Frank Vogel had the green light from his leaders to do without Russell Westbrook in the “money time” | NBA

The streak was eclipsed by LeBron James’ 10,000th career rebound. While the Crypto.com Arena saluted his legend, Malik Monk made his return to the court more discreetly as a replacement for Russell Westbrook. There were a little less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter in this match against the Pacers and the Californian public was not going to see the Lakers point guard again.

It is undoubtedly the first time this season that Frank Vogel has decided to do without his star when the fate of the match is not yet sealed. ESPN teaches us that its leaders had given it the green light to do so well in advance. ” You gotta do what it takes (to win)”, would have been in essence the message from the management teams to the coach, who had been wondering for weeks about the potential impact of such a decision on the player.

Asked after the meeting about this choice, which was bound to be very commented on, Frank Vogel did not expand: “ I played the guys that I thought were going to win us. Russell Westbrook was not one of them tonight.

Despite a very good 4/6 behind the 3-point line and only one loose ball, the point guard had another complicated outing overall. He showed his difficulties in finishing both near the circle and with open shots around the free throw line. He thus settled for 14 points with a skinny 5/17 on shots and a -18 score when he was in play (only LeBron James did worse with -20).

Nothing personal according to Carmelo Anthony

The 2017 MVP still showed a lot of laxity in defense, like his very poor coverage on the penetration of Caris LeVert seven minutes from the end, while the staff had nevertheless insisted on guiding the player Pacers on the left, or a defensive withdrawal that could not be more doubtful on the next possession, ended with an easy counter-attack from Jeremy Lamb.

Also asked about this choice by journalists, LeBron James, after a long hesitation, preferred to answer the question with a question. ” Did you follow his career? Do you think Russ would mind not playing late in a game? “, formulated the “King”, suggesting that yes.

The proof, Russell Wesbrook, who did not present himself to the press, would have left his locker room when his teammates finished showering and would have given up any post-match discussion with the team.

” I don’t think it’s a personal thing.”, tried to put Carmelo Anthony into perspective, who himself had to make adjustments of this kind in recent years. “It’s just something he’s not used to. You would think someone like him would be on the pitch. But depending on the rhythm of a match, there are times when I’m not in play, or others aren’t either. […] It’s frustrating, I can tell you, for a player trying to do things the right way. It’s new for him, it’s a new environment. We have to help him get through this ordeal.“

And quickly if possible, because the Lakers are starting a very dangerous “road trip” to the East (Magic, Heat, Nets, 76ers, Hornets and Hawks) with an already very limited balance sheet (22 wins – 23 losses).