Rob Pelinka is not a very popular figure in Los Angeles at the moment. The great Kobe Bryant’s former agent has been put on blast for doing a terrible job at constructing this Lakers roster, as they literally have no good shooters on the team.
For over a decade, the formula to win things with LeBron James on your team has been very simple. Pair him with another star while surrounding them with shooters and you will have success. To his credit, Pelinka and the rest of the organization did the first part when they traded for Anthony Davis and it’s not their fault that AD can’t stay healthy for too long. What is their fault, though, is that they have failed miserably when it comes to the second part of that formula.
Stephen A. Smith Takes A Shot At Rob Pelinka
A lot of the talking heads on television have gone at Pelinka for the lack of shooters on the team and Nick Wright roasted him by saying that for two postseasons in a row, Pelinka has built the Lakers roster as if the 3-point line doesn’t exist. The biggest talking head of them all also took a shot at Pelinka recently as Stephen A. Smith stated that he has built up a horrible roster.
(starts at 2:32 mark):
“Rob Pelinka, I personally like him and I would love to refrain from him myself but I can’t. This roster is horrible and it has got your fingerprints written all over it sir. It’s horrible.”
As the GM, his fingerprints are all over this roster and while he can’t be blamed for Westbrook being on the team, as that seems to have been LeBron James’ call, the rest is entirely on him. This roster just doesn’t make any sense on so many levels that it is crazy.
We mentioned how LeBron has had success with shooters around him and Pelinka still decided to not bring in any good ones, but that’s not all. We are literally in an era in the NBA where the 3-point shot is the most important one in the game and Pelinka has just ignored it for whatever reason. What is troubling for Lakers fans is that this man just got an extension from the team this summer, so he isn’t going anywhere either. If Pelinka continues to make bad decisions like the ones he made this summer going forward, then it spells trouble for their long-term future as well.