The Los Angeles Lakers are a downward spiraling team at the moment and it appears Russell Westbrook is being put into a position of being the scapegoat.
Westbrook was benched late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s lost to the Indiana Pacers. Westbrook didn’t speak to the media after the game, but eventually gave his reaction to the Lakers coach’s decision to bench him in the latest report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Surprised, yes. I was disappointed I didn’t go back in, but I’m more disappointed that we lost the damn game.”Said Westbrook. “I want to be able to be on the floor to help my teammates and be able to help our team win in games like that — but that was a decision that was made.”
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The Lakers are currently 22-23 and 8th in the Western Conference. There have been reports that Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is under pressure to have the team perform better, but all of the team’s issues aren’t his fault. In the meantime, don’t expect Westbrook to ride the bench during the 4th quarters to be a long term thing. If the team continues to struggle, expect roster moves to happen by the trade deadline.