NBA News: Russell Westbrook Running Out Of Time To Fit In

The Los Angeles Lakers have made changes, something necessary with injuries to key players.

Anthony Davis is still out, forcing head coach Frank Vogel to play LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony at the center.

So far that has worked for the Lakers as they were able to rack up some wins.

Regardless, Russell Westbrook remains inconsistent. This is a reason why his name has been mentioned anew on potential NBA trade scenarios.

The rapport behind that is expected to get even louder, with the trade deadline fast approaching.

The former NBA MVP may have already tried everything, but the key adjustment has yet to be made.

With time running out, seeing Westbrook staying on at most after the current season does not look promising.

Rather than address that, Vogel prefers to work on what is in front of him as the coach is aware that Westbrook has not been the same one-man wrecking crew.

“The environment around him has changed around him with his teammates all year long,” Vogel stated in a report from the Los Angeles Times.

However, the Lakers head coach believes that Westbrook is handling it well.

But at this point of the season, there remain more questions than answers on whether the 6-foot-3 guard was a wise pickup.

Looking ahead, it won’t get any easier for the nine-time All-Star. Book author Roland Lazenby echoed this notion when he appeared on the Sports Bytes PH podcast.

“Every fanbase has a different sort of expectations. In L.A., they’ve got those big eyes for everything. Sitting around every corner, all those powerful Hollywood people? They think it’s their right to be able to root and cheer in anybody’s face. But that’s not the game,” Lazenby said.

“The game’s going to sort it out and you got to meet the standard. You got to play well."