Rob Pelinka Discussion: BBall Ops Pres + GM (AKA: Lucky Rob)

This is 100% on the front office.

 

i suppose if you say it was their choice to hitch to lebron/klutch, then yes. the suggestion that's been made is that rob will continue full roster turnover every year, post-lebron. my contention is we don't know because we've never seen the front office without lebron.

but if the argument is that lebron teams don't feature turnover and that that turnover has nothing to do with lebron...hard disagree. this guy's out there agitating for trades day and night.

 

The argument is that the make up of our team is the responsibility of the front office and they take ownership of the successes (notable ones like the ring, trading for Luka and AD) and the failures like the bad rosters that were highlighted.

Otherwise LeBron and Klutch also get to take credit for the championship.

 

i think they do, actually. but it's really a separate argument. the complaints about rob here are future-focused, and i'm not sure we know that roster turnover is his MO without klutch. maybe it is; maybe it's not.

 

Again putting on my optimist hat, the hope is that the new management team has a vision that they will be working toward.

Rob has a chance to leverage the increased money and all these new voices into a powerful brain trust with deep pockets and some of the best minds in the business at each spot and I think he knows that. He’s got a relatively short window to prove himself but the chance is there and if he gets the job done then I have no beef with him remaining at his post. It’s honestly never been personal for me.

Just want the best guys for the job.

 

And to double down on that, I think not having to deal with the Buss family drama is a much bigger deal for him. Being freed from that and having a group of pros around him will definitely help.

 

We are going to see if the baseball model the Dodgers have established will work in the NBA

• Data-Driven Decision Making: The team relies on advanced analytics to identify undervalued players and predict future performance.
• Deep Player Development & Scouting:Investment in scouting and development allows them to build a strong, sustainable farm system that produces impact players.
• Roster Flexibility & "Optionality": The front office prioritizes versatile players who can fill multiple roles, maximizing the roster's "bandwidth" to adjust to injuries or matchup needs.

• acquisitions.
• "Win" Every Trade Strategy: They are known for their discipline, prioritizing trades that enhance long-term value and passing on deals they believe are overpriced, ensuring they maximize roster "optionality".
• Player Development and Scouting: The Dodgers have a strong focus on scouting and nurturing talent within their farm system, creating a pipeline of players who can contribute at the highest level.
• Strategic Financial Investment: The ownership group supports the front office by investing in top-tier free agents, cutting-edge technology, and scouting, allowing for a sustainable, high-payroll approach that keeps them competitive annually.
• Unified Culture: The front office, coaching staff, and minor league system are aligned in their approach and values, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and championship pursuit.

 

Magic/rob rd 2...what could go wrong

 

https://x.com/i/status/2026726905639039299

Didn't see this posted. Interesting addition to the FO. Reinforces the idea that we may want to keep this year's pick

 

As a Clemson fan I’m very familiar with Tony Bennett in the ACC when he coached at Virginia. He popularized the pack line defense that was suffocating. Won a national championship in 2019. His type of player always had defensive chops and were switchable and versatile. Most notable NBA guys he had were DeAndre Hunter, Trey Murphy III and Malcolm Brogdon. Look for us to draft a similar type player.

 

We’ve been discussing Bennett in the Mark Walter thread.

I’m a big fan of the move

 

yeah, love the bennett hire. i was saying to my dad the other day that calipari missed his true calling as scouting director. he makes more money as a coach, but he sucks at coaching and is instead one of the best nba talent evaluators out there. hopefully, bennett has the same abilities.

we claim we're doing this, but i don't know how much. internally, our lineup choices say we completely ignore data. historically, our FA signings have used one specific metric mostly: is their agency klutch? laravia was a break from that, but i'm not sure if it was data-driven or not.

i'll also say that basketball analytics aren't as good as baseball's. partly because there are too many configural issues, imo. and coaching choices/strategies can really impact how a player looks in place versus another. so in some cases you have to know when to ignore the analytics, too.

we're behind here. jj said we were building this; maybe we are, but it's hard to know right now.

we have NOT done this with the role players. i feel like gs has done pretty well with this--even though they're all guards, lol. but in basketball i think you have to think of this as having a group of bigs and a group of guards who can all play different ways as needed. it might mean that these are lower-paid developmental projects, too, which requires patience that we'll have to develop ourselves.

this is probably the only thing we're actively doing already. ironically, it's why we've sucked lately, but it's necessary. rob's gotten a lot of criticism for being gun shy, but i agree with it. getting stuck in large contracts to role players is a very bad place to be in a league with a salary cap that hardens with each cba.

we've been absolutely allergic to player development at all levels for many years, maybe even dating back to the tanking years, tragicomically. i've been fussing about that in other threads lately.
as for scouting, for about a decade i feel like we outperformed most teams here, but the last few years, we lost our way somehow. this is fixable.

feel like we've been terrible here. can't really do much about the FAs, as we have a salary cap, but the tech, scouting, and organizational payroll and expertise are reportedly dismal in comparison to most opponents, including small market teams like okc.

definitely none of this. it's clear the was a rob and rambii vs. the buss bros issue the past few years. i feel like the rambii are probably already out (reading into the tim harris move, maybe too much), so rob's the last man standing. maybe he ends up axed, too, but as i've said, he'll either get on board with the above or be removed, imo.

so, in short: we could stand to improve in almost all of these areas, so hopefully that's what happens.

 

Front office punted another year essentially. Not thrilled hearing the early plans for front office structure, have serious doubts about our next few years.

 

Oof, brings back bad memories