Your Los Angeles Lakers enter NBA All-Star weekend four games above .500 (they're 30-26) and within striking distance of the top six in the Western Conference. The Lakers are playing good basketball and look like the team we thought they'd be entering the year.
However, that wasn't the case a month ago. This team was down in the dumps, and all signs pointed to L.A. making a trade. As the NBA trade deadline was winding down, the Lakers brass and general manager Rob Pelinka were fans of his team's play. Instead of starting from scratch (again), the organization decided to stand pat and roll with their currently constructed squad. Some weren't fans of it, but many were, including former player and four-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala.
In the latest episode of Iguodala's latest podcast, 'Point Forward,' the 2015 Finals MVP spoke on the Lakers' lack of moves and said he liked their approach.
“Rob [Pelinka] is very strategic. I think they’ve always positioned themselves to be better going forward at the right time. Like, timing is everything. If it’s not the right move right now and you look back in December of next season and you say ‘That was a bad trade. It was rushed to try to win it last year. We didn’t win it last year’ then you’re going to be p------...Rob’s always a person who’s trying to think short- and long-term at the same time, which is a pretty tall task in itself.”
Pelinka was an agent before becoming the vice president of basketball operations and the general manager. Iguodala was one of the players Pelinka represented, along with the late great Kobe Bryant.
Iguodala is correct. The front office did the right thing; their approach was just what it should've been. The Lakers made the calls; however, as Pelinka said, "You can't buy a house that's not for sale."
Los Angeles made the calls, but the piece wasn't there. In addition, no moves on the trade market were going to turn the Lakers into immediate title contenders.
The front office did the right thing, and at the moment, it seems to be the right move. Let's hope that remains the case two months from now.
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