Former Lakers Coach Throws Rob Pelinka Under the Bus On Social Media
By Cem Yolbulan
The Los Angeles Lakers revamped their entire coaching staff under J.J. Redick in the offseason. Even though the team failed to make the necessary upgrades in the roster, they made sweeping changes on the sidelines.
This included moving on from long-time assistant coach Phil Handy. The experienced coach who previously won two NBA championships with the Cavs and the Raptors joined the Lakers in 2019 and won his third title as Frank Vogel's assistant. He continued in his role after Darvin Ham's hiring and is one of the most respected assistant coaches in the league.
Handy made a fascinating social media comment on Friday, throwing Lakers GM Rob Pelinka under the bus. Under an Instagram post that had former Laker Dwight Howard's comments blaming Pelinka for "messing up the dynasty", Handy responded with "Facts!".
Phil Handy Blames GM Pelinka For Breaking Up the Lakers Dynasty
Dwight Howard is referring to the period after the Lakers' 2020 championship. The Lakers made confusing moves in the following offseason as they didn't keep Howard and Rajon Rondo and traded away Danny Green for Dennis Schroder. All three players had played a huge role in the bubble run that culminated in the title.
Those moves didn't work and the Lakers lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns in the following postseason. Then, Pelinka made an even more mind-boggling move and traded for Russell Westbrook while giving up the team's entire depth. The rest is history.
It's impossible to know whether the Lakers would have won more titles if they kept the 2020 title team together for longer. However, considering how quickly they fell out of contention following the slew of moves by the front office, it's hard to not blame Pelinka. It's safe to say that the Lakers, who only won two playoff series since then, would probably have been better off if they didn't make the aforementioned moves.
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