Since the Los Angeles Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship, it has been a disappointing journey for the team. Despite having LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers made it out of the first round just once.
Things don't look much different this season, as Los Angeles sits at 16-13 after losing to the Detroit Pistons for the second time on Monday night.
During this time, the Lakers went from Frank Vogel to Darvin Ham before hiring JJ Redick before this season. The head coach was always made the scapegoat. Even though when in reality, the roster construction was a big issue and the management deserved most of the blame.
It sounds like it's finally GM Rob Pelinka's turn to be on the hot seat. The Athletic's Jovan Buha said on a recent YouTube show that if the Lakers continue to not play at a title contender level, Pelinka will be on the chopping block.
Buha pointed out that Darvin Ham received all the blame last year for everything that went wrong. Now that most of those problems persist under Redick and worsen in some cases, like the overall defensive rating, it is obvious that coaching was never the biggest issue.
"Last season, all the fingers got pointed at Darvin Ham for everything that went wrong. This year, it's not as clear of a scapegoat, and I think ultimately what they do over the next... I think it is going to be Pelinka, that's the way this is trending."
- Jovan Buha, The Athletic
Pelinka has consistently made eyebrow-raising moves as the ultimate decision-maker in Los Angeles. The infamous Russell Westbrook trade that broke up the championship core is obviously the original sin. However, the utter failure to surround LeBron and Davis with enough shooting, athleticism, or perimeter defense has been equally disappointing.
The selection of Jalen Hood-Schifin in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft was a complete disaster. The decision to sign Jarred Vanderbilt to a contract extension was a big mistake. The backup center rotation of Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood is among the worst in the league. Lastly, the Gabe Vincent signing didn't pan out and now this roster is full of fringe players playing larger roles than they should.
Pelinka has one more trade deadline to fix things for the Lakers. Another play-in appearance or a first-round exit would almost certainly signal the end of the road for him.
