Magic Johnson as a General Manager

[One More Rebound]

1. Trades away D'Angelo Russell so he can draft Lonzo Ball. He implies that Russell lacks leadership, and anoints Ball as the savior of the franchise. Currently, Russell is over 20 ppg as a scorer, and is averaging almost 7 assists per game. Ball is a little under 10 ppg as a scorer, and is one of the worst foul shooters in the NBA. A pg needs to be able to knock down free throws at the end of games. Ball cannot.

2. In drafting Ball, he overlooks Jayson Tatum, who is a 16 and 6 player this year, and had terrific performances in last year's playoffs. So instead of having Russell and Tatum in his current rebuild, he has only Ball.

3. He got Brook Lopez in the Russell trade, then declined to resign him, in favor of JaVale McGee. Lopez is a 12 ppg performer this year on a team that is clearly superior to The Lakers.

4. He lazily pursued Paul George in free agency, looking to have George be the Robin to LeBron's Batman. Not only didn't he get George, but he didn't even get a chance to speak to George face to face.

5. He tried to get Anthony Davis in a mid-season trade. When the information leaked about the young players who had been offered for Davis, these players on-court performance was clearly compromised.

6. On George, he blamed Paul for not giving him a face to face interview. On the young players, he blamed them for not acting like professionals after the trade rumors were leaked.

Perhaps Magic could consider blaming himself for The Lakers woes? :eddie187_jpg_xs:

 

[Eielson]

1. Trades away D'Angelo Russell so he can draft Lonzo Ball. He implies that Russell lacks leadership, and anoints Ball as the savior of the franchise. Currently, Russell is over 20 ppg as a scorer, and is averaging almost 7 assists per game. Ball is a little under 10 ppg as a scorer, and is one of the worst foul shooters in the NBA. A pg needs to be able to knock down free throws at the end of games. Ball cannot.

He didn't trade away Russell for Lonzo Ball. He traded away Russell for Kuzma and the capspace to Lebron James.

2. In drafting Ball, he overlooks Jayson Tatum, who is a 16 and 6 player this year, and had terrific performances in last year's playoffs. So instead of having Russell and Tatum in his current rebuild, he has only Ball.

Give me Lonzo, Lebron, and Kuzma over Russell and Tatum any day. Also, nobody was suggesting drafting Tatum over Lonzo. Some people wanted to draft Fultz or Jackson instead, so I'm thankful we got Ball.

3. He got Brook Lopez in the Russell trade, then declined to resign him, in favor of JaVale McGee. Lopez is a 12 ppg performer this year on a team that is clearly superior to The Lakers.

Signing JaVale was a great move.

4. He lazily pursued Paul George in free agency, looking to have George be the Robin to LeBron's Batman. Not only didn't he get George, but he didn't even get a chance to speak to George face to face.

His agent publically leaked that he didn't want LA to trade away his assets for him. Then PG acts like LA didn't want him. I'm not sure what else LA was supposed to do. PG refused to even meet with them.

5. He tried to get Anthony Davis in a mid-season trade. When the information leaked about the young players who had been offered for Davis, these players on-court performance was clearly compromised.

That's the media narrative, but is it true? Ingram has been lighting it up since the all-star break, and Lonzo has yet to log a minute.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

As a lifelong Laker fan, I'm in wait & see mode. Remember this was just supposed to be the start of building a contender. LBJ was the big prize, and this upcoming free agency is supposed to be the next step.

Russell became a liability when he injected himself in the personal business of Swaggy P. He was hated in the locker room after that. Ball is getting better, and is a night and day better defender than Russell. He still struggles with his shooting, but as his confidence has grown, he has shown he can be a pretty good NBA point guard.

Ingram is FINALLY showing us the promise they have been raving about. Can he take the next step?? Kuzma was a steal, and if he embraces hard work, gets stronger, and starts to take defense serious, he can be pretty good. The Davis mess was a bad look, and most of that showed how desperate the Lakers had gotten to make the playoffs. I think Pelinka and Magic got ahead of themselves, and the Pelicans leaders made a public joke out of them...

I believe Randall could have helped this team, but he wanted a big contract, and LA wasn't willing to give it. I just hope the Lakers don't get so focused on big name stars, they miss the chance to sign some solid mid level players who can make the team better. The chemistry right now is atrocious, and they need some hard working, hard nosed basketball players, and not more retreads or glamour boys....

 

[Eielson]

As a lifelong Laker fan, I'm in wait & see mode. Remember this was just supposed to be the start of building a contender. LBJ was the big prize, and this upcoming free agency is supposed to be the next step.

I feel similar. I actually hated the idea of bringing in Magic (but loved the Pelinka hire), as most of his public comments about what the Lakers should do bordered on moronic -- he just seemed to like to hear himself talk. But then he sealed the deal on Lebron, which is exactly what he was brought in for. We'll have to see how this offseason goes. I'm cautiously optimistic.

The Davis mess was a bad look, and most of that showed how desperate the Lakers had gotten to make the playoffs. I think Pelinka and Magic got ahead of themselves, and the Pelicans leaders made a public joke out of them...

My prediction is that after this offseason, the Pelicans will have made a joke out of themselves. They aren't gonna get as good of an offer as was reportedly proposed by the Lakers. Ingram will likely be pulled from offers this offseason -- unless LA gets a second star and needs to shed Ingram's salary to get the third/Davis, in which case I suspect all draft picks and salary relief for the Pelicans will be pulled.

I believe Randall could have helped this team, but he wanted a big contract, and LA wasn't willing to give it. I just hope the Lakers don't get so focused on big name stars, they miss the chance to sign some solid mid level players who can make the team better. The chemistry right now is atrocious, and they need some hard working, hard nosed basketball players, and not more retreads or glamour boys....

Randle would have helped, but he wouldn't agree to a 1 year deal (I don't blame him). This was the kind of tough decision they had to make, and it will all be worth it if it leads to signing a guy like Kawhi, Butler, Kyrie, or even Klay (screw KD).

 

[One More Rebound]

Lakers are 30-34. That is with Kuzma, Ball, Hart, and Ingram. Clearly the mix is not working, no matter how you try to spin it.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

I feel similar. I actually hated the idea of bringing in Magic (but loved the Pelinka hire), as most of his public comments about what the Lakers should do bordered on moronic -- he just seemed to like to hear himself talk. But then he sealed the deal on Lebron, which is exactly what he was brought in for. We'll have to see how this offseason goes. I'm cautiously optimistic.



My prediction is that after this offseason, the Pelicans will have made a joke out of themselves. They aren't gonna get as good of an offer as was reportedly proposed by the Lakers. Ingram will likely be pulled from offers this offseason -- unless LA gets a second star and needs to shed Ingram's salary to get the third/Davis, in which case I suspect all draft picks and salary relief for the Pelicans will be pulled.



Randle would have helped, but he wouldn't agree to a 1 year deal (I don't blame him). This was the kind of tough decision they had to make, and it will all be worth it if it leads to signing a guy like Kawhi, Butler, Kyrie, or even Klay (screw KD).

Well said. I love Magic, he will always be one of top 3 Lakers, along with Kareem and Kobe, but I'm still not sure about his front office ability. I'm glad we got LBJ, but I also see some of the early stages of decline I remember seeing in Kobe. Thing about those level of superstars, is when they decline, it's like it happens overnight. LBJ's effort and lateral movement on defense is not close to what it use to be. Always an early sign of decline.

I remember watching Kobe playing matador defense the last 4 or 5 yrs of his career. I saw that same defense from LBJ too many times this year to be comfortable with it. I hope when LA goes after the big fish, they get one who can become the face of the franchise soon. I think LBJ can still play at a high level for several more seasons barring injury, but he isn't the dominant force he was.....

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Lakers are 30-34. That is with Kuzma, Ball, Hart, and Ingram. Clearly the mix is not working, no matter how you try to spin it.

I'm still wiling to give more time to Ingram because we are now seeing the potential we have heard about. Ball is in year 2, so that doesn't need discussion. He has improved his defense, court awareness, and playmaking ability. He needs major work on his shot. Kuzma, in my opinion is the overrated one, but we got him for cheap, so he's already paid his way, IMO...

The days of LA being able to buy a championship caliber team overnight are over. Top teams need at least 3 great players, and the players are not as easy to lure to LA as they once were. We will see what Magic and Pelinka pull off this offseason. If they land none of the top FA's, I would hope they at least build a competitive team, send LBJ out the right way, then start a real rebuild using the draft and smart moves. The homerun free agent hits haven't happened lately, other than LBJ who obviously used more than just hoops in his decision making process.

 

[Eielson]

Lakers are 30-34. That is with Kuzma, Ball, Hart, and Ingram. Clearly the mix is not working, no matter how you try to spin it.

They were 4th in the West when they had Lebron and Lonzo. Get those 2 healthy and add a guy like Kawhi, and you have a legit contender.

 

[WTSooner]

Looks like the beginning of the end for Lebron. Not saying he won't play for several more years, but I'm going to guess going forward there are a lot more injuries and reduced production. Lebron is to blame for this too. The constant moving around makes it difficult to build and keep a valid team around him. If he'd just stuck in Cleveland, or Miami, he'd likely have a much better roster around him. But Lebron wanted to play in LaLa land for the bright lights and his post-basketball stuff.

The Lakers, and Lebron, did this to themselves. If they don't get Davis this offseason, and even if they do, I could easily see Lebron not making a single NBA Finals while in LA.

 

[Eielson]

Looks like the beginning of the end for Lebron. Not saying he won't play for several more years, but I'm going to guess going forward there are a lot more injuries and reduced production. Lebron is to blame for this too. The constant moving around makes it difficult to build and keep a valid team around him. If he'd just stuck in Cleveland, or Miami, he'd likely have a much better roster around him. But Lebron wanted to play in LaLa land for the bright lights and his post-basketball stuff.

The Lakers, and Lebron, did this to themselves. If they don't get Davis this offseason, and even if they do, I could easily see Lebron not making a single NBA Finals while in LA.

Unless you're a diehard Sexton fan, I don't see any way that Lebron would have been better off in Cleveland from a roster standpoint (and even if you are, I still don't see it). Lebron's leaving Cleveland is actually what allowed them to develop a good roster around him. Had he stayed, he'd have never won a ring. Coming to LA didn't just make the most sense for non-basketball reasons -- it made the most sense for basketball reasons.

When this team was healthy, they were the 4 seed in the West, and it was projected to get even better as they got used to playing with each other. Then he goes down and everybody and their dog is now saying "I told you so! This team is weak!" The problem is, those same people were admitting that this was a good team a few months earlier. The extremist views people take with Lebron are silly.

Saying Lebron may never make the Finals isn't a ballsy take, seeing as GS is still in the middle of one of the all-time great dynasties. More likely than not (meaning 51%, not 100%), LA will have the second best team in the West next year. LA is having absolutely no buyer's remorse.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Unless you're a diehard Sexton fan, I don't see any way that Lebron would have been better off in Cleveland from a roster standpoint (and even if you are, I still don't see it). Lebron's leaving Cleveland is actually what allowed them to develop a good roster around him. Had he stayed, he'd have never won a ring. Coming to LA didn't just make the most sense for non-basketball reasons -- it made the most sense for basketball reasons.

When this team was healthy, they were the 4 seed in the West, and it was projected to get even better as they got used to playing with each other. Then he goes down and everybody and their dog is now saying "I told you so! This team is weak!" The problem is, those same people were admitting that this was a good team a few months earlier. The extremist views people take with Lebron are silly.

Saying Lebron may never make the Finals isn't a ballsy take, seeing as GS is still in the middle of one of the all-time great dynasties. More likely than not (meaning 51%, not 100%), LA will have the second best team in the West next year. LA is having absolutely no buyer's remorse.

I agree.....

 

[WTSooner]

Unless you're a diehard Sexton fan, I don't see any way that Lebron would have been better off in Cleveland from a roster standpoint (and even if you are, I still don't see it). Lebron's leaving Cleveland is actually what allowed them to develop a good roster around him. Had he stayed, he'd have never won a ring. Coming to LA didn't just make the most sense for non-basketball reasons -- it made the most sense for basketball reasons.

When this team was healthy, they were the 4 seed in the West, and it was projected to get even better as they got used to playing with each other. Then he goes down and everybody and their dog is now saying "I told you so! This team is weak!" The problem is, those same people were admitting that this was a good team a few months earlier. The extremist views people take with Lebron are silly.

Saying Lebron may never make the Finals isn't a ballsy take, seeing as GS is still in the middle of one of the all-time great dynasties. More likely than not (meaning 51%, not 100%), LA will have the second best team in the West next year. LA is having absolutely no buyer's remorse.

I could not disagree more.

And if he was staying in Cleveland, they'd have done a different type of deal for Kyrie, I imagine. That was a deal made to try to win one more time before Lebron bailed. Cleveland knew it was coming. You don't think Cleveland could have lured anybody to play with Lebron? Nonsense. And I was actually talking about his first time in Cleveland. Four teams already in his career, and he wonders why they can't build up sustainable talent around him? It's nonsense. And how is LA going to be the second best team in the West? Who they going to sign? They're either going to trade their entire roster for Davis, or what? Leonard seems like a long shot. I don't see Irving ending up there if he leaves Boston. KD? Seems unlikely. So who? They might get a guy like Thompson (GSW) if Durant resigns and they let him walk. I'll bet just about any amount of money that LA doesn't finish second in the West next year. And like I said with the injuries, Lebron is an OLD 35(?). He's going to be hurt a lot more going forward than he ever was in the past. That body has a lot of mileage.

 

[Eielson]

I could not disagree more.

And if he was staying in Cleveland, they'd have done a different type of deal for Kyrie, I imagine. That was a deal made to try to win one more time before Lebron bailed. Cleveland knew it was coming. You don't think Cleveland could have lured anybody to play with Lebron? Nonsense.

I agree that it was a win-now mode, but more as a last ditch effort to get him to stay. If they knew he was going to leave, they would have been wise to start unloading bad contracts rather than absorbing them. Do I think Cleveland could have lured somebody in? Absolutely not. They didn't have any cap space.

And how is LA going to be the second best team in the West? Who they going to sign? They're either going to trade their entire roster for Davis, or what? Leonard seems like a long shot. I don't see Irving ending up there if he leaves Boston. KD? Seems unlikely. So who? They might get a guy like Thompson (GSW) if Durant resigns and they let him walk. I'll bet just about any amount of money that LA doesn't finish second in the West next year. And like I said with the injuries, Lebron is an OLD 35(?). He's going to be hurt a lot more going forward than he ever was in the past. That body has a lot of mileage.

Best case scenario is they sign Kawhi. After that, there's myriad of other options including KD, Kyrie, Klay, Butler, and Kemba. Several trades that can be done, such as the AD one you mentioned. If they trade their whole roster, which I don't think will be necessary, they have space for a max deal. Pairing Lebron and AD with any of those FAs mentioned above would make them top 2 in the West. In fact, they might be capable of dethroning the Warriors.

 

[jmizzy4ou]

Reports in LA say Magic made runs at Kanter, W. Matthews, Melo & several more vets at the deadline, but none wanted to play with LBJ, or they just didn't want to be near the season long drama. While none of these guys would have made much of a difference, it just seems like maybe Magic is struggling with what direction he wants to go.

I'm afraid none of the big name FA's will want to join the current situation. Does anyone know the status of LA's draft picks?? If they land in the lottery, do they owe the pick to anyone?? I guess I could look it up myself huh?? LOL....

 

[One More Rebound]

Lakers lose to the Knicks. Wait and see. Wait and see.

 

[Eielson]

Reports in LA say Magic made runs at Kanter, W. Matthews, Melo & several more vets at the deadline, but none wanted to play with LBJ, or they just didn't want to be near the season long drama.

The fact that Melo is still jobless makes me inclined not to believe said reports. I was surprised Kanter was even mentioned in association with the Lakers. He's been a well-documented Laker hater for a while.

The "nobody wants to play with Lebron" story is an overhyped story by the media. He's teamed up with superstars before, and he'll do it again. AD's desire to play in LA is well-known, and even Kyrie is restoring bridges to keep the possibility open.

As for the Lakers lottery picks -- they own it. They currently own all of their future first round picks. They have traded away a few 2nd round picks.

 

[Eielson]

Lakers lose to the Knicks. Wait and see. Wait and see.

Team Tank!

 

[One More Rebound]

Russell with a 44 point 12 assist game. Who wants to play with a guy like that?

 

[Eielson]

Russell with a 44 point 12 assist game. Who wants to play with a guy like that?

I'd still take Lebron and Kuzma over him.

 

[Eielson]

Well...he gone.