The NBA released its list of finalists for postseason awards - the top three vote-getters in each category - and there were no Lakers among any of them. No real surprise, there, and someone like Luka Dončić is widely expected to finish fourth in MVP (no dishonor there). It wouldn't surprise to see JJ Redick finish among the top 5-7 in Coach of the Year balloting, either.

That, though, is a bit of an open question given how the team's season has been perceived. Even while they were winning early, many saw the Lakers as frauds. At the same time, they consistently outperformed projections, even while battling significant and overlapping injuries.

So lots going on.

And then there's the question of Rob Pelinka. Executive of the Year is a different deal than the postseason awards. Pelinka won't win for a variety of reasons, but it's reasonable to ask whether the work done this year should be validated. Two moves were particularly important in Game 1 - the trade deadline acquisition of Luke Kennard in exchange for Gabe Vincent, and then last summer's decision to let Dorian Finney-Smith walk and use a chunk of his money to sign Jake LaRavia. LaRavia played in all 82 games and was a positive contributor. DFS had a terrible first season in Houston, and was a DNP-CD in Game 1.

So even if questions remain about Pelinka's skill overall as an executive, does this year go down as a win for him?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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