OK, this is great news. I feel better now; Rob has so much experience dealing with GMs and players, he knows how to talk to NBA stars, he knows what they are looking for in a deal, besides $$. So far, so good.
That was my thought all along; pretty obvious. Magic said he'd make Kobe his first call; he did. They discussed Pelinka and he came highly recommended by Kobe. Kobe also reach out to Ingram 2 weeks ago. Seems to me that Magic reached out to Kobe for some wisdom and assistance; Kobe is helping in whatever way he can.
I am a big fan of these moves today. We didn't play any games and moved swiftly. One of the biggest wins today is that the roles seem to be more defined: - Jim is just the owner, not involved in basketball operations anymore. We don't need him as a primary pitchman for free agents anymore. - Magic will oversee all basketball operations, but knows his own limits so he hired ... - Rob Pelinka, the GM and by all accounts a great negotiator/shark. Rob obviously has a great understanding of the CBA/players/relationships. The move to fire John Black was quite shocking. However, given everything that has happened today my own speculation is that Jeanie recognized the Lakers (and front office) had garnered a bad reputation in the past few years that they simply couldn't shake off at this point. This prompted the decision to clean house in the front office and this included John Black who she possibly felt could have done a better job of putting the Lakers in a better light as their PR frontman. Again, just my speculation but it all makes sense to me. Overall this seems like a step in the right direction and it feels like everyone in the front office finally gets along and is on the same page. Time will tell of course. The great thing is that Jeanie finally put her foot down and at least has made a big statement that this losing culture is unacceptable for the organization and we aren't complacent.
Me all day today WARNING: NSFW Disappointed this morning about Mitch and John Black being fired, then elated about the Pelinka hire. Ok Magic, you got your first move right. Keep it up
It's not just a Laker connection, this man knows the front office politics of every team in the league. He has (or had) players on over 10 different NBA teams currently. He's done the fireside chats with players and their parents for years. He doesn't need Magic to help him close, but he has Magic anyways And not to beat on Mitch (best wishes MK) But if Lamarcus Aldridge asks Rob Pelinka who will be playing center besides him, Rob will say whatever needs to be said to get the deal done.
I'm a big fan of the moves because they pulled both Vash & BDG out of the shadows. Could there be a JSM sighting next?
