The Los Angeles Lakers are in a real mess right now. Aside from the fact that they haven't been winning basketball games, the newest controversy to rock the squad was Frank Vogel's shocking decision to bench Russell Westbrook in the closing minutes of Wednesday's 111-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Reports have already emerged about Russ being incensed by this decision to the point of the former MVP nearly walking out of the court area during the game. Apparently, this was the exact thing that Vogel and his staff had been fearing prior to the coach's decision to bench Westbrook.

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, the prospect of not playing Russ during crunch time is something that Vogel has been mulling for several weeks now. However, the effect of this decision on Westbrook's mental state was something that came into play significantly:

The coaching staff had been debating whether to pull Westbrook from late-game situations for weeks, sources said, but always refrained because of worries about the lasting impact on Westbrook's psyche.

True enough, Russ did not take Wednesday's benching well at all. The Lakers star reportedly wanted to walk out on the team and head to the locker room before teammate DeAndre Jordan convinced him otherwise. Westbrook returned to the bench but was reportedly “jawing from the bench with his jersey untucked.” Although, it wasn't clear what the former MVP was saying or to whom he was addressing his tirade.

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What also needs to be taken into account is Frank Vogel's current stature with the team. According to reports, the 48-year-old shot-caller is now in serious danger of losing his job. It is clear that Vogel needs to win more games at this point, and it seems that this has resulted in some drastic decision-making from his end. Unfortunately for Russell Westbrook, he was on the receiving end of the same.

The Lakers return to action on Friday to face the Orlando Magic. It will be truly interesting to see how Frank Vogel tweaks his rotation late in the game. All eyes will be on Russell Westbrook and whether or not he will be on the floor in the dying minutes. Needless to say, a lot will be riding on Friday's contest.