Russell Westbrook "Disappointed" About Benching

The Los Angeles Lakers have made headlines this season for mostly the wrong reasons. The most recent stories regarding the Lakers have been focused on the team's struggles to put games away late in the 4th quarter, and head coach Frank Vogel tried something new in an effort to shake things up. Starting point guard Russell Westbrook was taken out of the game with around four minutes left to play in a recent loss against the Indiana Pacers, and it did not go unnoticed by the media. Coach Frank Vogel was blunt in his reasoning when asked, simply stating he wanted to have the players on the floor he felt could win the game, and apparently, Russell Westbrook wasn't one of them.

ESPN asked Westbrook if he was surprised by the benching, to which he replied:

Surprised, yes. I was disappointed I didn't go back in, but I'm more disappointed that we lost the damn game.

Most of Westbrook's comments throughout the interview sound more like a guy who just wants to help his team, rather than a selfish star who craves the ball and/or spotlight. He also made it clear that he is 100% committed to this team and will make whatever sacrifices he can in order to help the Lakers win:

I have accepted everything that has been asked of me and tried to do it to the best of my ability. I'm not the ultimate decision-maker of if it's working -- or if it's not working. I'm OK with sacrificing some of the things that I've been able to do in this game to win because that's the most important part of this game. I've done everything they've asked me to do to this point.

While he is certainly talking the talk, maybe that attitude can translate into some wins, especially when Anthony Davis returns to the lineup soon.