Much has been made about how Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel made the bold decision of benching Russell Westbrook in the dying minutes of LA's January 19th loss to the Indiana Pacers. As it turns out, team general manager Rob Pelinka played a major role in the immediate aftermath of the incident as the high-ranking Lakers executive did all that he could to try and appease the intense situation at hand.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Pelinka went out of his way to meet with Westbrook as soon as he could with the intention of having an open discussion with the former league MVP about what had just transpired:
After Westbrook was benched, Pelinka knew the situation was at a critical juncture, so he met with Westbrook for nearly two hours when the team landed in Orlando on Thursday, according to team sources.
The Pacers game was on a Wednesday in LA and it sounds like Pelinka made the trip all the way to Orlando the following day in order to meet with Russ. The meeting reportedly lasted for a couple of hours which could indicate that the discussion was productive.
Westbrook was clearly incensed right after he learned of Vogel's decision and he even attempted to walk out on the team during the game. Pelinka knew that trouble was brewing so he made sure to reach out to Westbrook as soon as he could. What was discussed in the sit-down remains unknown, but we can assume that this involved Pelinka telling Russ how important he is for the Lakers in spite of these recent developments.
True enough, Westbrook eventually broke his silence about his controversial benching and he did imply that he was willing to “do his job” to help the team win. Russ appeared to have accepted Vogel's decision and it is clear that Pelinka played a key role in all of this.
All appears to be well in good in Hollywood right now, but given how volatile the situation is within and around the squad, it would not be surprising if the next incident is just around the corner.
Follow Us
Subscribe