The 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers were a special team as they overcame all shorts of adversity to win the NBA Championship in the Orlando bubble.
From a chemistry standpoint, that team was as close as any from the players to the coaching staff to the trainers.
Unfortunately, a number of players from that roster were not brought back the following offseason as Rob Pelinka made moves that he felt improved the roster, bringing in some fresh legs due to the short offseason because of the pandemic.
Former Lakers center Dwight Howard recently expressed disappointment with Pelinka for breaking up what he thought could be a dynasty. And one person who agrees with him is Phil Handy, the former Lakers assistant that was on the coaching staff at the time:
Phil Handy took a shot at Rob Pelinka 😬
(H/T @Klutch_23) pic.twitter.com/5yPmHtfiAG
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) August 30, 2024
Handy was an assistant coach with the Lakers under both Frank Vogel and Darvin Ham, departing from the organization this offseason. He is one of the most respected coaches in the league though and maintains close relationships with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and other players from that 2020 squad.
While that was a special group, it is worth noting that the 2020-21 team jumped out to a 21-6 record before James and Davis dealt with injuries, derailing the season. The Lakers are still trying to recover from some of Pelinka’s moves though and Howard and Handy are both not currently working in the league, so it makes sense that they would feel a little bitter about how things went down.
Jeanie Buss on Lakers’ hiring of JJ Redick
Speaking for the first time this offseason, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss discussed the team’s hiring of JJ Redick to replace Darvin Ham and the rest of his staff, including Phil Handy, and why he’s the right man for the job.
“We wanted to kind of think a different way. Really, he’s got a vision. I’m not comfortable talking about the basketball stuff, but we were looking for a candidate that would bring something different. And really invest in developing young players. JJ is the right person for us. Again, I just want to work to really speak for itself. So I don’t want to hype it and say it’s gonna be a home run. We have to give him time to establish what he wants to establish. I’m really impressed with his staff. Right now, it’s not mandatory for the players to come in and practice but players are coming in and working out. The coaching staff with Nate McMillan and Scotty Brooks, there’s a lot of experience that will be there for him to make that adjustment to being a head coach. Certainly a 12-year career in the league, he’s got a lot of experience. He knows what this league is about and I think he’ll be a great leader.”
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