Los Angeles Lakers roundtable: 4 questions about front office, next coach

3. Should Rob Pelinka stay in the Lakers front office?

Pruna: No. Absolutely not. Pelinka (along with Magic) is to blame for wasting LeBron James’ first season in Los Angeles (and possibly the last season of his prime) by surrounding James with ball-handlers rather than shooters like he was accustomed to winning with.

Under Pelinka, the Lakers endured relentless, embarrassing Anthony Davis trade rumors that alienated and demoralized their young core, decimating any positive “your brother will come pick you up” chemistry the team had at the start of the season.

The Lakers also clearly lost the Ivica Zubac–Mike Muscala trade by a mile, much to the laughter of the Los Angeles Clippers. That was just this season. Have I gotten to the part where Pelinka is woefully under-experienced and is emphatically “despised” around the league?

Wade: No. I have to say, the longer it has been since we have said goodbye to Magic and Luke, the longer it looks as if Rob Pelinka with remain in his role. Honestly, I am not that bothered as long as things are played out the right way this time around.

That said, it’s rumored that Pelinka is not somebody who is highly thought of among the players and even the owners by all accounts, so this worries me, so he has to go for me.

Torres: No. I don’t think the situation he brought inside the LA front office gives him any reason to stay. I mean, the fanbase was essentially lied to by Jeanie for trying to “hype up” on the notion he and Magic would turn around the franchise, which, according to numerous reports coming out in the past couple of days, hasn’t happened, and doesn’t look like it will.

The duo of him and Magic, I believe, can be best described as an “arranged” marriage. The fact that he is still trying to figure out how the league business works is also troubling, coupled with the notion that people do not like to deal with him.

Lastly, the free agent signings in 2018 and the Ivica Zubac–Mike Muscala trade should be a good indicator that he [and Magic] had no idea what [they were] doing. Maybe this should serve as a lesson to Jeanie that hiring inside guys with no experience might turn out to be a terrible decision.