The Los Angeles Lakers’ decision to hire Kobe Bryant’s former representative Rob Pelinka as their general manager was an unexpected one, and it’s still unknown how it will play out.
The chief question facing Magic Johnson, Pelinka and the new Lakers regime is this: Will the former player agent have an advantage on the opposite side or the bargaining table, or will he be out of his depth?
There are a lot of similarities between the two jobs (recruiting players and understanding the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement) as well as plenty of differences (being in charge of one player is a lot different than being responsible for a whole team), adjustments Pelinka will have to learn on the fly.