[Shelburne] Lakers decided against replacing Vogel, for the time being at least, because no one believes changing the coach will yield dramatically different results. Team source on Westbrook: "It's got to work. This is the only option. There is no Plan B for this season."

For weeks, the staff had considered benching Westbrook at a moment like this. Team sources said there was always concern as to how he'd react to such a move. Would he get defensive, as he often had when he felt like he was being singled out in film sessions? Would it erode the confidence that is so important to his game?

"It's not like [Westbrook's] a tradable player where if it's not working out you just move on; everybody in the NBA knows that," one team source said. "So it's got to work. This is the only option. There is no Plan B for this season."

WESTBROOK LEFT THE arena Wednesday night without speaking to the media. He was willing to speak, but a team staffer told him he didn't have to. So he left in a way wholly different than any other night he'd left the arena this season.

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.

Vogel too has met individually with Westbrook several times throughout the season to try to find ways to help him feel more comfortable and succeed on the court, according to team sources.

A series of listless losses throughout the season have put the onus on Vogel at several points, most recently last week when the team contemplated whether a midseason change could jump-start the team. Ultimately, the Lakers decided against replacing Vogel, for the time being at least, multiple sources said, because no one believes changing the coach will yield dramatically different results.

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