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. Indeed, even LeBron James danced around the subject of Westbrook’s benching, perhaps not wanting to draw further attention to the indignity for the former league MVP. “Would you think that would bother Russ not being in a late game?” he said, answering a reporter’s question with a question, rather than giving a straight answer.