Lakers GM Rob Pelinka Hopes LA Follows Same Path as New England Patriots
Every professional sports franchise would love to experience the same success as the New England Patriots, and the Los Angeles Lakers are no different.
After the Patriots overcame some adversity this season en route to beating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said during a conference call Friday that he wants L.A. to follow in the Pats' footsteps:
"I think early on they were facing a ton of adversity. There were lots of stories being told about fractured relationships, but what did they do? They kind of came together.
"My hope is our story is a little bit, maybe, like that where we're on the outside but we find a way to get in the playoffs with the skill sets we've added. And then much like [Tom] Brady did, we let one of the all-time greats—LeBron [James]—take the helm for this team and make some noise."
While there was never much doubt about whether New England would make the playoffs last season, the Lakers are 1.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the NBA's Western Conference.
The Patriots started the season 1-2 and fell to 9-5 after a pair of late-season losses to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, but they closed out the regular season with two wins and used their experience to go all the way and win a sixth Super Bowl in franchise history.
While the Pats have been the NFL's dominant team for nearly two decades, the Lakers have struggled in recent years.
They haven't made the playoffs since 2012-13, and their last championship came in 2010.
Overall, the Lakers have won 16 championships in their history, making them the second-most successful NBA franchise behind only the Boston Celtics.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins.
With regard to this season, Pelinka is hopeful that trade deadline acquisitions Reggie Bullock and Mike Muscala will put the Lakers over the top.
Pelinka even compared Bullock and Muscala to Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, who was named Super Bowl MVP after being suspended for the first four games of the regular-season for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs: "I almost look at Bullock and Muscala, my hope is, much like Edelman was. It's just one player, but that can have such a big impact on overall chemistry, and I hope those two guys can come in and have that impact."
The biggest key to L.A.'s success, however, will likely be the play of LeBron, much like Brady anchored the Patriots.
James is back after missing 17 games with a groin injury, and his presence gives the Lakers a good chance to both reach the playoffs and make a deep run.
Los Angeles fell short in its bid to trade for New Orleans Pelicans All-Star big man Anthony Davis, but with James leading talented young players like Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball, the Lakers could be a dangerous team down the stretch.
