Rob Pelinkas contract extension is the strangest decision in an already inexplicable Lakers offseason

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The 2022 offseason for the has largely been defined by the things Rob Pelinka hasn't done. He didn't find a Ru sell Westbrook trade. He hasn't replaced the wing depth lost in the initial Westbrook trade. He hasn't built a roster that stands up to the championship group he in 2020.Yet with le s than two weeks before the season, the Lakers managed to make what is by far the most inexplicable move of their offseason to date as, according to , they've signed Pelinka to a contract extension through 2026, aligning his deal with new coach Darvin Ham's.At best, the move represents a glaring inconsistency in how the Lakers operate as a franchise. If Pelinka's extension is based on the 2020 championship, why is Frank Vogel currently unemployed? Though quantifying blame for last season's debacle isn't truly po sible, it's hard to believe Vogel had more to do with the disaster than Pelinka did. It's not as though Vogel traded for Westbrook, after all, and he can hardly be held responsible for injuries suffered by and , or the paper- Steve Yzerman Jersey thin roster he was given behind those stars.At worst, it represents a startling inability to evaluate Pelinka's job performance. Pelinka had a championship roster in 2020 built largely around 3-and-D wings surrounding his two superstars. He tore it down to acquire a number of high-usage ball handlers that never fit into Vogel's defensive culture. Even if the Westbrook trade was driven by James and Davis, Pelinka, as the team's top basketball executive, had the power to say no. He didn't. Here's an incomplete list of some of his other greatest hits:Traded and a first-round pick for , and then proceeded to offer Schroder an $84 million contract mere months before he was only able to sign for the taxpayer mid-level exception on the open market. out of trade negotiations for . Proceeded to trade Horton-Tucker a year-and-a-half later for , who seemingly replaces the defensive provided by , whom the Lakers chose to let walk in free agency so they could re-sign... Horton-Tucker.Speaking of Caruso and Horton-Tucker, Pelinka has a frustrating habit of signing his young players, mostly picked in the second round or plucked as undrafted free agents, to contracts that last only two years. This is what forced them to pay Horton-Tucker so quickly and lose Caruso. It is also what will allow last Filip Zadina Men Jersey year's breakout rookie, , to hit restricted free agency after this season, and No. 35 overall pick to do so after next season. Aside from Caruso, all of those players were signed for minimum-salary deals. Using portions of the mid-level exception would have allowed them to sign those players to longer contracts.On this note, he rarely gives himself avenues to retain young players added from other teams. The Lakers hit a home run with last offseason but signed him to only a one-year deal. That deal paid him the minimum, so they could not afford to retain him using Non-Bird rights. He signed in Sacramento. A similar situation could play out with this season. He signed for the taxpayer mid-level exception, but only for a single season. If he succeeds, he'll be too expensive for the Lakers to keep. If he fails, the Lakers will have wasted their Jonathan Ericsson Women Jersey lone method of signing a free agent for above the minimum.Signed to replace in the starting lineup in 2021 despite the healthy version of that 2021 starting lineup outscoring opponents by 11.6 points per 100 po se sions and starting the season 21-6. Drummond struggled so mightily that he was benched for the season-ending lo s to Phoenix.You could even make a compelling argument that the 2020 championship roster was largely accidental. James was recruited to the Lakers, not by Pelinka, but by Magic Johnson, who would later accuse Pelinka of " " Davis was recruited by James. The supporting cast was hardly chosen intentionally. The Lakers initially pursued in free agency. When he decided on the , the Lakers had little choice but to sign the few remaining viable players left on the market a full week into free agency. Those players were fortunately good enough to win largely because James and Davis were so transcendent, but it's not as though the Lakers planned to sign them in the first place. CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that Sergei Fedorov Kids Jersey I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. So with all of this in mind, why did the Lakers decide to extend Pelinka, especially before even seeing what the roster he just built or the coach he just hired are capable of? The simplest explanation here is that, well, he's family. The Lakers are frequently described as a family busine s. The ways in which they operate are incredibly insular.Before promoting Pelinka, the Lakers had employed four general managers to run their basketball operations since the Bu s family took over the team. All four of those general managers had previously played for the Lakers: Johnson, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry West and Bill Sharman. Johnson, Pat Riley, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott and Kurt Rambis became head coaches of the Lakers after playing for them. And then, of course, there are the members of the Bu s family itself that have held substantial roles in the team's operation. Jim Bu s ran the team's basketball operations alongside Kupchak for several years before he was fired by team governor Jeanie Bu s. Joey Bu s is the president of their G League Team, the South Bay Lakers. Je se Bu s heads up the team's scouting department and is Pelinka's a sistant general manager. Joey and Je se have largely been succe sful in their roles, and reports have suggested that they have gained power in the organization as a whole.Pelinka is not literally a member of the Bu s family, nor did he play for the team, but he was closer than anybody to the player many consider the greatest ever to don the purple and gold. Prior to joining the Lakers officially, Pelinka was the agent to Kobe Bryant. Vogel had no prior ties to the Laker organization. He was hired only after negotiations with a former Laker, Ty Lue, fell through. Even if Pelinka and Vogel were considered equally responsible for what happened last season, Pelinka had decades of goodwill to fall back on. Vogel did not. It's a frustrating explanation for a decision that, on merit, is inexplicable. The Lakers cannot merely be extending Pelinka because of the 2020 championship, or else Vogel would remain with the team as well. They Pavel Datsyuk Jersey may be extending him due to excitement for what this year's roster might accomplish, but at the very least, such a decision would be irresponsible before seeing that team play a regular season game. There is no simple answer to the "why" of this deal that paints the Lakers in an especially flattering light. Either they're not judging their top employees by the same standard, or they truly believe that they are, and are simply doing a poor job.
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