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Lakers could make Rob Pelinka new general manager

By Mary Coyne

March 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant with agent Rob Pelinka in attendance as the Oregon Ducks play against Oklahoma Sooners during the second half of the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
March 26, 2016; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant with agent Rob Pelinka in attendance as the Oregon Ducks play against Oklahoma Sooners during the second half of the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Rumors are swirling around the Lakers organization after Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss were fired.

With the management change, Jeanie Buss made the difficult but necessary decision to overhaul her front office. According to Harrison Faigen at SB Nation, the “last straw” was the inability of Kupchak and Jim Buss to sign DeMarcus Cousins.

“Today I took a series of actions I believe will return the Lakers to the heights Dr. Jerry Buss demanded and our fans rightly expect,” said Jeanie Buss in a statement Tuesday.

“Effective immediately, Earvin Johnson will be in charge of all basketball operations and will report directly to me. Our search for a new General Manager to work with Earvin and Coach Luke Walton is well underway and we hope to announce a new General Manager in short order.”

So, where will  Magic Johnson and company search for the new GM?

Personally, I wish they’d look north to Oakland and former Laker GM Jerry West, but but my hopes were dashed by a tweet from Kevin Ding, senior writer for B/R.

Magic Johnson has some quick decisions to make. He was quoted last week saying if he were in charge, his first call would be to Kobe Bryant. However, Bryant has made it known he would be available on a consultant basis only.

But Bryant’s agent, Rob Pelinka, is someone the Lakers are reportedly interested in. Pelinka is a lawyer, sports agent and former college basketball player who is President and CEO of The Landmark Sports Agency.

He represents Bryant as well as James Harden, Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon, and Andre Iguodala, to name a few.

Hiring sports agents as General Managers is a growing trend in the NBA. Former agent Bob Myers is the GM for the Golden State Warriors and Arn Tellum is the Vice Chairman of the Pistons.

This might be the kind of “outside the box” thinking the Lakers need to shake things up and attract some talent to this team.

Their inability to bring in major players to Los Angeles might have been the nail in the coffin for Kupchak and Buss. Perhaps Pelinka, with his strong business sense, sports experience, and relationships within the league, can make things happen.

Next: What the shakeup means for Jeanie Buss

But they better hurry — the trade deadline is looming.

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