The Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in desperation mode as their first-round NBA Playoffs series shifts back to Crypto.com Arena, and they’re a loss from elimination. They find themselves in this spot because Rob Pelinka, Jeanie Buss, and the rest of the organization’s leadership made the decision to ride out the string with LeBron James and Anthony Davis without investing further into that core.
Lakers coach JJ Redick reached such desperation Sunday that he played only five players in the second half of Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson criticized Redick for.
Now, before people overreact to the headline, this isn’t to say Pelinka shouldn’t have made the Luka Doncic trade. That was clearly the right move, especially at that price, and you make that deal 101 times out of 100. The problem is how ill-prepared the Lakers were for competing at the level they now need to after teaming up Doncic and James.
Before this season, Pelinka spoke at length about internal investment and growth with an eye on the future. Hiring JJ Redick, who had literally never coached before, was a move in this direction, too. The organization was clearly transitioning away from James and Davis and wanted to keep their powder dry for when one or both moved on.
For years, Davis requested more depth at the center position so as to spend less time there. The Lakers balked for the entire final chapter of his time in L.A. and rotated a band of veteran minimum swings and misses with the final result being this farce of a center rotation.
During her press tour for “Running Point,” Buss even cited Davis’ demand for a center as part of the reason they were ready to move on.
Heading into a postseason with only Jaxson Hayes as the extent of your even marginally playable traditional centers is remarkably dumb. Pelinka knew this and, after acquiring Doncic, quickly pivoted to using Dalton Knecht and draft capital to bring in Mark Williams, who, unfortunately had the back of a 53-year-old father of seven.
Thing is: By so quickly acting and acquiring a center, Pelinka gave up the goose.
If he’d always been willing to trade Knecht (who hasn’t played a second in this series) in a trade to bring in more center help, he wouldn’t have had to limit his choices and the timing to a point where Williams’ failed physical landed the Lakers in a spot where their only center is only trusted by Redick to play a handful of minutes in a crucial playoff game.
