Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka officially introduced by Magic Johnson
After opening statements, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took on the media answering questions.
On Young Talent – “We have to develop young players, but we have to add to that core too — I could go through the whole list.” But he needs a strong core, and he feels Luke needs that to win. “We have to get better talent for Luke to coach,” said Pelinka.
Kobe – “There is no way to separate Kobe’s impact from the Lakers — like the sugar in your coffee.” Pelinka and Magic spoke about how Kobe is re-engaged with Lakers management to talk basketball. The three of them will have dinner and talk about the Lakers future. “I wouldn’t be who I am without Kobe in my life — clearly my life has his fingerprints all over it,”
Pelinka left the door open for Kobe to help the Lakers organization officially. But Rob and Magic will be picking his brain on the players he played with. Magic explained that whatever Kobe wants to do, he should be able to do it.
Relationships with Agents – Rob has gotten to know what is important to a player when they sign with an NBA Team. When players talk about the Lakers, he wants them all wanting to play on the Lakers. Pelinka has represented players on all the 30 NBA teams, so he has an idea what they all offer and he wants to take bits and pieces from all 30 teams.
Relationships with GM’s – Magic loves that Pelinka also has relationships with all the GM’s, that has to help with trades, and convincing players to come to the Lakers.
The Makeup of the team – “We are going to be committed to Excellence every day — We are implementing a plan as we speak in making moves to have the best talent in this building — to predict whether that is one or five years is unpredictable.”
Feeling of the Lakers – “This LA Platform, this Lakers brand — cannot be replicated.”
Collective Bargaining Agreement – They will travel to New York to find out more about the new CBA and will attend a day and a half of sessions to understand the details. They will have to get creative.
Steepest learning curve – “This franchise consists of 200-250 employees, and our job is to make sure that all of those team members are functioning as a well-oiled machine and together,” Pelinka shared. It’s the biggest hill to climb for him, and he is excited about the new facility which will be “The best in the world.” He called the opportunity, “Lakers 2.0.”
Lakers Staff – They are evaluating all the employees in their organization, to make sure they have the right people. Kind of sounds like they want Jeanie/Magic/Rob supportive employees.
A Calling – “It didn’t feel like a decision, it felt like a true calling.” Rob saw a Syrian refugee wearing a Lakers jersey, and that gave him hope to, “Bring joy and hope to everyone across the world.” He wants to bring hope to the people who need it, and Magic concurs.
Champions – “We have a championship coach and Ervin, and I are going to put in a championship evaluation system.” They want a people of integrity who understand the Champions in the Lakers and what they stand for.
Magic on the need for players to be consistent – “All of them have to get more consistent — everyone across the board — Last night was a joy to watch, they were into it, thy were into each other, they supported each other, they were talking to each other,” said Magic.
Defense – “We have 17-18 games remaining — we will evaluate the talent — we know we have to get better at defense — we are going to get together with Luke, and we will talk about those things this after this season — our players are working hard at it,” explained Magic. He wants the team to play basketball “The right way.” He hopes he has money to chase free agents.
Who’s the Big Boss? – Pelinka and Magic will work very closely with Luke because Pelinka has said that the best organizations in the league are successful because of the collaboration. The two along with the Coach Walton will take their plans up to Jeanie Buss, and she will say yes or no.
College Tournaments – The scouts are out watching all the college conference tournaments, especially Duke vs. North Carolina and Arizona vs. UCLA.
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If you could place a client anywhere in the world, the Lakers are the team they will sign up with, if it is up to Magic and Rob. “We will win back the fans eventually — The Lakers are the heartbeat of the City,” said Magic.