Former NBA center and current analyst Kendrick Perkins recently blasted Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and blamed him for the Lakers’ struggles this season.
Perkins isn’t happy with how Pelinka handled the trade deadline for the Lakers, claiming that it was a mistake for the team to not make any moves and wait for the buyout market.
The 37-year-old also took a shot at Pelinka’s comments saying that the players agreed with him to not make a move, claiming that Pelinka was telling a “damn lie.”
.@KendrickPerkins says Rob Pelinka is at fault for the Lakers' struggles this season 😳
"[You] tell the world, 'We're just gonna wait for the buyout-market.' It's no damn buyout-market! All the groceries are gone!" pic.twitter.com/l7PAJ8hSZ4
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 18, 2022
The Lakers have mightily struggled this season even though they traded for guard Russell Westbrook in the offseason.
Los Angeles is just 27-31 heading into this year’s All-Star break, and it currently holds the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. If the season were to end today, the team would find itself participating in the league’s play-in tournament for the second straight season.
Although it seems like he could’ve made a deal to shake up the roster, Pelinka opted to not make a move at the deadline. The Lakers were linked to many different players as the deadline came and went.
With Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis reportedly out for at least a month with a foot injury and LeBron James dealing with a nagging knee issue, the Lakers’ playoff hopes are on thin ice going forward.
Los Angeles will need to do some major soul searching over the All-Star break to finish the season strong and make the playoffs in the 2021-22 campaign.
