There is no doubt that athletes can generally benefit from others motivating them from time to time. Motivation can obviously come from a lot of sources but generally comes from coaches and other members of the organization.
Recently, a video of Rob Pelinka giving a motivational speech to the Los Angeles Lakers players surfaced, with the GM talking about how a lot of players on the Lakers have a “chip” on their shoulder.
I think there’s a lot of folks in this room, me included, we have a chip on our shoulder. A lot of people on the outside talking noise, we don’t pay attention to that. But I think to get to the end, and to accomplish what we want to accomplish, having that edge, having that chip on your shoulder, playing with that level of competitiveness, fire is important to our swag. To me, this really aligns with Darvin Ham’s leadership, that’s what he’s about.
When we spell words around here, we don’t like the letter ‘i’ to be in the word. This is a ‘us’ a ‘we’ team.. If we take ourselves out, me included, coach included, everybody in this room, and we make this a “we” and an “us” room, then the “i” turns into that thing right there. (championship image)
It is clear that Rob Pelinka gave a confident speech, and hopefully, it managed to motivate the players as it was supposed to. Though the Los Angeles Lakers may not win a championship this season, they are a much better defensive team. However, it must be noted that they have struggled with their offense, despite their players consistently getting open looks.
The Los Angeles Lakers Could Make Moves To Get Better
There is no question that the Los Angeles Lakers have had the worst start in the league, going 0-5 to begin the season. However, they could potentially get better if they make a trade, and it was previously reported that the Lakers would resume trade talks with teams such as the Pacers and the Jazz after Thanksgiving.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that a trade involving Westbrook isn’t likely until after Thanksgiving. That’s around the same time that Dennis Schröder, who at this point is undoubtedly a better point guard than Westbrook, could return from his thumb surgery.
When that time comes, Los Angeles will explore trade combinations with the Pacers that involve center Myles Turner and/or wing Buddy Hield. Those talks are currently on hold, but Turner and Hield would both add much-needed shooting, and Turner would provide rim-protection depth behind the oft-injured Davis.
Utah has been connected to the Lakers for months, too. League sources say that before the Jazz sent Bojan Bogdanovic to the Pistons, the Lakers offered Westbrook, a future first-round pick, and second-rounders for Bogdanovic and others. Sources expect the Lakers and Jazz to resume talks later in the season with some combination of other players discussed. (Utah has Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, and Rudy Gay—three veterans who can all shoot.)
It remains to be seen what sort of move the Los Angeles Lakers will make in the future. They have tradeable high-value picks, and a lot of teams will likely be interested in acquiring them.
Hopefully, the Los Angeles Lakers are able to improve in the future, whether or not they make a trade. However, as of right now, it seems as though a trade will be necessary for that to happen.
