There's no denying that the Los Angeles Lakers are in a lot of trouble right now. It's true that there's still a lot of basketball to be played this season, but at the same time, it's just hard to imagine how this team will be able to miraculously turn their season around to make a run at this year's title. All hope is not lost for LeBron James and Co., but right now, things are looking grim.
The pitchforks have been taken out and the critics are already pointing fingers. For ESPN broadcaster Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA champ firmly believes that it has to be Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka who has to take the blame here:
“I'm gonna point the finger at Rob Pelinka,” Perkins said on a recent episode of ESPN's First Take. “That's who's gonna look the worst. One, is because instead of doing his job and manning the hell up, he allowed the players — meaning AD and LeBron James — to dictate this roster in the first place. And then here comes the trade deadline, and you make no moves at all? You stand still and tell the world, ‘We're just going to wait for the buyout market.' There's no damn buyout market. All the groceries are gone.”
Much has been made about LeBron being the shadow GM of the Lakers and it sounds like this is actually true. Earlier reports revealed that last summer, Pelinka conceded to LeBron and Anthony Davis' demand to trade for Russell Westbrook. We all know how that deal turned out for LA. Apparently, it was Buddy Hield who Pelinka wanted to bring in.
Perk makes for a valid point here. As the general manager, it's Pelinka's job to make personnel decisions. LeBron should definitely have a role in the process, but the final say should rest with the GM. Last time I checked, this title still belonged to Rob Pelinka.
Perkins then had a go at Pelinka for his lack of activity prior to the trade deadline. The Lakers clearly need to make improvements in their roster and the trade market was an excellent opportunity for them to do so. The deadline came and went but oddly enough, Pelinka never made a move.
“At the end of the day, I'm blaming Rob Pelinka because then you go and you tell the world, ‘Yeah, we sat down. I talked with the players and we all decided not to make moves.' That's a damn lie. That didn't happen,” Perkins continued. “So I blame Rob Pelinka.”
.@KendrickPerkins says Rob Pelinka is at fault for the Lakers' struggles this season 😳
"[You] tell the world, 'We're just gonna wait for the buyout-market.' It's no damn buyout-market! All the groceries are gone!" pic.twitter.com/l7PAJ8hSZ4
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 18, 2022
There were also reports about Lakers players — LeBron and AD in particular — being at odds with the front office and its decision not to make any moves prior to the deadline. If this is true, then it sounds like Pelinka finally took a stand. I'm just not sure this was the best time to do it. Moreover, as Perk said above, Pelinka told the media that he was on the same page with the players in this regard, which apparently, isn't true at all.
You also have to note that throughout Perk's monologue, the great Stephen A. Smith was nodding his head. Stephen A. has a knack for going against whatever Big Perk has to say but on this occasion, it seems like he was in complete agreement with what his co-host had to say about the Lakers and Rob Pelinka.
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