The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be entering a new era now that they have made the hiring of general manager Rob Pelinka official. The front office has undergone a massive overhaul with the hiring of Pelinka as well as the addition of Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations.
The front office ultimately makes critical decisions regarding the team’s roster, which means they have to work in concert with head coach Luke Walton. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the front office and coaching staff will always agree, but Pelinka envisions clearly defined roles which should help prevent any toes from being stepped on (via Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times).:
““Luke’s got to implement and coach the guys on the hardwood. Everything Earvin and I do of course will have Luke’s impact,” he added about Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations.
Pelinka also wisely explained just how important communication will be between Johnson, Walton, and himself if they hope to improve the team on the court and organization as a whole:
“The one thing I’ve seen with the great organizations that have had success recently [is] that the coach, general manager, the president, the basketball operations folks have to be in lockstep and have to be collaborating and sharing,” Pelinka said
The task laid out before the Lakers organization isn’t an easy one. If they want to bring the team back to the peak of the NBA mountain, it will take Johnson, Pelinka, and Walton working together in concert.
Given their uncertain situation in regards to future draft picks, the margin for error is nonexistent. So far, they have said the right things, now the real work begins.
