Lakers: Tension Between Russell Westbrook and the Coaching Staff Appears to Be Growing

Not a good sign when there is a lack of communication.

There's just no other way to put it, the Lakers are in a terrible situation right now. Forget about the standings or the scores for a minute and just focus on the team that Frank Vogel has in front of him. He has a former MVP winner in Russell Westbrook, a perennial All-Star big in Anthony Davis, and he has one of the greatest players of all time in LeBron James. 

But the inability to find a role for Westbrook has been the biggest struggle for the Lakers, aside from roster health. Russ often looks lost on the court these days, and his struggles have reached a new level over the last 4 games. 

In that stretch, Russ has shot 27.5 percent from the field and averaged 10 points per game. He has shot 15 percent from beyond the arc and just barely over 50 percent from the charity stripe. It's bad. 

It's been so bad that Vogel has been much more open to benching Russ during his struggles. He sat him in their overtime win over the Knicks on Saturday, and he basically sat out the 4th quarter against the Bucks last night. 

But it's the lack of communication between Russ and Vogel that is a concern. Russ was asked if the communication has been clear from Vogel in regards to when he comes in and out of games. 

"No. He hasn't. But I don't need him to be clear. He makes whatever decision he makes, and that's up to him. My job as a professional is to come to work, be in a positive mindset, put my head down and do my work to the best of my ability and be there to encourage my teammates. That's it."

A head coach and a player not communicating is never a good thing, especially when that player is struggling. The Lakers need to find something to do with Russ, and they need to figure it out very soon.