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The Los Angeles Lakers season got off to a dreadful start.
They won just two of their first 12 games, and some were even asking for Rob Pelinka’s and Darvin Ham’s heads already.
The fans wanted Pelinka to give up two first-round picks and land another star, with analysts wondering whether it was time to blow the roster up and tank their way through the season.
At the end of the day, the Lakers’ GM found a way to hold onto one of those picks while still revamping the roster and getting Russell Westbrook’s salary off their books, which is why Skip Bayless thinks he’s the true MVP of the season.
The real Lakers MVP is GM Rob Pelinka. How is he not Executive of the Year??? He saved and turned around the season with the trade deadline moves he made.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 16, 2023
Pelinka drew plenty of criticism for the roster they originally put on.
Some reports stated that he left LeBron James and Anthony Davis to call the shots in the trade that got them Westbrook, and the fans weren’t exactly thrilled with that.
But truth be told, he put on an asset-management clinic near the trade deadline to revamp the roster and salvage what seemed like a doomed season already.
The Lakers were the second-best team in the league after the All-Star break, and their new roster seems like a perfect fit around their two stars.
Moreover, they’ve developed strong rapport and chemistry, and you can tell that they’re actually enjoying their time together on the court, which could also take any team a long way.
So, we have to give credit where it’s due, and Pelinka deserves plenty of praise for this.
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