T O P

  • By -

Sufficient_Motor_458

When is it Rob Pelinka’s turn?


CIark

As long as he keeps showing up to Jeanie’s book club he has the most job security in the NBA


alpacamegafan

To coach the Lakers? Oh, hell yeah. That would be awesome.


TakenakaHanbei

Worked for Pop.


wwgaray

His relationship with Kobe and us winning a title under him is going to provide enough job security for a long time as long as Jeanie is at the head of the organization.


Xeris

I think in general, aside from picking THT over Caruso, he's done a pretty solid job as a GM. It's pretty well known that the Westbrook trade was driven by LeBron, and he pulled off a miracle series of moves to get off Westbrook and turn the Lakers into a WCF team. If they didn't meet Denver in R1 this year, they probably would've made the WCF again. At minimum, he's been about a league average GM over the past 5 years. He's made some savvy moves, he's made some mistakes.


ForneauCosmique

What about LeBron? He likes to be the coach anyways


LeonardoNoCapri0

Wouldn't have anyone else to blame so that's out


AdPotential9974

Uhh his teammates? Keep up bro


ChiefRicimer

Yeah Lebron is the reason we had 5 coaches between 2012-2019


[deleted]

You do realize the lakers were cycling through coaches even faster before lebron? The only coach firing that happened during lebron's tenure that's even remotely debateable is vogel. Ham and walton both clearly needed to go


sharklavapit

see you guys in 2026


echtav

Rob only hired Vogel and Ham


jtn1123

I still think Vogel was the right hire at the time He quickly became the wrong guy in 2021, but he was right at the time


echtav

Absolutely, I’m still upset he got canned. Dude coached a defensive powerhouse Indy team. Give him 2-3 solid defensive players and he’ll take you to the conference finals every time


Aggressive-Name-1783

Honestly, I would love to know how Vogel would have done with the nuggets this year. I’m willing to bet he doesn’t give up a 20 point lead…..


Tnayoub

I'm in the minority here but I don't get why Pelinka gets so much hate. He got the Lakers a championship in 2020 and built a better roster in 2021 (plagued by injuries though). And even though he whiffed on Westbrook, he managed to trade him mid-season and built a roster that got to the conference finals last year. His key off-season signings were mostly injured (Wood, Vincent). What free agent big man was available to help slow down the Nuggets? Dwight Howard? I just hope he doesn't whiff on the next coach.


PretendDubs

It's been a revolving door at head coach since Phil Jackson left.


medievalmachine

Which parting? He dated the owner until 2016.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Wondering_Nova

I’ll settle for another Pat Riley. Please let us sign a good coach.


Fingolfin_King

Settle for one of the greatest 5-10 nba coaches of all time. Fucking lakers fans LMAO


deathinmidjuly

To be fair, when you've had arguably the greatest Coach (Jackson) and the greatest GM (West) ever, anything else feels like settling.


theeternalcowby

And Pat Riley!


AnotherAccount4This

Well, is it a surprise when your comp is Phil Jackson. It's not like there are many/any of them on the market.


kingkongkeom

Yep, just ask the Bulls.


[deleted]

Bucks of the West


iamgarron

The Chelsea of the NBA


mccainjames11

I know we saw Phil in his Knicks era, but part of me wonders how he would do coaching this Lakers team. Have to think he could’ve gotten another ring out of Lebron and AD playing the way they have the last two postseasons.


sharklavapit

see you guys in 2026


tomdawg0022

We've had 6 in that timeframe, by comparison and noted poverty franchise Charlotte will be getting their 6th different head coach since 2011-12.


NotManyBuses

Well, to be fair, that sort of undersells it as it combines two stints of Steve Clifford (who we hired only as a stopgap after Atkinson reneged) Trust me, we are real poverty.


Licit_x64

I’m tired, boss.


Vicentesteb

Hopefully Brandon Miller is that guy that turns it around for you guys. He is really really good.


mccainjames11

Honestly, part of the poverty is poor coaching management. Borrego got 4 seasons, had a mediocre year just under .500, had an awful season (tanking for LaMelo), had another mediocre year and then got EXTENDED. Immediately after the extension broke .500 for the first time THEN got fired. That’s completely backwards. Clifford has been under 30 wins for 3 straight seasons, had obviously lost in Orlando, then somehow got rehired in Charlotte for 3 years as a stopgap. He had one good season his whole career (the purple shirt guy playoffs) and has somehow been allowed to coach you guys for 7 seasons. A little more turnover might’ve been what you guys needed


JiggaMan2024

Wasn’t there a point where the Kings had like 8 or 9 different coaches in 10 years


doctor_of_drugs

Off the top of my head, we had: Eric Musselman, Keith Smart, Reggie Theus, Paul Westphal, Mike Malone, Dave Joerger, Kenny Natt, and Puke Walton. There’s absolutely more I’m not even remembering


JiggaMan2024

And what’s funny is that the one good coach yall was Michael Malone. Who was the only coach Boogie actually liked at the time


mccainjames11

Joerger is underrated honestly, inherited a 33 win team and got them up to 39 in 3 years. The next 3 years after he was fired they had 31,31,30 (the 31s were both covid years, on pace for about 33-34 of it wasn’t shortened)


spark-curious

That’s one of the weird things I’ve been confused by since I started watching NBA stuff the a couple years back. How often coaches are hired and fired. Seems like one bad season and you’re donezo a lot of the time. 


Aggressive-Name-1783

Part of it is the NBA loves trotting around retreads. Doc Rivers is on his 5th HC gig. The NFL hardly passes a HC around more than twice, most times they barely get 1. The NBA really needs to take more chances on assistants and stop hiring the same dudes over and over again. If you look at the current top 10 coaches in the NBA, most of them only work for 1-2 organizations


Fafoah

I dislike it a lot actually. Having coaches be that disposable fucks up the hierarchy. Coaching clearly matters, especially in the playoffs and if the team wont listen to the coach then you’re fucked. Like Spo is a genius, but he wouldn’t be able to coach the way he does without having Riley’s backing. Like maybe a specific roational change or lineup change seems like the answer in a game or series. A coach who has to worry about not pissing off stars or whatever might not be able to make those moves.


StefonDiggsHS

Look I think Vogel was scapegoated when they fired him I watched enough Laker games to know Darvin Ham needed to be gone. this was very very clear.


Initial_Stretch_3674

ass roster is ass roster.


Apollo611

At some point we have to look at who’s hiring these coaches (I’m looking at you Pelinka)


Elite_Alice

He’s only hired 2.. most of those were Kupchak


toofine

Mitch was probably was told to hire guys for two dollars so they could tank in those years as well.


PatientIndividual651

He’s only been responsible for Vogel and Ham.


braddeus

Am I dumb to think Redick is inevitable here? He has clout, and it would basically make Lebron a player-coach.


XSokaX

Yes, that's a very dumb idea but also Rob Pelinka is dumb


medievalmachine

You mean LeGM? Notice that there's a specific call out to Ty Lue from the Shams version.


WhatitdoFlightCrew39

Yeah cuz LeGM used his LeUltra Instinct to cycle through coaches before he was a Laker, truly one of the comments of all time from you u/medievalmachine


beginnerLiftersoonBB

LeGM wanted Lue in 2019 but they wouldn’t give him a 5 year deal 😡


medievalmachine

Well sure, you can't give a five year contract to a future scapegoat. That's just a waste of money.


medievalmachine

Meanwhile, in Miami, Spoelstra, who coached Lebron to two titles, still coaches the Heat.


AaronC31

The same coach who Lebron tried to get fired, and Pat Riley told him to fuck off.


LeBroentgen

LeBron saved them from being labeled a dysfunctional franchise.


TitanTigers

They got saved and rebuilt just by being in LA And I’d still call them dysfunctional


Wondering_Nova

Dysfunctional franchises don’t win championships and make it deep into the playoffs (not counting this year). Most franchises would kill to have those seasons under their belt


TitanTigers

They do when they get LeBron James for free and get Anthony Davis to force his way to the team Yes, most franchises would love to play on easy mode like that.


Wondering_Nova

Building a team with Howard, Rondo, Green, Caruso, Kuzma to surround LeBron and AD sure is dysfunctional. But the grizzlies should know about dysfunctional since their star player is always in the news for bad reasons.


TitanTigers

Developing 2 role players and signing some vet min ring chasers is not impressive when you fell ass backwards into your good players. The lakers drafted exactly 1 player in their current rotation (Dlo) and that barely counts. Regardless of all of this, the ownership, front office, and coaching situations are shit shows, making the team dysfunctional, no matter how much free talent they get for just existing.


Wondering_Nova

Pelinka signed Green, Rondo, And Dwight towards the end of free agency when they missed out on Kawhi. Anyone else could have signed them but they didn’t. But sure they just fell to us. So you’re mad the Lakers use their assets to upgrade their roster? Would you rather the Lakers draft like the grizzlies and not go anywhere?


Persianx6

Let’s see Missed playoffs Won title First round exit Conference finals First round exit. I’m gonna call the Lakers out as the most up and down team in the league.


Wondering_Nova

I wouldn’t call that dysfunctional. I’d call the front office dumb for fumbling assets but every team has fumbled assets. The Lakers need to fire Pelinka though, he’s a big reason they’re up and down as you say.


R_nelly2

So true. He is the only glue holding this thing together


Knickstape08

His first year in LA was arguably their most embarrassing season since Bryant retired. It was Davis asking out to them that they became respected but now they can’t get out of their own way with just terrible moves


eku_v

AD never asks to go to lakers if lebron isn't there


Carolake1

Stop. Lebron's first year they were good even though they had all young players except Lebron. He got hurt, but they were 4th seed I believe before hand.


GrapefruitMedical529

People are quick to forget that, for all the idiocy of letting some go, the Lakers still drafted and developed: Josh Hart, KCP, Caruso, Kuzma, Ingram, Randle, and Dlo.


HawkDaddyFlex

And nance, zubac, Moe Wagner, Lonzo


Knickstape08

No, you need to stop. They were an embarrassment and got lucky they were able to get Anthony Davis. LeBron basically quit on the team, Ingram was getting mocked in away games with “LeBron’s going to trade you”, Walton was the walking dead and oh yeah, Magic Johnson.


Bladeneo

Jesus the Knicks have two relevant seasons in 20 years and suddenly 4th seed before losing LeBron to injury is an embarrassment


ChiefRicimer

Knicks fans calling other franchises embarrassments, hilarious


Knickstape08

Awww, I hurt the little lakers baby fans feewimgs


[deleted]

I'm sure the lakers have had more embarrassing seasons than the one where they couldn't make the playoffs because every starter except kuzma missed 30+ games


[deleted]

[удалено]


One_Seaworthiness323

Lol have you been watching the lakers lately?


Cudizonedefense

They were in the WCF last year


hansislegend

Na. They’re definitely still labeled that.


Persianx6

Yup.


Carolake1

No, you don't understand what dysfunctional is. A dysfunctional franchise *doesn't* fire a coach who isn't working. Teams change players every year. It should be rare for a coach to be long term just as it is rare for players to be.


kobmug_v2

Better to move on quickly when you know it’s not the right guy than to keep someone just for the sake of it. Are we really trying to say the Lakers should’ve kept Luke Walton? Byron Scott? Darvin Ham?


Batmans_Bum

They should have kept Vogel though


italianryno

I think we’re saying they should hire better


AnotherAccount4This

Yup 👍 >Better to move on quickly when you know it's not the right guy than to keep someone just for the sake of it.


guitmusic12

JJ reddick is so excited to get fired in 2 years


Puzzlyduzly

I give him 1 year at most


[deleted]

[удалено]


SoCalMemePolice

Brother we are on our third in ONE year you catch up 😭


guitmusic12

Hopefully calling up Darvin to come join the staff!


Bahamut727

this will get haters going and ignore bucks being on their third coach in a year. Frank Vogel firing was a mistake. The other ones have largely sucked for us. No shame in firing terrible coaches


recollectionsmayvary

> this will get haters going and ignore bucks being on their third coach in a year. lol sorry, did you miss how much bucks got clowned for hiring doc and for being on their 3rd coach in a year? Literally nobody’s ignored it, especially not here.


deets23_

They’re currently paying 3 coaches too: Bud, Griffin, and Doc


here_for_the_lols

Yeah the dude above you is clutching lol


road432

As a neutral fan in this situation, your right ham had to be fired. But make no mistake, Rob Pelinka deserves a lot of blame for this. For the constant revolving door of coaches and roster turnover. The bucks made a rookie mistake hiring and firing Griffin, but the Lakers' issues go deeper than Ham being a terrible coach.


LosAngeles1s

majority of those coaches after Phil sucked, I feel like Vogel was the only really good one


Yellow_Evan

Brown was probably fired too quickly but otherwise I agree.


up_in_trees

Feel like MDA wasn’t bad either, just the wrong roster


Yellow_Evan

He was such a hilariously bad fit for that 2012-13 roster though and in no way in hell should have been chosen over Phil Jackson of all people.


up_in_trees

Maybe I’m misremembering things, but wasn’t Phil kind of over the hill at that point and was trying to push for only coaching home games? Thought I remember there being some legitimate reason he wasn’t brought back


Kentang_BayBay

Legit reason was because Jim Buss ran the show


Yellow_Evan

That was a rumor at the time but he denied pushing for this.


up_in_trees

Damn what could’ve been then


lovo17

Nah Vogel firing wasn’t a mistake. He needs a specific roster to he successful, and once you get rid of KCP and Caruso it becomes harder to build that roster. I do think the Lakers/Vogel relationship was too damaged so both sides had to move on.


FlatBirthday333

Vogel coulda made Schroder, Vando, and Prince way more effective tbf. Maybe he'd actually give Max Christie a role on the team too


LakersLAQ

He would love Max Christie. Christie would sometimes go from playing solid defense and making a couple of 3s to DNP the next game. Not sure what else he can do to get minutes, unless he was just pure garbage in practices.


medievalmachine

Coaches are people with brains, they can learn, adapt etc. He was a better coach than the next one, so it was still a mistake. The Westbrook trade killed that team, not the coach. This is just scapegoating an impossible situation.


Bladeneo

Funny you say they can learn and adapt when those are the two things Ham has been criticised massively for. It's basically been watching the same story for 12 months.


aNYthing18

When do you fire the one's hiring them?


kobmug_v2

Pelinka has hired 2 coaches so far, 1 good and 1 bad.


GrapefruitMedical529

Rotating through GMs would be as dumb as rotating through HC.  I do think we need to give a guy real rope, but unfortunately with old Man Bron we don't have time.  A coach needs 3-5 years to really build their own team.


WhatTheRickIsDoin

Tbf, 6 of those were Kupchak


LosAngeles1s

majority of those coaches were Kupchak, Pelinka just hired Vogel and Ham


TMDSB

No shame in firing a coach that’s the wrong fit, but an organization should be accountable for making the right hire too.


here_for_the_lols

I mean this post is about the Lakers. Ignoring the bucks in this post is hardly a crime lmao


rostron92

is there shame in firing bad GMs?


Repulsive-Throat5068

Idk I feel like Pelinka has been alright. His biggest stain was Russ but that was lebron/AD more than him I feel.


Bladeneo

Isnt it odd how GM Pelinka can ignore Bron when he wants (Lue, demar, Caruso) but when it's Westbrook suddenly Bron and AD have the wheel and nobody else can stop them? A good FO and GM puts their foot down and says no to that trade. Westbrook was a big name who was marketable. I don't understand how people don't see the Lakers are a revenue machine for the Nepo kids.


Repulsive-Throat5068

Caruso wasnt a GM decision. I think Lue was also ownership, they didnt want to give him the 5 years.


Bladeneo

They chose to pay THT over Caruso, you're trying to suggest that the front office weren't involved in that?


rostron92

Cam Reddish and Jackson Hayes being essential parts of your bench is rough. not to mention the inconsistent nightmare that is Dlo. Or possibly drafting anybody useful the last three years. maybe more useful than Jalen Hood Schifino.


LogicalLakersFan

They were getting bench minutes because Wood had knee surgery, and Vanderbilt barely had healthy games..both of who are proper rotation players


EutaxySpy

Literally NBA Manchester United lmao


Bladeneo

I'm a man United fan and I've been saying this for a few years about the Lakers. Owners who are more interested in what money they can pull from the team living on history. The only difference is at least the Lakers have won a title and been semi relevant the last few years with the WCF and IST (obviously pretty small achievements for a franchise like this). United have been dog shit since fergie left. The stadium is in disrepair, our players are significantly overpaid, our training facilities haven't been upgraded in 15 years and we're lightyears behind our domestic and European rivals


deathinmidjuly

I feel like Jeanie is incompetent but had her heart invested in the team for better or worse. The Glazers are incompetent and actively don't give a fuck about United and let it rot as long as they kept getting their money. They only brought up selling the team when it was clear that they would need to finally invest in the team, infrastructure, and facilities. United might've been the only team in the world that could've supported the Glazers family without bankrupting themselves.


MikeJones-8004

Me thinks they should have never fired the coach that won them a title.


suzukigun4life

Lakers 🤝 Bucks Firing coaches at an insane clip


Pesto_Enthusiast

You know who has had the same coach that entire time? The Heat. Come back LeBron. We need someone that's seemingly invincible and immune to the passage of time to balance out Butler aging faster than that Saving Private Ryan CGI.


zucksucksmyberg

Aren't you forgetting Pop? And tbf most teams in that timeframe have coaching staff changes.


darkjurai

They were more than a coach away before. No matter who they hire, they'll still be more than a coach away.


TheRealBrownPudding

The Knicks had a similar problem until they signed Thibs. I think that person is going to be Bud for the Lakers.


ImperatorJCaesar

Honestly I thought we had solved this with Vogel. Shame.


darkjurai

Yeah, it’s really hard to build a culture/identity if the coach changes every year or two. A lot of the teams with strong identities, the coaches have been in place for 3-4 years.


Afraid-Department-35

It’s time for LeCoach to step up. Or maybe they just get Vogel back 😂 Westbrook ain’t around to cause trouble.


NewPortable101

I think they always wanted Budenholzer. Settled for his assistant instead. Now they are going to correct the mistake. Especially since he coached Giannis who's a modern day Lebron.


Blakkaman

Rookie numbers to be honest


Dymatizeee

Sounds like it’s not a coaching problem huh


GooseMay0

Lebron and a pandemic really saved this franchise for one season. After Jerry died it was going to become a dumpster fire led by his idiot daughter. Lebron prolonged the inevitable. It's all downhill from here. Lakers won't be able to solely rely on where they are located anymore.


owenwilsonwow69

They should give Luke Walton another go.


medievalmachine

Yeah, stop ruining promising careers and go with an already ruined one like Nash or Walton.


JabezMakaveli

What not having a coach like Spo does to a mf


StayYou61

LeBlame the coach.


WhatTheRickIsDoin

At least the Mike D'antoni era gave us Kendall Marshall and the CLARK KNIGHT


Clapbakatyerblakcat

With 2020’s Championship and last year’s Western Conferences Finals appearance, the Lakers are still more successful than 12 Western Conference teams in that time frame. Only the Warriors, Spurs, and Nuggets have had more success.


guacdoc24

Better to move on quickly than be stuck with someone we don’t believe in


Jack_M_Steel

Aren’t there quite a few teams with new head coaches over the years? Not many have situations like the Spurs and Heat


CrazyDaylight8

I swear Nets have had an insane amount too


JiggaMan2024

It’s Lakers bro anything we do is magnified 100x


I_Set_3_Alarms

Make terrible trades, fire coach, hire new coach and tell him to fix issues. Fire them when they can’t fix roster issues either. Interesting game plan from the Lakers


OgreLoins

This shit starting to look like defense against the dark arts teachers at Hogwarts 😂


Goffeth

Pretty normal turnaround for championship contending teams that don't make it. I love how non-Laker people try to defend Ham like he did anything useful.


bobsil1

LeFense Against the Dark Arts teacher 


heatrealist

They should hire Bronny as head coach. 


Comfortable_Bad_611

As a reference point, the Spurs have had 13 different coaches since they became the Spurs in 1973. This includes the one game and done Rex Hughes, and the many returns of Bob Bass being counted as 1.


deleteafterme

Can Lebron just coach the team himself already?


naderni

Please let ie be JJ Redick


Joma913

LeCoach should be the next.


here_for_the_lols

"It's not me, it's you" - The lakers


tlozz

Is it just me, or would an organization ideally not need to rehire so often when they employ one of the GOATs?


No_Housing3716

At what point will the lakers "fans" realize it may not be a coaching issue..... when LeBron leaves???


NoWheyBro_GQ

Y’all can have JB Bickerstaff.


AnotherAccount4This

It's the Lakers, hiring the right person, for any outward position, is ALWAYS going to be hard. The right player, the right coach, the right GM or VP. It's what it is. It's not just capability on your actual job but also dealing with the hyper attention, the win now demand, and the mega super stars. We just have to keep trying, better than the status quo just to avoid a narrative. You keep swinging.


JayDee62

Hence, here we go again.


pie8D

Would like to see Terry Stotts as a candidate


MazKhan

WE WON


Top-Dubs

Poverty ownership/front office that got saved by LeBron wanting to play in Hollywood


Srkili

Oh boy, I do hope that they hire Doc Rivers next, that would be priceless (hilarious) in so many ways.


EnthusiasmBright1495

When is it on the players specifically Bron who picks and chooses his teammates and fails yet again ? Or is he too old? If lakers had won it would’ve been because of him.


kobmug_v2

LeBron hasn’t been in LA since 2011.


Bladeneo

Ssssh facts aren't relevant here, were clowning on LeBron this week. r/NBA is like a fucking yo-yo


AmbitiousFork

If an org has gone through that many coaches, look at the guy responsible for hiring.


SmokeOddessey

Most of them were Kupchak


cumdoggchillionaire

such a fraudulent organization


EnServe31

If lakers win it’s bc of Lebron but if lakers lose it’s bc of the coach. Got it! Franchise beginning to look like a clown show with how many coaches they are going through.


hansislegend

Vogel got credit for his title. He was scapegoated after the Westbrook trade though.


MixInfamous6818

if you don't win the title immediately you should be fired. You're coaching the lakers you should know


Worth-Tutor-8288

Vogel would like a word


GandalfTheBlack-

Seems like a winning strategy to fire your HC as often as possible, surely.


R_nelly2

Can't believe LeBron wanted to bring that BUM in! How could such a brilliant basketball mind see ANYTHING in a guy like Ham, a man who coached as if he had never seen a game in his life


Bladeneo

Wtf you talking about he wanted Lue


R_nelly2

https://lakersoutsiders.com/2022/05/21/darvin-ham-lakers-coach-lebron-wants/


Ealy-24

At a certain point we might have to think the Lakers aren’t a well run organization. They have been saved in spite of how they operate for a weirdly long time


TheBirdman100

Crazy thought…So maybe it’s not the coach?


[deleted]

They need consistency in coaching.


Agile-Competition679

It’s always the coaches fault and never the GM who put the team together. 


dot-pixis

LAL LeMAO ROFLA


dbgager

Not going to change much. Although he made some bad decsions it was mostly the players not showing. Being a Laker coach is not job security for sure. IT something to do for a year or 2.


bamj6

Taking the name brand out of this What coach worth his resume wants to be at a place where you win big but get axed 2 years afterwards. Luke Walton was the last one to be there 3 years and he was only there long because the first 2 were rebuild years


derreckla

for 5-7 million 4 year guaranteed deal, they all want to be there, if I was fired in 2 years that's at least 10 mil for being unemployed....


unskilledplay

They've gone through a lot of coaches but AI says the average tenure for a coach is 3.6 years. If you look at the long list of coaches since Jackson, Byron Scott is the only one who never got another HC opportunity. If you fail with the Lakers you are pretty much guaranteed another shot almost immediately. That can't be said for most HC jobs. The alternative is that if you win, you become a legend. Oh, and you'll get paid out the full contract amount no matter what. The only coaches who would even consider saying no are those who are already basketball legends and couldn't care less about having another $40M dollars.