LOS ANGELES_To start the process of synergy between departments, Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton and General Manager Rob Pelinka spent two hours talking before Friday's news conference to introduce Pelinka.
"The one thing I've seen with the great organizations that have had success recently (is) that the coach, general manager, the president, the basketball operations folks have to be in lockstep and have to be collaborating and sharing," Pelinka said.
"Luke's got to implement and coach the guys on the hardwood. Everything Earvin and I do of course will have Luke's impact," he added about Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations.
Walton said he and Pelinka agreed that they needed to have honest communication, even if that meant disagreeing with each other.
"I'll tell him what I'm seeing from down here; he's going to tell me what he's seeing," Walton said. "If it's a basketball decision, I'm going to have the ultimate say. If it's a personnel thing, he'll have the ultimate say. We're going to do that with constant conversation going on and not having to worry about hurting the other guy's feelings."
Walton has known Pelinka for years. In his career as an agent, Pelinka represented Kobe Byrant, a former Lakers teammate of Walton's, and Channing Frye, a friend of his since they played at Arizona together. Walton and Pelinka attended Frye's wedding.
While Bryant didn't speak or conduct interviews Friday, he and Walton talked before the news conference.
"He was just really supportive of Rob," Walton said. "He said you're gonna love working together. Even though he works his tail off, he's really smart. It's gonna be a great thing, having him in here with the group and trying to go forward."
