“Shame on you Pelinka” Former Bulls player blasts Lakers GM Rob Pelinka for failing to acquire right players for the Lakers
Follow Us
Jay Williams and Rob Pelinka
The biggest lesson from the Los Angeles Lakers’ opening-night loss to the Golden State Warriors was their lack of 3-point shooting. LeBron James and his teammates started 1-10 and finished the game with 10 of 40 tries from beyond the arc. Nobody but Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, according to Jay Williams, is to blame for what happened at Chase Center
“Shame on you Rob Pelinka!… Rob Pelinka, through the whole offseason, we talked about Buddy Hield and all the players that could come in, and here is the bench for the Lakers: Matt Ryan, Wenyen Gabriel, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Austin Reaves, Scotty Pippen Jr., Max Christie, Damian Jones, Cole Swider. Do you guys have any idea who they are?”
Cole Swider and Scotty Pippen Jr. both had good collegiate 3-point shooting averages, but they were undrafted. They’re probably buried deep on the Lakers’ bench. This is what Jay Williams said about Rob Pelinka, “All the teams that LeBron James has ever won on have had shooting around him. … I’m not paying Rob Pelinka to try, I’m paying you to do it! You know how insulting that is [for James to go] in the postgame and literally say, ‘Maybe teams are giving us open looks for a reason.’”
Rob Pelinka failed to acquire a good defensive line-up for the lakers
When a team lacks shooting, the most obvious option is to lure opponents into a defensive slugfest. This is where the Los Angeles Lakers issues against the Golden State Warriors became clear. They lacked wing defenders with the stature and defensive savvy to make life difficult for their opponents.
Running shooters off the 3-point line was difficult for Lonnie Walker IV, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and even LeBron James. In more than a few cases, the LA Lakers’ defenders elected to go under screens to defend the Warriors’ shooters, which was perplexing. Golden State shot just 16-45 from beyond the arc, but things might have been much worse if a couple of their open shots had gone in. When LA pursued the Warriors’ shooters, their lack of size and wingspan became obvious.
Beyond those three, it’s evident that LA will struggle to garner contributions from the rest of the supporting cast. The remainder of the squad combined for 32 points, with Kendrick Nunn the lone double-digit scorer off the bench with 13 points. After playing a great Warriors team, it’s difficult to pass judgment on the Lakers. However, if their objective is to create noise in the playoffs and even challenge for a championship, the opening night blowout is a hint that they are far from where they need to be.
Do follow us on Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
Abhivyakt Sharma
(270 Articles Published)