The last few years have not been kind to the Los Angeles Lakers, but that doesn’t mean that the future isn’t bright. Ever since the infamous “basketball reasons” incident where the Lakers were robbed of superstar Chris Paul, things just haven’t gone right.
Now, with a new regime in charge of the Basketball Operations department, the hope is that the Lakers will finally be able to turn the corner and bring the franchises back into the sunlight. General Manager Rob Pelinka spoke to Lakers Reporter Mike Trudell about his desire to not rest on the success of the past and to bring back a sense of pride in putting on a Lakers jersey.
So I think we’ve all gotten to that point where we say, ‘OK, we’re blowing up any of those notions and we’re going to bring back a new mentality … which is … what does it mean to put on the purple and gold Lakers jersey? What sense of pride is there? What am I signing up for when I do this?’ When I get out my keycard in the morning, I think, ‘What does that mean for this day?’ This is a position of responsibility for one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. What responsibility do I have to this day and to this moment? And I think bringing that back, all of us, to the players and the fans is one of the first things we’re working on.
Of course, the task that lies ahead of Pelinka is far from easy, and it’s going to take quite a bit of luck in addition to a cultural change in order to get the Lakers back on the right track. The first hurdle that must be cleared is the draft lottery, where it appears that Los Angeles will have just a 46.9 percent chance of keeping their first-round pick.
If the Lakers are able to make it out of the lottery then Pelinka will have some intriguing assets to play with this summer as he and Magic Johnson work to return the team to prominence. He may be new at the job, but Lakers fans have to hope that Pelinka will be able to hit the ground running and make some smart moves this summer.