Rob Pelinka Discusses State of Lakers in Introductory Press Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers formally introduced Rob Pelinka as their new general manager Friday, and he outlined his vision for the organization during a press conference that was attended by president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. 

Once the presser got underway, the Lakers tweeted out a photo of Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, seated alongside the Purple and Gold ownership contingency: 

During his opening remarks, Johnson praised the Lakers' new GM for all he accomplished as one of the NBA's premier agents and touched on Pelinka's relationship with Bryant as a factor that influenced his decision, as NBA TV documented on Twitter:  

Speaking of Bryant, Pelinka spoke of his former client and dear friend in glowing terms, via NBA TV: 

Pelinka also disclosed he has "absolutely" discussed the possibility of Bryant getting involved with the front office in some capacity, per the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina. 

As far as the future of the franchise is concerned, Pelinka didn't hold back regarding the state of the team's roster.

"We have some strong really young talent on this team, but we have to get better talent for Luke to coach," he said, according to Lakers Nation's Serena Winters. 

Speaking of the team's young nucleus—which currently includes D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram, among others—Johnson told reporters there's still plenty of development that needs to occur. 

"All of them has to get more consistent," he said, per Medina. "Everyone of them across the board."

On a more macro level, Pelinka appeared to start his pitch to potential free agents a few months early as he spoke at length about recruiting top players to come suit up at Staples Center. 

According to Lakers.com's Mike Trudell, Pelinka has already started to sketch out a blueprint regarding the team's future targets: 

"Every single agent knows that (the Lakers) are the best platform…we want to tap into all that is Los Angeles," Pelinka added, per Trudell. 

Looking ahead, Pelinka left no doubt about what his primary goal is when it comes to leading the Lakers back to a place of prosperity. 

"When players talk about the Lakers, we want that to be what everyone is chasing in terms of how they're treated, how they're coached," he said, per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli.