For Dodgers, getting to playoffs is not good enough for Mark Walter. For Lakers? - BERITAJA

Here’s a spot of Dodgers trivia for the bandwagon fans successful our midst: Who was the head earlier Dave Roberts?

That was 11 years ago. He is Don Mattingly, who returns to Dodger Stadium connected Friday arsenic head of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Phillies were 9-19 erstwhile they fired Rob Thomson and replaced him pinch Mattingly. They are 20-8 since then, a amended grounds than the Dodgers person posted complete the aforesaid span.

In Philadelphia, Mattingly sewage his chance because the Phillies were losing. In Los Angeles, Mattingly departed amid a tally of winning.

For Mark Walter and what was past a caller Dodgers ownership group, that was not enough. As Walter enters his first offseason arsenic the Lakers’ controlling owner, it’s worthy keeping that successful mind.

“They person a hunger for triumph that is the top I’ve ever seen, without exaggeration,” erstwhile Dodgers wide head Ned Colletti told me.

In 2 seasons pinch Rob Pelinka arsenic president of hoops operations and JJ Redick arsenic coach, the Lakers won section titles some times, failing to get retired of the first information of the playoffs 1 twelvemonth and failing to get retired of the 2nd information of the playoffs the next.

In 2013 and 2014, pinch Colletti arsenic GM and Mattingly arsenic head successful the first afloat seasons of Walter’s ownership, the Dodgers won section titles some times, failing to get retired of the first information 1 twelvemonth and failing to get retired of the 2nd information the other.

The Dodgers replaced Colletti pinch Andrew Friedman.

In 2015, the Dodgers won the section but grounded to get retired of the first information of the playoffs. Friedman offered Mattingly a short-term extension, and Mattingly opted for a semipermanent woody to negociate the Miami Marlins.

After Walter and Co. took complete the Dodgers, Mattingly told maine Wednesday, location was 1 twelvemonth he thought he mightiness beryllium fired: 2013, erstwhile the Dodgers started 30-42 and fell 9 1/2 games retired of first spot successful mid-June. The Dodgers past reeled disconnected 42 wins successful 50 games and won the section by 11 games.

He appreciated that Walter, squad president Stan Kasten and yet Friedman did not simply bring successful a caller head astatine their first chance.

“You get to measure and see,” Mattingly said, “and you person your imagination for wherever you want it to go, and prolong it. That’s the point they’ve been awesome at: sustaining it. It’s been twelvemonth aft year. You can’t really uncertainty what they’re doing.”

Kasten’s first move was not to occurrence Colletti, but to inquire what ownership could supply for him truthful that he could do a amended job. The owners quickly responded by backing the summation of effect players (Adrián González and Hanley Ramirez), extending the statement of a celebrated home-grown subordinate (Andre Ethier), revitalizing the Dodgers’ Latin American talent pipeline (Yasiel Puig and Julio Urías), renovating the clubhouse and, astatine Mattingly’s suggestion, refreshing the family room.

“We started to beryllium capable to compete pinch a different mindset, which was invaluable,” Colletti said.

Similarly, pinch Friedman and erstwhile Dodgers wide head Farhan Zaidi arsenic consultants, the Lakers person added 2 positions for adjunct wide managers, overhauled the scouting staff, created much room astatine squad office by relocating their G League connection to the Coachella Valley, and borrowed from the Dodgers’ playbook successful modernizing aesculapian and biomechanical facilities.

This summertime could beryllium captious successful determining the early of the Lakers, including who runs them. Walter could walk each he wants, arsenic he does pinch the Dodgers, but the luxury-tax penalties successful the NBA are much terrible than successful shot and could restrict the roster elasticity truthful coveted by the likes of Friedman and Zaidi. A star-studded roster beyond Luka Doncic — say, a waste and acquisition for Giannis Antetokounmpo? — could require the Lakers to sacrifice the draught picks that besides would limit roster flexibility.

The Lakers will person the resources. Walter will want to spot the productivity and the championships — or, astatine least, the way to them. Ultimately, he will determine what he did pinch the Dodgers: Does he person the champion group he could get moving the team?

“You spot galore organizations that win, and past they return a measurement back,” Colletti said. “They consciousness for illustration they person immoderate goodwill successful the bank, they don’t person to pursuit the biggest free agents, and they don’t request to re-invest successful the squad aliases the stadium.

“From my vantage point, each the measurement up and down that statement and particularly astatine the ownership level, it’s almost for illustration they’ve ne'er won, and they’re quiet to get there. To beryllium location and beryllium unsatisfied — that quest to beryllium arsenic awesome arsenic you could beryllium — is 1 of the awesome indicators of the fantabulous ownership it is.”

In the meantime, immoderate proposal for Pelinka and Redick? Colletti fto retired a hearty laugh.

“Do your best,” he said, “and move it up a notch.”