Low season or full NBA season, the Lakers perpetually animate the transfer market, this is even more true since Russell Westbrook is part of the roster. But at the start of the season, no rush, Rob Pelinka should remain quiet until the end of November.
“Patience and length of time are more than strength or rage”. We do not know what was the favorite fable of Rob Pelinka when he was little, but at the moment the GM of the Lakers is inspired by that of the Lion and the Rat. So no rush and the old agent won’t sweep with one hand the house of cards the squad he built up over the summer. Pelinka will give time to her group to see how it is set up, but also who meets the expectations of the Californian cast. According to the famous sources close to the file, the number of Lakers should be the same until Thanksgiving. It will then be November 24 and the 2020 NBA champions will have played sixteen games, which is clearly enough to set the lake on fire in this environment where everything is going much faster than elsewhere. It is only then that Rob – or LeBron – will draw up the first assessment of this 2022-23 vintage and it is not ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski who will tell you the opposite (from 1m20):
“I’m told that Rob Pelinka and the Lakers will wait until Thanksgiving. About twenty games after the start of the season in order to see which teams are starting to move, which hasn’t started so well, which decides to get rid of certain players, which gets involved in the race for Victor Wembanyama in instead of chasing the play-in as we have seen in recent years. Then they’ll use the 2027, 2029 draft rounds and, of course, Russell Westbrook’s contract to see what’s on the market. »
For the best-informed man in the League, the deal is clear and Rob Pelinka will wait a little longer before bringing some players to the airport terminal. In the NBA, everything is a question of the market, and the latter could well get carried away, as Mr Breaking News reminds us:
“There were so many buyers the last two seasons. It is expected that there will be even more sales teams this year. Asking prices in exchanges will begin to drop. It’s supply and demand. The Lakers should get to that 20 or so games played, which is a point of thinking about how teams want to look ahead, before seeing how they could improve. »
The patience card is out in Los Angeles and it’s been a while since we’ve seen it around. A sign of confidence for the Lakers roster which will still have to find its marks. For now, the Angelinos are still in the coaltar with a pre-season crowned with one win and five losses. So often this warm-up lap does not represent much, the great debut of LeBron and his henchmen were not flamboyant with a small correction against Golden State during the opening. A first game where the recruits were on the street, as evidenced by the performance of the trio Beverley, Lonnie Walker, Toscano-Anderson who accumulated 8 units. But it is above all the glaring lack of snipers that once again jumped out with a very ugly contest of bricks leading the Lakers to a record of 10/40 from the parking lot. Attention Rob, the evils of the past are also those of the present and the King did not have to be asked to put on a layer just after the match:
“We get good shots, our opponents give us open shots. To be honest, our team is not built on great shooters. It’s the truth. It’s not like we have a lot of snipers on the team. »
LeBron James on Lakers’ poor shooting in loss to Warriors: “We’re getting great looks, but it could also be teams giving us great looks. To be completely honest, we’re not a team constructed of great shooting… It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.” pic.twitter.com/VfqWnKcQ3D
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 19, 2022
Rob Pelinka makes everyone believe that he gives time to the Lakers, in reality, he is going to shoot a month in the Bahamas. Upon his return, a first assessment will be established and some boys could move if LeBron begins to get impatient. All we remember is that Russell Westbrook therefore has a month’s respite… at least.
Source texte : Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN / Ben Golliver, Washington Post.