General manager Rob Pelinka turned around the Los Angeles Lakers season with moves made near the trade deadline. Pelinka dealt away Russell Westbrook to acquire D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Pelinka also swung trades to bring Rui Hachimura and Mo Bamba to L.A.
The Lakers playoff push began to heat up soon after, slipping into the No. 7 spot after a Play-In game victory then making a Western Conference Finals run. Pelinka described the season positively, even though the Lakers missed out on a championship.
“I think this was a season of advancement and growth for the Lakers. Obviously, we didn’t achieve our ultimate goal, which is [banner] No. 18, which is something we always have our sights on. But it really starts by giving a lot of credit to Darvin and his staff for establishing really a pillar of our organization and that’s the way we compete to the bitter end.
“And I think obviously starting the season, the way we did for Darvin and his staff to keep the belief with the players and the competition alive at every moment all the way until the last play [Monday] night,” Pelinka said. “This was a team that competed to the bitter end and I think that’s something as an organization that we owe to our fans. It’s something we demand out of our players and it really starts with our head coach and leader and the qualities he’s instilled. So, again I think the way I would characterize this season is advancement and growth towards our ultimate goal which is No. 18.”
The conclusion of the season marks four years of the LeBron James-Anthony Davis partnership. It’s been a relatively positive tenure with three playoff appearances, but just one championship to show for it. However, having LeBron and Davis is still an unmatched combination for Pelinka.
“I think if you look at the last four seasons. you kind of bring up the four seasons we’ve been in the playoffs. Three of those four years, Western Conference Finals one year, a championship one year. I think that’s frankly where we’re supposed to be. So I’m not up here pounding our chest and feeling proud about it. That’s where the Lakers are supposed to be. And as Darvin said our job is to continue to build into that and again, want to respect LeBron’s time and space to process what he needsd to process,” he said.
“But LeBron and AD as two pillars is, you know, to us an unmatched combination that will continue to lean into and build around and both incredibly high character players that want to win, play the game the right way. We’re proud of that combination of superstars and want to continue to invest in that and invest in advancing the growth we had this year into next season.”
Competing in the Western Conference and for championships is the expectation for the Lakers. A duo of Davis and LeBron surely gives the Lakers their best chance at doing exactly that.
LeBron will get MRI before weighing foot surgery option
The Lakers were almost dealt a blow to their playoff chances when LeBron James went down with a foot injury in late February. It seemed like surgery would be a formality, but after dealing with the “LeBron James of feet,” the King decided to forgo surgery and return after a month of rehab.
It’s still unclear if James requires surgery, but he will receive an MRI before making a decision.
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