You have taken public flogging for years, Rob Pelinka.
Time to get some credit.
For three-plus years the oft-embattled—oft-deservingly embattled—head of basketball operations has been a human piñata. He ascended to his role following Magic Johnson’s exit in 2019 … and was branded a backstabber by the Lakers legend on national TV. He broke up a championship team in ’20 (whoops), traded for Russell Westbrook the following year (ditto) and came to the bizarre conclusion that surrounding a transcendent playmaker in LeBron James with a bunch of nonshooters would be successful.
