3 Crucial lessons the Lakers front office must learn from recent woes
The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most polarizing organizations in the NBA throughout the entirety of their existence. Star-driven and always willing to take a chance on a big name looking for greener pastures, Los Angeles has taken an unequivocally bold approach to success.
As the NBA changes its salary cap rules and franchises are forced to adapt to modern times, however, the time for reflection is upon general manager Rob Pelinka.
Many of the controversial decisions in recent years have been made in the spirit of what worked in the past. Unfortunately, intentions only go so far, as the genius of previous Lakers rosters depended on far more than simply chasing intriguing talent.
It's the unfortunate reality of the Pelinka era that the highs have been glorious, but the lows have been abnormally common.
That harsh reality has proven costly in recent years, as the Lakers have struggled to find consistency in the post-Kobe Bryant era. Anthony Davis and LeBron James have teamed up to deliver a championship, an NBA Cup, and a Western Conference Finals appearance, but they've also covered up several glaring flaws.
If the Lakers are hoping to maximize the remainder of the Davis and James era, then they must learn from three essential mistakes they simply can't repeat.
1. Head coaches need time to make things work
Rob Pelinka was hired as general manager in 2017. Since then, the Lakers have employed four different head coaches: Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, Darvin Ham, and the recently hired JJ Redick.
Walton, who was hired before Pelinka, has the longest tenure thus far as head coach during the current era at 246 games—or three total seasons.
Vogel helped the Lakers win a championship, but was out after three seasons, as well. Ham coached the Lakers to a Western Conference Finals appearance in his first season at the helm, 2022-23, and was fired just one year later.
It's impossible to determine if any of the coaches from the Pelinka era would've fared well if they'd been granted a longer tenure, but three coaches in seven years is an abysmal track record.
With Redick taking over as head coach, the Lakers must empower their new sideline general to work through his mistakes. It's easier said than done with a 39-year-old LeBron James potentially entering the final seasons of his career, but Los Angeles has failed to build any semblance of consistency under the current model.
If the Lakers hope to build something sustainable, then Redick needs more than just two seasons to establish if he's the right coach for the job.