When the Los Angeles Lakers missed the play-in tournament last season and started 2-10 this season, many fans scapegoated Russell Westbrook, but executive Rob Pelinka was who some were directing even more of the blame towards.
According to these people, Pelinka had broken up the 2020 championship roster, then brought in Westbrook, who never fit in, and signed a bunch of over-the-hill role players who simply had nothing left in the tank.
But Pelinka started a reclamation project last summer by signing guards Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schroder, who have turned out to be important role players, and he traded the little-used Kendrick Nunn in late February for Rui Hachimura to give the team some much- needed depth at the forward position.
Then came the big trade that changed everything: Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.
Suddenly, the Lakers were a relatively deep and balanced team where everyone fit and the roster made sense. Since the trade deadline, they have risen from the ashes like the mythical phoenix in Greek folklore, and they have gone 27-12 including the postseason ever since the players acquired for Westbrook made their debut.
After LA knocked the Golden State Warriors out of the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals on Friday, Russell said that Pelinka should have been named the Executive of the Year.
The award went to Monte McNair of the Sacramento Kings, who saw his team finish third in the Western Conference despite many doubting it would make the playoffs. However, it fell in the first round to the Warriors.
Pelinka got no first-place votes and only one second and third-place vote.
Perhaps if that vote were taken again on Friday night, Pelinka would have won it or at least gotten much more consideration.
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Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire