"Look at it as a great honeymoon": Rob Pelinka had a weird analogy to comfort D'Angelo Russell after disastrous Nuggets series
D'Angelo Russell had an unforgettable series against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals last season.
LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka comforted Russell, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the time. Pelinka used a weird analogy to ensure that Russell's confidence won't waver into the upcoming season.
In a media availability session on Thursday, Pelinka was at it again with his weird love-related analogy when discussing Russell's performance in the Western Conference finals.
"I remember Darvin and I sitting in our exit meeting with D'Angelo and it was coming off the emotional Western Conference Finals," Pelinka said. "You lose to the champions, and he didn't get a chance to play as much in that series. We talked about it and said, 'Listen, from the time the trade happened until the end of the Denver series ... Let's look at it as a great honeymoon.'
"You can go on a honeymoon with your significant other and you can have 13 incredible days, perfect days. And if lunch on the 13th day isn't as good as you want it to be, it doesn't mean it wasn't an incredible trip."
The LA Lakers re-acquired D'Angelo Russell at the trade deadline last season. Russell was a difference maker for the Lakers during their late-season run that ended with the seventh seed in the Western Conference standings.
He played well in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies and the second round against the Golden State Warriors. However, Russell was simply horrendous in the Denver Nuggets series, with coach Darvin Ham benching him in some games. Fans were furious at Russell, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Things looked bleak for Russell when the Lakers signed Gabe Vincent to a three-year contract. Vincent was coming off a breakout campaign for a Miami Heat team that made the NBA Finals. Nevertheless, Russell signed a two-year, $36 million deal to stay with the Lakers.
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D'Angelo Russell will be the starting PG for the LA Lakers this season
LA Lakers coach Darvin Ham confirmed on Thursday that D'Angelo Russell will be the starting point guard this season. That's despite Russell's performance in the Western Conference finals and the arrival of Gabe Vincent.
"He's our starting point guard," Ham said. "And I'm going to encourage him to be assertive. He's a highly, highly intelligent basketball player, one that is coming back with sort of a chip on his shoulder because he chose us.
"We believe in him, and he's one of those guys that has a ton of pride and passion about not only his individual performance, but those of his teammates as well."
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