogel, false news reports and roster. Today we will discuss about Russell Westbrook: Interview| Press conference| Frank vogel.
Russell Westbrook: Interview| Press conference| Frank vogel
Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) for the 2016–17 season. He is also a member of the All-NBA team nine times, led the league in scoring in 2014–15 and 2016-17, and won back-to-back NBA All-Star Game MVP awards in 2015 and 2016.
No. 0 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
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Position | Point guard |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | November 12, 1988 Long Beach, California |
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Leuzinger (Lawndale, California) |
College | UCLA (2006–2008) |
NBA draft | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall |
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics | |
Playing career | 2008–present |
Career history | |
2008–2019 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
2019–2020 | Houston Rockets |
2020–2021 | Washington Wizards |
2021–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
Interview
When a season ends like the Lakers, there’s a good chance that some complaints will air during player exit interviews. Russell Westbrook walked into the media room with a few people.
Just days after Broderick Turner of The LA Times reported that ‘Russ has never respected Frank from day one’, Westbrook made several critical comments about Frank Vogel. The head coach was officially sacked by the Lakers on Monday, but he knew the move was being made since Sunday night.
In his exit interview, Westbrook had this to say about his relationship with Vogel last season.
“I’m not sure what his issue was with me or I’m not sure why, but I can’t really give you an answer as to why we never really connected. It’s something he has to respond to… But I never… from the beginning felt like I had to try to prove myself and my abilities and what I am capable of doing in this game. It’s unfortunate, but it’s out of my hands is.”
Westbrook’s response all but confirms a quote from Broderick Turner, an anonymous Lakers staff member.
Earlier in the interview, Westbrook said that the coaching staff failed to facilitate conversations with him, Eddie and LeBron James about adjusting on-court strategy based on the stars playing that night.
Press conference
The negative chatter surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ off-season takeover of Russell Westbrook hit a fever pitch Friday night, as the polarizing star delivered another sub-par performance in the Lakers’ 24-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite leading 49–44 at halftime, LA were reduced to 40–12 in the third quarter, with Westbrook scoring just three points to go with their three turnovers. However, it was Westbrook’s behavior after the game that sparked outrage on NBA Twitter.
During the postgame press conference – while teammate Anthony Davis handled the loss like a professional, calling the team’s performance “embarrassing” – Russ was more interested in looking at his phone than answering questions from the media.
Ryan Ward, a reporter for the Lakers Nation, called out Westbrook for the antics on Twitter on Friday: “Call me crazy, but I think it’s a little disrespectful to look at your phone during the entire postgame interview, especially after being blown up,” Ward said. wrote. “Just me, I guess. Etiquette. What a concept.”
From there, NBA Twitter reported Russ’s “outrageous” behavior. Scroll down to see the best reactions to Westbrook’s press conference after Friday’s game.
Frank vogel
The relationship between Russell Westbrook and Frank Vogel never worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers in the eyes of a point guard.
“We were never really connected,” Westbrook told reporters on Monday after the Lakers announced their split with Vogel as head coach. “From the beginning, I felt like I had to prove myself to him.”
Westbrook also said of Vogel, “I’m not sure what his issue was with me.”
If there was an issue for Vogel, it could be rooted in Westbrook’s play.
While the nine-time All-Star is a future Hall of Famer and former league MVP, he did not see a part in his first season with the Lakers. It was an awkward fit from the start with LeBron James because they’re both so ball-dominated, and his shooting struggle continued as he hit 29.8 percent of his triples.
His 18.5 points per game was his lowest point since his second season in the league in 2009–10, and he posted a career-worst 15.0 player efficiency rating per basketball context.
It quickly became clear that the alleged Big Three of James, Westbrook and Anthony Davis were not going to dominate the league, especially since the UCLA product could not consistently hit from outside and take advantage of the vacancy created by playing with the other. Was. Two. Similarly, the trio played only 21 games this season as a result of various injuries to James and Davis.
It’s not hard to imagine the Lakers’ season unfolding in a different direction if they acquired DeMar DeRozan or Buddy Heald this past season instead, but ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (h/t RealGM) recently told James and reported “enthusiasm” from Davis to Westbrook. Driven to Los Angeles to trade for him.
It got to a point where Vogel benched Westbrook in the fourth quarter and had several crunch times throughout the season.
Perhaps this didn’t sit well with the 33-year-old, and Monday’s comments suggest he believes the veteran head coach who led the Lakers to surprise during the 2019-20 campaign