Deciphering Lakers’ Front Office Plan!

Why keeping Rob Pelinka as general manager while pursuing Bob Myers as president of basketball operations could be smart plan

Nobody knows the Lakers’ front office plans. Some sources claim the Lakers plan to keep Rob Pelinka as GM while others claim they’re planning to sign a candidate like Bob Myers as PBO. The reality is both claims could be true.

Contrary to most pundits, keeping Pelinka and pursuing Myers don’t have to be mutually exclusive or conflicting objectives. They could actually be part of a well conceived strategy to address both immediate and long-term needs. Firing Pelinka and waiting until the after the playoffs for a new president of basketball operations to hire a new general manager could’ve put the Lakers behind the eight ball with the best coaching candidates no longer available.

There’s also the issue that Magic Johnson and not Rob Pelinka was likely the main source of the Lakers’ front office dysfunction including the questionable decisions not to surround LeBron James with enough three-point shooters. Pelinka has a proven history of being a detail oriented sports executive who understands the importance of culture and has great experience building an elite organization as the founder and CEO a billion dollar pro sports agency.

So moving forward with Pelinka as general manager now and then hiring Myers once the playoffs are over could be an ideal solution to the Lakers’ current front office dilemma as it gives them a solid Plan A and Plan B. Should they fail to execute Plan A and lure Myers to come aboard as the new president of basketball operations with Pelinka as general manger, the Lakers could simply move forward with Plan B with Pelinka as the general manager.

That plan allows the Lakers and Rob Pelinka to proceed expeditiously with a well executed search to find a new head coach to replace Luke Walton while also giving them good cover while they work secretly behind the scenes to recruit Bob Myers to become their new president of basketball operations. Frankly, it’s the one answer that explains the contradictory reports circulating from some sources that Pelinka’s staying and others that a new PBO’s coming.

Pairing Pelinka and Myers also explains the rumors that the Lakers’ target for president of basketball operations has given his approval for keeping Pelinka as general manager and allowing him to conduct the search for a new coach. Pelinka and Myers know each other well having successfully worked together as player agents under Arn Tellum and could form the dynamic professional duo the Lakers need to fix the dysfunction that’s plagued their front office.

Former elite player agents like Pelinka and Myers will certainly need to work diligently to overcome the adversarial relationships they may have built with many NBA teams as they negotiated hard to get their clients the best deals. On the other hand, the best player agents are savvy businessman who know how to evaluate talent and make smart deals, which is why we’re seeing more and more NBA teams hiring top tier player agents to man their front offices.

While luring Myers away from the Warriors may be a pipe dream, the timing is ripe for such a move as chinks are starting to appear in the Warriors armor with both Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins likely to depart this summer. The Lakers are also perfectly positioned for a new president of basketball operations to make a big first year splash with LeBron James signed, a bevy of talented tradeable young stars, a lottery pick, and $38 million in cap space.

In many ways, president of basketball operations for the Lakers could be the dream job for Bob Myers who went to school and has close ties to UCLA while a Myers and Pelinka duo could well be the dream front office for the Lakers.