In what felt like an eternity, the 2021-22 season was a complete and utter disaster with the amount of hype and expectations that surrounded the Los Angeles Lakers. After getting eliminated in six games by the Phoenix Suns the previous season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka decided to swing for the fences and acquired more star power, that being Russell Westbrook.
Despite a limited sample size with Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor together, it was easy to see that it wasn’t going to work. After breaking up the championship team and rolling in another subpar roster for the start of the 2022-23 season, fans thought it was grounds to fire Pelinka, although he would ultimately sign an extension for four more years.
As puzzling of a time those few years were, Pelinka dug himself out of that hole with the trade deadline moves in 2023, improving the team so much that they were four wins away from an NBA Finals appearance. He then continued that work this offseason, bringing back key pieces like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell while also adding Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince, among others.
With L.A. being one of the perceived winners of free agency, Lakers legend and former coach Byron Scott believes that Pelinka has earned himself Executive of the Year, via Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports:
“I like [the moves the Lakers made]. I like them. I love what they did in the offseason, you got to give Rob Pelinka a lot of credit. I think right now he’s the Executive of the Year for what he was able to bring to the table. So I’m looking at that purple and gold, and I said this at the golf tournament the other day, I’d be surprised if they’re not in the NBA Finals barring injuries and all that that we always know happen during the regular season. But I’m really excited about the purple and gold this year.”
In what has been a roller-coaster ride for the organization and fans, the Lakers are back where they belong in contention for an NBA championship. There is hype surrounding the team and fans are eager to see how these new pieces fit around James and Davis.
However, the Western Conference is seemingly getting more and more competitive as the years roll on, making this upcoming season a challenging one. L.A. is going to have to keep their foot on the gas to stay out of the Play-In Tournament and secure a playoff spot.
Pelinka is well deserving for how he handled the turmoil and poor roster construction, staying patient and waiting for the right deal to come along, which eventually happened.
Stephen Curry wants to play ‘in that range’ of James
It feels hard to believe, but the Lakers are still trying to win one more championship with James entering his 21st season. He has defied Father Time so far and it seemed to inspire Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to play as long as James.
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