{"id":92577,"date":"2024-08-26T15:27:55","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T19:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=92577"},"modified":"2024-08-26T15:36:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T19:36:15","slug":"former-laker-dwight-howard-blasts-rob-pelinka-for-breaking-up-title-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/26\/former-laker-dwight-howard-blasts-rob-pelinka-for-breaking-up-title-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Laker Blasts Rob Pelinka for Breaking Up Title Team"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to get back to championship form after winning it all in 2020. Now, a prominent member of that roster has broken his silence with a stern message to General Manager Rob Pelinka.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Former Laker Blasts Rob Pelinka for Breaking Up Title Team<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Scathing Comments From Former Big Man<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The comments in question come from ex-Laker <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/howardw01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dwight Howard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on a recent episode of his podcast \u201cDH12 Above the Rim.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dwight Howard disses Rob Pelinka for splitting up the Lakers\u2019 2020 championship team \ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRob Pelinka, man. God, Rob, why did you do that to us, man?\u2026 We could\u2019ve run it back. We would\u2019ve been healthier for the next year.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>(via <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DH12abovetherim?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@DH12abovetherim<\/a>)<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k3GFDEVOPu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/k3GFDEVOPu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClutchPoints\/status\/1828120418017821103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAfter we won, they started tweaking the roster. I\u2019mma tell you who it was\u2014Rob Pelinka, man. God, Rob, why did you do that to us, man? Rob, come on, man. I still love you, Rob, but dang, man. We had the squad, bro. Even if we ran it back, we could have run it back. We would have been healthier for the next year.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Howard\u2019s remarks line up with what many fans were thinking: the Lakers should not have split up the 2020 team, even with the injuries that led to their first-round exit the following season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2019-20 marked Howard\u2019s second stint with the purple and gold, and he played his role to a tee. In 69 regular season games, he averaged 7.5 points (58% FG), 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He also proved pivotal in LA\u2019s title run, matching up against Nuggets star\u00a0<a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>\u00a0in the Western Conference Finals. During the road to his long-awaited first ring, the 34-year-old Howard put up 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field. His presence alongside <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davisan02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Davis<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James<\/a> gave the Lakers a formidable veteran frontcourt, a crucial aspect to the team\u2019s 17th championship. The 2020 Lakers had the perfect blend of chemistry and talent to win it all, but have struggled to replicate it since then.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Lakers Track Record Proves Howard\u2019s Point<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While many teams have taken steps forward following recent championship wins, the Lakers have set an example of what not to do after reaching the pinnacle. From sacrificing depth for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/westbru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Russell Westbrook<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and losing <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carusal01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alex Caruso<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in free agency to retooling the roster towards a Western Conference Finals run, the Lakers have seen almost everything in the years since 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Westbrook trade paralyzed the Lakers into making big moves since then, as seen with the unsuccessful attempts to land <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Klay Thompson<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/derozde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DeMar DeRozan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and even <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grantje01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jerami Grant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> this summer. The team has clearly learned their lesson of retaining core players\u2014and they\u2019ve even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/21\/lakers-news-team-hires-director-of-player-performance-and-health\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">taken steps to improve player health<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014but it comes at the cost of staying stagnant while competitors improve before their eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The team is entering an unknown yet exciting era under first-year (and first-time) head coach <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/redicjj01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JJ Redick<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one that seeks to build on the talents from last season while maximizing certain players in new, innovative ways. It\u2019s clear that he and Pelinka are embracing the idea of continuity, open to working with what they have as opposed to getting what they want. That type of mentality could have saved the Lakers in 2021, but it didn\u2019t, leading them to pay the price, recoup through trades and prove Howard was right after all this time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Could Rob Pelinka be on the Hot Seat?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even after the rollercoaster since 2020\u2014and no matter how many fans want it\u2014Rob Pelinka is not getting fired. The purple and gold\u2019s leading man is <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/34755781\/sources-lakers-gm-rob-pelinka-gets-extension-2026\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">under contract until the 2025-26 season<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. His ties to the Laker family coupled with his commitment to the organization seem to outweigh any mistakes he\u2019s made in his tenure so far. Instead, the last few years appear to be a key learning experience for Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers executives. Pelinka remains steadfast as he leads LA through a new chapter. If there\u2019s any indication that his job is in jeopardy, that story only sits in the drafts of Laker history.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled to get back to championship form after winning it all in 2020. Now, a prominent member of that roster has broken his silence with a stern message to General Manager Rob Pelinka. Former Laker Blasts Rob Pelinka for Breaking Up Title Team Scathing Comments From Former Big Man The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":84986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,62],"tags":[2037,240,350,205,1628,2279,70,38,759,53],"class_list":["post-92577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-nba","tag-alex-caruso","tag-anthony-davis","tag-demar-derozan","tag-dwight-howard","tag-jerami-grant","tag-jj-redick","tag-klay-thompson","tag-lebron-james","tag-rob-pelinka","tag-russell-westbrook"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}