Lakers fans react as Rob Pelinka hints JJ Redick was responsible for not cutting Alex Len - "No way they’re beefing already" 

Despite their lack of depth at center and Alex Len not being productive, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick kept the European big on the playoffs roster. That decision surprised many, with two-way centers Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison III making a better case to earn the reserve big spot.

The outcome? The Lakers' season ended on Wednesday with Rudy Gobert outclassing LA on both ends, as Redick stuck with a small lineup with no centers for nearly all four quarters. Gobert finished with a career-high 27 points, adding 24 rebounds (nine offensive) and two blocks on 12 of 15 shots.

Len played four minutes in the five-game series across Games 1 and 3 as the Lakers suffered blowout losses. On Thursday, Pelinka and Redick addressed the reporters on various topics, including Len retaining his roster spot.

Pelinka seemingly pointed out that it was Redick's decision ultimately to keep Len on the team instead of Koloko or Jemison, saying (18:51):

"Just that we thought that Alex was a good player that deserved to be on our roster ... JJ is going to make the ultimate decision on who plays and who doesn't."

Rob Pelinka's comment was followed by an awkward moment as he looked at JJ Redick, who didn't add anything to it and nodded.

Lakers fans on X noticed the incident and speculated there could be some unrest between the GM and the coach within one year of their partnership.

One fan tweeted:

Another reacted to it, saying:

"no way they’re beefing already man"

One fan said Pelinka should have cut him:

"Well his job is a gm not to hurt feelings"

Another raised concerns about JJ Redick:

"I can’t believe that JJ has become a liability. Didn’t have that on my bingo card. What a disappointment."

One fan said Redick will only learn from this mistake:

"JJ gonna learn from this. He did good the first year. This stuff only makes coaches better"

Another judged JJ Redick's coaching style, saying:

"JJ seems like a play the old guys type of coach"

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Lakers GM Rob Pelinka on coach JJ Redick

JJ Redick and the Lakers didn't achieve their ultimate goal of a championship despite boasting a star-studded roster led by Luka Doncic and LeBron James. LA dealt with several roster issues after moving on from Anthony Davis, primarily their lack of depth at the center position.

Nevertheless, LA still finished third in the uber-competitive Western Conference, registering its first 50-win season in five years. Redick, for all the noise surrounding his inexperience, was phenomenal in optimizing his resources in the regular season.

While he couldn't do the same in the postseason, JJ Redick still earned Rob Pelinka's vote of confidence.

“JJ brought just a complete revival of energy and incredibly hard work ethic, attention to detail, a spirit to our team, to our group, to our franchise as a rookie coach that we haven’t seen in a long time,” Pelinka said (h/t Sportskeeda's Mark Medina). “Our level of confidence, my level of confidence couldn’t be higher.

Pelinka hailed Redick as a great partner to work with, who has an incredible basketball mind.

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Rob Pelinka addresses Lakers roster holes

Rob Pelinka was on the same page as Lakers fans about the team's glaring roster holes. It wasn't the case last offseason or at any point before the Luka Doncic trade.

The Lakers needed a reliable center to complement Anthony Davis, but since the 2021-22 season, they never filled that position, believing that Davis had the skills to play at the five. LA also lacked depth in the wing spots but didn't address that need until December last year when it added Dorian Finney-Smith.

However, Pelinka claimed that he would address these issues this summer. He said the Lakers will look to add a lob threat and another wing defender to shore up LA's defense.