Congratulations, Rob Pelinka
I really wanted Duncan and the Heat to somehow pull this out, but it stings a little less thanks to Rob Pelinka.
He was the only player on both the 1989 NCAA Championship team and to play with the Fab Five. And now he is (I believe) the first former U-M player to win an NBA championship as a GM. Rudy T was the first to win as a coach, we've had five to win NBA titles as players (Bob Harrison, Cazzie Russell, Mike McGee, Glen Rice and Juwan Howard), and now we have our first GM champion.
And if you want to feel old, there's this: Rob Pelinka is 50.
October 11th, 2020 at 10:35 PM ^
No Magic needed for this title!
October 11th, 2020 at 10:37 PM ^
Here , here. Michigan well represented at the highest level again. Congrats Rob. And hats off to LBJ for winning another title on his third team. Regardless of his roster, he led teams to 9 of the last 10 NBA Finals.
October 11th, 2020 at 10:38 PM ^
Lebron is the Lakers GM
October 11th, 2020 at 11:32 PM ^
LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, does represent about half the roster.
October 12th, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
LeBron’s agent is named Rich. That checks out.
October 11th, 2020 at 10:54 PM ^
No matter what team wins, you can always find a Wolverine in the organization
October 11th, 2020 at 11:03 PM ^
Thanks, BursleyHall82, for that tidbit about Pelinka being the bridge between our '89 National Champs and the Fab Five era.
Until now, I never knew that.
October 11th, 2020 at 11:13 PM ^
James Voskuil called to remind you he was also on the 89 team and played with the Fab Five. IIRC.
Congrats Pelinka.
October 11th, 2020 at 11:21 PM ^
My bad, James.
Pelinka is the only one who PLAYED on both teams. Voskuil, I believe, redshirted in 1988-89. Pelinka played in 1988-89 and then redshirted in the 1989-90 season. I believe Eric Riley was also a redshirt on the 1989 team.
October 12th, 2020 at 5:10 AM ^
I think that is fully accurate now. Go Blue.
October 12th, 2020 at 7:37 AM ^
In the spirit of extreme trivia, there was at least one other guy (Kirk Taylor) who played with both teams (though not much in '91-'92):
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/kirk-taylor-1.html
He had an interesting career. He might've been a bit player on the national championship team, but he had a bad injury that cut his year short and he missed the following year, too.
He was 10 ppg scorer in the forgettable '90-'91 year that preceded the Fab Five's arrival.
October 12th, 2020 at 11:58 AM ^
Kirk Taylor was also a very nice, humble guy that lived in my house/quad at the time.
October 13th, 2020 at 2:24 PM ^
And James was an engineer, no less! I had several classes with him.
October 11th, 2020 at 11:20 PM ^
Stoked AF right now, this whole season was just a joy to see, if you leave aside.... well, yeah.
Pelinka is one of several redemption stories on this Laker team and is perhaps the most important one. Although it's prima facie obvious to pair LBJ and AD, Pelinka got the deal done after all the Magic chaos last season and also found the right mix of valuable role players and had plan B ready to go after Kawhi chose the other L.A. team.
In retrospect it's crazy that ESPN talking heads were speculating preseason that Pelinka (a former agent) didn't understand the salary cap. Although it's fair to question the process by which he was hired (I.e. he was Kobe's agent and friend), the one thing you could fairly say was that Kobe wouldn't trust his contract negotiations with anyone who wasn't as smart and detail-focused as him, and it paid off on spades this year.
17 banners. What a feeling.
October 11th, 2020 at 11:36 PM ^
That was the worst game for Heat (Duncan Robinson) fans. At least the best team won.
October 12th, 2020 at 12:03 AM ^
I’m also 50. Thanks for the reminder that I’m old as dirt.
October 12th, 2020 at 7:17 AM ^
Trade you.
October 12th, 2020 at 4:33 PM ^
Obligatory "user name checks out" post
October 12th, 2020 at 11:24 AM ^
Knocking on the door and working hard to keep the ship together! Every joint and ligament are compromised or replaced but staying in the game. I’ll quit when there isn’t a rink or field to play on. I remember Pelinka well from the Fab5 Team and heading to law school. Impressive shooter and smart guy. Nice culmination of 30 years of networking and hard work. Impressed.
October 12th, 2020 at 12:09 AM ^
Lebron is amazing. 2nd best basketball I have ever seen after MJ.
I wasn't around for the era of dominant centers like Wilt, Russell, and Kareem.
But I give the nod to Lebron past Shaq, Duncan, Magic, Bird, Kobe, Oscar, etc with this win, in his 17th year.
October 12th, 2020 at 12:11 AM ^
When Webber called that TO, Pelinka was open in the corner for the winning 3. I'll go to my grave wondering what if Webber had passed it to him.
OK, that's not true, but I do think of it now and then.
October 12th, 2020 at 1:10 AM ^
Pelinka wasn't in the corner. More top of the key than anything. It didn't matter anyway. Webber was so frazzled after getting away with the travel that I'm convinced he wasnt even thinking at that point. The most frustrating part of that in hindsight is Webber rebounded the missed FT with 19(!) seconds left. That is an eternity yet he reacted like there was 5 seconds left. If he would have just slowed the f#%k down and composed himself it all might have ended differently.
October 12th, 2020 at 2:57 AM ^
This game happened nearly 30 years ago. Your early stage sports’ fan grievance process may benefit from intervention. In all seriousness, between the Lions, Michigan’s one-sided rivalry with osu, and Michigan’s failures in national title b-ball games, it is no wonder that the prevailing attitude on this board is bitterness and pessimism.
And yet, there is so much good to appreciate about Michigan football and basketball. I endeavor to celebrate the good as a sports fan because the alternative of perpetual disappointment and bitterness is not worth the negative energy.
October 12th, 2020 at 7:09 AM ^
Never forget! Landry’s kick was good, too.
October 12th, 2020 at 11:08 AM ^
I was there. It was good.
October 13th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
Lantry.....
October 12th, 2020 at 7:42 AM ^
"And yet, there is so much good to appreciate about Michigan football and basketball."
Good post. I feel the same way. One of these days the current Michigan football regime will start getting some credit and coverage for the way it's getting its 3-star recruits (Watson, Metellus, et al.) at least a cup of coffee in the NFL. I think that says something about the way Harbaugh runs "the program."
October 12th, 2020 at 9:18 AM ^
Hold on, Indy Pete! If you are including Lions fandom into anything, there is much more needed than a slight intervention. A wholesale transplant of some kind, perhaps.
As for that Webber game, it's a vivid memory as I was in the Superdome, but honestly, I don't really think about it. It's just a game, after all!
I just brought it up because when I think of Pelinka (as per this thread), I think of that game. He was on the floor! What an experience for him.
October 12th, 2020 at 10:28 AM ^
Haha - a hippocampus transplant to remove decades of painful memories from the Lions may be in order! Pretty amazing that you were at the Webber timeout game - I was 11 and was falling in love with Michigan sports as a kid in central Indiana without any reason to love Michigan. That game was crushing as a kid.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:27 AM ^
I am tired of perpetual disappointment from my teams Over the last 10 years in the big games from Michigan to the Dodgers to the Rams...luckily I am a Lakers fan and they have given me 11 Championships in my lifetime.
October 12th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
Being a genuine Lakers fan is an enviable position. Congrats on another championship!
October 12th, 2020 at 1:52 PM ^
i believe NC had fouls to give. i doubt UM would have gotten a decent look regardless.
October 12th, 2020 at 12:25 AM ^
Basketball superstar for my high school too. Congrats, Mr. Pelinka!
October 12th, 2020 at 3:54 AM ^
Congrats to the Lakers, Pelinka, the Heat, and Robinson!
October 12th, 2020 at 7:24 AM ^
As an avid Lakers fan it was such a joy to watch us return to supremacy. Of course I'm extremely happy for Rob Pelinka, who was ridiculed for nearly every move he made during the pre-season.
And obviously, Lebron was huge in getting AD to the Lakers and keeping KCP in place. But Pelinka is the mastermind that signed Dwight Howard (signed for less than 3 mill and was downright great this year as a third big), presided over Alex Caruso (likely to get a 10 mill + contract as a FA based on his two-way ability), signed Markief Morris on the buyout market (was HUGE in the playoffs), signed Avery Bradley to a 2 year deal for under 10 mill (turned out to be a bargain) and his biggest move...................re-signing Rajon Rondo for the vet minimum when talking heads absolutely bashed him for it. Rondo was stellar in the playoffs, averaging 9pts, 7assists and 4rebs on 40% from distance.
For me personally, I'll always love this Laker team for absolutely destroying the analytics movement/3pt attempts theory. The Warriors fooled many people into thinking the championship formula is three point shooting. Reality is that Elite defense + paint production is generally going to win out. This team supported the idea that playing hard matters rather than finesse. While the 04 Pistons may have been the most consistent defense I've seen in the last 20 years, this Laker team had a ceiling on defense that very few teams in history could reach. When AD, Lebron, Caruso and KCP turned up the defensive intensity..................there was simply nothing the opposition could do and I loved every minute of it.
October 12th, 2020 at 8:24 AM ^
Uh, how many of the league's best 3 point shooters were out this year? Hold off on judging the 3 point attempts theory another year.
October 12th, 2020 at 8:38 AM ^
I couldn’t tell you. What I do know is that the Lakers were either 1st or 2nd among 16 playoff teams:
Points In The Paint
2nd Chance Points
Blocks
Offensive Reboundsu
2pt FG%
All while being 12 of 16 in terms of 3%.
Long story short is that the Lakers physically dominated all these analytically driven teams in Portland, Houston, Denver and Miami because they simply don’t allow you to score at the rim while obliterating the opposition with layups and dunks.
For me consistent shot types (layups/dunks) > high variance shot types (jumpers) and the Lakers backed that up.
Rob Pelinka and crew absolutely destroyed the analytics movement and caused Antoni (no D!) and Rivers to lose their job.
The standard model coming into this year was 3pt shooting + wing defenders. No question about it, the standard moving forward is how can we beat the Lakers size + athleticism?
October 12th, 2020 at 11:26 AM ^
I feel like you don't really understand what modern analytics are about.
First, *Everybody* agrees that layups and dunks are the best shot in basketball, because outside of free throws, they have the highest success rate. There's not a single team in the league that is valuing jump shots over layups/dunks.
Second, "Modern" teams are going away from the mid-range jump shots in favor of threes. And that's because mid-range shots have almost the same success rate as 3-pointers, except for yanno, less points. So the maths winds up that taking 3-point shots on average gets you more points that mid-range jumpers.
Third, analytics isn't an end-all be-all, "Here's the secret key to winning". It's more about creating the best opportunity for your team to win, by maximizing your successful plays and minimizing your failure plays. I guarantee the Lakers have staff members dedicated to analytics in their organization.
Finally, the Lakers didn't do squat to the analytics movement, it's always going to keep growing and changing and evolving, because spoiler alert, it's not feasible for every team in the league to add 2 top-5 players to their roster. Saying that they "destroyed" it makes you sound like one of super old baseball writers who think that OPS and WAR are swear words.
PS - How did the Lakers get Doc Rivers fired when they didn't even play each other?
October 12th, 2020 at 11:45 AM ^
I understand the analytics movement very well. To oversimply it, the aim is to eliminate unassisted offense (basically eliminate multiple dribble pull-ups from midrange and post isos) based on unfavorable returns in terms of PPS. Functionally this translates to more 3pt attempts and less shots coming from 10-19 feet and declining volume from 4-10 feet.
And that's fine.........during the regular season. But if you look at the history of the NBA, if you want to win a championship, its almost mandatory to have an elite iso guy that consistently hits midrange pull-ups in the playoffs.
https://twitter.com/DrewHanlen/status/1280297439791124481
So while your approach may work for the fancy stat folks, it really doesn't mean much in high-stakes playoff games.
Of course, analytics aren't the end-all be-all, in fact they have very little value in the playoffs. Do the Lakers have staff specifically dedicated to analytics? Of course. And based on that, the Laker FO decided that it holds minimal value, if any. The Lakers have a high-volume midrange shooter in Anthony Davis and guess what.............he hit those shots at nearly a 50% clip in the playoffs because that's often the best shot available given paint-packing tactics utilized by opposing defenses and his advantages in terms of size/length and ballhandling.
https://stats.nba.com/players/shooting/?sort=15-19%20ft.%20FGA&dir=1
And you're right, every team cannot obtain top 5 players in the world, and while it sounds harsh, the reality is that's why those teams will likely be precluded from winning championships. Over the course of recent history, the best players on earth have typically been prolific midrange shooters. It is the shot type that is basically unguardable in isolation situations against a set defense, when actions/set plays simply won't work because the defense has scouted it too well.
As for Rivers its very obvious the Lakers were the primary reason for his termination. Did you notice the Clippers went in a different direction only AFTER the Lakers made short work of the Nuggets? In other words, Balmer wanted to verify if the Nuggets were really that good, or whether the Lakers (and their anti-analytics team with multiple bigs and below average 3pt shooting) were THAT good. Balmer confirmed the Lakers were that good, and made the move accordingly.
October 12th, 2020 at 1:50 PM ^
Strange to say this given the Heat's defeat, but I think you can make a strong case off this series that Jimmy Butler's performance as that elite mid-range ISO guy being central to Miami's success these playoffs. Adding a "they lost, but nonetheless..." data point in favor of your argument.
No way Miami is in that series without Jimmy playing that role at a super high level.
October 12th, 2020 at 2:35 PM ^
That's sort of my point.............in high-stakes playoff games you can throw all the coaching out the window, the analytics, Xs and Os and the like are almost worthless once you get to the 2nd half of game 3 because both teams have made adjustments and are scouted to a level that the bag is emptied so to speak.
At that point its about two things, which team plays with more intensity and which team has the superstar that can hit tough shots. The bottom line is that Miami would've lost the series in 5 but for all of Butler's "inefficient", anti-analytic shots. No offense to those two young men because they're both fine players, but if Spoelstra truly believed that Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro were better options because catch and shoot 3s > midrange 2s off the bounce, then he would've dialed up set actions for them to take those shots.
But he didn't, and the reason why is because he knows that superstars win games at the highest level regardless of analytics.
October 12th, 2020 at 7:49 AM ^
Lebron was in takeover mode from the tip. He was on a mission to not lose, he drove through lots of contact to still finish at the rim. He's by far the most complete player in NBA history. There's never been another player that can do what he does, especially on the defensive end.
October 12th, 2020 at 9:36 AM ^
Don’t think anyone can dispute Lebron’s drive at 35 years old and his ability to impose his physicality as a shot creator.
But I would say that it’s Anthony Davis, rather than Lebron, that is the most unique defensive player in the history of basketball. And that’s not meant to take away anything from Lebron’s defensive effort/prowess, but AD may very well be entering the conversation for greatest defensive player of all time if he can sustain at this level for another 4-5 years.
October 12th, 2020 at 8:24 AM ^
Hey I'm 50!
October 12th, 2020 at 8:27 AM ^
Mike McGee rarely shot, but I don't think I ever saw him miss.
October 12th, 2020 at 10:49 AM ^
50 is the new 30.... at least that's what I tell all the 25 year old young ladies at the bar.
October 13th, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
Does it work? Asking for a 50 year old friend...
October 12th, 2020 at 11:39 AM ^
We'll be hearing plenty from Mr. Robinson in the future I'm sure.
October 12th, 2020 at 12:57 PM ^
Definitely great to see Pelinka doing big things in the front office.
BTW, Eric Riley and James Voskuil redshirted on the '89 team. I think they might have played some minutes before the decision was made to redshirt them. Fun fact: James Voskuil majored in aerospace engineering.
October 12th, 2020 at 3:56 PM ^
Congrats to Rob... to hell with LeBron !!