Did anybody see this coming? I need some analysis as to wha hoppen?

Uptown, Namepeace, Phunk???

The Lakers made sweeping changes to their front office Tuesday, pushing out basketball operations chief Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak in favor of Magic Johnson. The dramatic moves lead to this important question: Have the Lakers ever looked at Johnson’s Twitter feed?

[The future of the Lakers ...e Buss now]

The question is worth asking because Johnson has long been something of a go-to source of unintentional comedy for ever-snarky Twitter users. The Lakers legend has frequently been mocked for offering painfully banal comments, but what might be more pertinent to Lakers President Jeanie Buss, or at least the team’s fans, are some of the 140-character player assessments he has posted.

It remains to be seen how hands-on Johnson is, in terms of day-to-day team operations, but he certainly will be expected to have a keen understanding of the NBA landscape and be able to identify talented players worth acquiring.

Full article.....

https://www.washingtonpos...245778dea

and the Magic Johnson Dynasty continues....Magic needs to adopt my old azz so I can run his Empire..His kids ain't thinking about the Family legacy....

Laker fans need to calm down. As we've seen, great player/coach doesn't mean great executive (see Phil Jackson). Magic is a novice at this - he needs to surround himself with top-flight people (especially a capologist) and stay out of the way.

It appears to be a good move, however, he's only been on the job for one day right? People are acting like the Lakers are already heading to the Finals and championship bound....slow down. It's going to take a minute for them to build up a championship team, this doesn't happen overnight. One can hope that Magic will make a difference and avoid the mistakes that Phil Jackson has made. Only time will tell.

Hell, I almost forgot about my own damn thread...thanks guys,

I posted because I have no clue what's been going on in Laker-ville lately and I know I can count on y'all for some informed opinions.


Was anybody surprised by the news?

Chancellor said:

and the Magic Johnson Dynasty continues....Magic needs to adopt my old azz so I can run his Empire..His kids ain't thinking about the Family legacy....

Hell, he could adopt a whole bunch of us,

missfee said:

It appears to be a good move, however, he's only been on the job for one day right? People are acting like the Lakers are already heading to the Finals and championship bound....slow down. It's going to take a minute for them to build up a championship team, this doesn't happen overnight. One can hope that Magic will make a difference and avoid the mistakes that Phil Jackson has made. Only time will tell.

Russell Westbrook WILL be a Laker......book it.

babynoz said:

Hell, I almost forgot about my own damn thread...thanks guys,

I posted because I have no clue what's been going on in Laker-ville lately and I know I can count on y'all for some informed opinions.


Was anybody surprised by the news?

I wasn't surprised by the move itself, it was inevitable, but I just didn't think it was coming this soon.

uPtoWnNY said:

missfee said:

It appears to be a good move, however, he's only been on the job for one day right? People are acting like the Lakers are already heading to the Finals and championship bound....slow down. It's going to take a minute for them to build up a championship team, this doesn't happen overnight. One can hope that Magic will make a difference and avoid the mistakes that Phil Jackson has made. Only time will tell.

Russell Westbrook WILL be a Laker......book it.

Can you imagine how even more ruthless those OKC fans will be if "Mr. Loyalty" left them?

uPtoWnNY said:

Laker fans need to calm down. As we've seen, great player/coach doesn't mean great executive (see Phil Jackson). Magic is a novice at this - he needs to surround himself with top-flight people (especially a capologist) and stay out of the way.

This lifelong Laker fan sees the pros and the cons of this move.

1. Magic is The Face of The Lakers. Period.

2. Magic has no FO experience, and highs and lows inside and outside the Laker organization.

3. He's an improvement over Jim Buss. He couldn't do worse.

4. He wants to do things the right way, and has shown a willingness to learn and surround himself with good people.

5. I thought Kupchak was collateral damage. He was a good personnel guy and made some great moves for the organization. But he reeked of the old, failed regime through little fault of his own.

6. Magic's got to understand that the past only carries you so far. The superstars he'll be recruiting are too young ro remember his glory days.

7. I have faith he can do it.

8. I hope the text getting smaller as I type isn't a bad omen.

uPtoWnNY said:

Laker fans need to calm down. As we've seen, great player/coach doesn't mean great executive (see Phil Jackson). Magic is a novice at this - he needs to surround himself with top-flight people (especially a capologist) and stay out of the way.

......Jerry West being the only exception of course.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Laker fans need to calm down. As we've seen, great player/coach doesn't mean great executive (see Phil Jackson). Magic is a novice at this - he needs to surround himself with top-flight people (especially a capologist) and stay out of the way.

This lifelong Laker fan sees the pros and the cons of this move.

1. Magic is The Face of The Lakers. Period.

2. Magic has no FO experience, and highs and lows inside and outside the Laker organization.

3. He's an improvement over Jim Buss. He couldn't do worse.

4. He wants to do things the right way, and has shown a willingness to learn and surround himself with good people.

5. I thought Kupchak was collateral damage. He was a good personnel guy and made some great moves for the organization. But he reeked of the old, failed regime through little fault of his own.

6. Magic's got to understand that the past only carries you so far. The superstars he'll be recruiting are too young ro remember his glory days.

7. I have faith he can do it.

8. I hope the text getting smaller as I type isn't a bad omen.

should be a good thing, right?

uPtoWnNY said:

missfee said:

It appears to be a good move, however, he's only been on the job for one day right? People are acting like the Lakers are already heading to the Finals and championship bound....slow down. It's going to take a minute for them to build up a championship team, this doesn't happen overnight. One can hope that Magic will make a difference and avoid the mistakes that Phil Jackson has made. Only time will tell.

Russell Westbrook WILL be a Laker......book it.

Until the Laker Nursery matures, it won't be enough for him or LA to win big, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Rumors of a Russ-Brow teamup in LA are brewing. But outside of a Golden State team implosion, they won't contend this decade.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Russell Westbrook WILL be a Laker......book it.

Until the Laker Nursery matures, it won't be enough for him or LA to win big, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Rumors of a Russ-Brow teamup in LA are brewing. But outside of a Golden State team implosion, they won't contend this decade.

I could see Paul George there too.

The team that did best at the trading deadline was OKC. Getting Taj & McBuckets will definitely help Westbrook.

As for my Knicks, they're a sailboat without a sail. No direction, no plan. Aside from Porzingis, Phil Jackson has been a failure. Does he think his passive/aggressive behavior will attract free agents? Even Isiah Thomas laughs at the contract he gave Noah.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Laker fans need to calm down. As we've seen, great player/coach doesn't mean great executive (see Phil Jackson). Magic is a novice at this - he needs to surround himself with top-flight people (especially a capologist) and stay out of the way.

This lifelong Laker fan sees the pros and the cons of this move.

1. Magic is The Face of The Lakers. Period.

2. Magic has no FO experience, and highs and lows inside and outside the Laker organization.

3. He's an improvement over Jim Buss. He couldn't do worse.

4. He wants to do things the right way, and has shown a willingness to learn and surround himself with good people.

5. I thought Kupchak was collateral damage. He was a good personnel guy and made some great moves for the organization. But he reeked of the old, failed regime through little fault of his own.

6. Magic's got to understand that the past only carries you so far. The superstars he'll be recruiting are too young ro remember his glory days.

7. I have faith he can do it.

8. I hope the text getting smaller as I type isn't a bad omen.

Deron Williams will sign with Cleveland once he clears waivers. Bogut might go there too.

uPtoWnNY said:

Deron Williams will sign with Cleveland once he clears waivers. Bogut might go there too.

It's probably not enough but we'll see.

namepeace said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Deron Williams will sign with Cleveland once he clears waivers. Bogut might go there too.

It's probably not enough but we'll see.

This is the most interesting and intiguing NBA season I can remember.

If you want to blame somebody for the mess that is the Los Angeles Lakers, don't look at Jim Buss
any longer than you should be looking at Kobe Bean Bryant whose outrageous contract at the end
of his injury plaqued late career hamstrung the organization.

Tim Duncan was always underpaid so as to enable the Spurs to field a quality squad year in and year
out. I love him to death, but Bryant killed the Lakers too. He was an anomaly: NBA stars today do
not buy into the "Jordan mindset" and Bryant's singleminded approach to basketball chased modern
day star free agents away.

Dasein said:

If you want to blame somebody for the mess that is the Los Angeles Lakers, don't look at Jim Buss any longer than you should be looking at Kobe Bean Bryant whose outrageous contract at the end of his injury plaqued late career hamstrung the organization.

Actually, the dominoes fell that way BECAUSE of Buss, who hired the exact wrong coach for the would-be superteam Kupchak put together in 2012. Had Buss hired Phil, instead of D'Antoni, who ran Kobe into the ground, things might be much different. (And to a lesser extent, Stern is to blame too due to the Lost CP3 Trade.)

Tim Duncan was always underpaid so as to enable the Spurs to field a quality squad year in and year out. I love him to death, but Bryant killed the Lakers too. He was an anomaly: NBA stars today do not buy into the "Jordan mindset" and Bryant's singleminded approach to basketball chased modern day star free agents away.

This Laker fan agrees for a host of different reasons. But that doesn't let Buss off the hook.

Still weird how he was cured of HIV.

namepeace said:

Dasein said:

If you want to blame somebody for the mess that is the Los Angeles Lakers, don't look at Jim Buss any longer than you should be looking at Kobe Bean Bryant whose outrageous contract at the end of his injury plaqued late career hamstrung the organization.

Actually, the dominoes fell that way BECAUSE of Buss, who hired the exact wrong coach for the would-be superteam Kupchak put together in 2012. Had Buss hired Phil, instead of D'Antoni, who ran Kobe into the ground, things might be much different. (And to a lesser extent, Stern is to blame too due to the Lost CP3 Trade.)

Tim Duncan was always underpaid so as to enable the Spurs to field a quality squad year in and year out. I love him to death, but Bryant killed the Lakers too. He was an anomaly: NBA stars today do not buy into the "Jordan mindset" and Bryant's singleminded approach to basketball chased modern day star free agents away.

This Laker fan agrees for a host of different reasons. But that doesn't let Buss off the hook.

Yeah, I see your points, NP. Yet, if Bryant had lessened his grip on the Jordan mold, Dwight
Howard could've been a beast in D'Antoni's system, I think. Nobody wanted to play with Lord
Kobe, and the Lakers couldn't properly woo anybody anyways because of his gargantuan
contract. I think LeBatard's criticism has some merit as well: Johnson is a talented business-
man, of course, but as an NBA insider who understands the nuances necessary to general
manage a team, I'm dunno . . .

What's your take on the Shaq vs McGee online feud? My take is that these millenial NBA'ers
are fucking soft as Charmin's.

Dasein said:

namepeace said:

Yeah, I see your points, NP. Yet, if Bryant had lessened his grip on the Jordan mold, Dwight
Howard could've been a beast in D'Antoni's system, I think. Nobody wanted to play with Lord
Kobe, and the Lakers couldn't properly woo anybody anyways because of his gargantuan
contract. I think LeBatard's criticism has some merit as well: Johnson is a talented business-
man, of course, but as an NBA insider who understands the nuances necessary to general
manage a team, I'm dunno . . .

D'Antoni failed to adjust his system to his players, alienated the big men, and the Lakers had to rely on Kobe during that injury-marred year to carry them into the playoffs, which accelerated his injuries. That said, my thoughts were similar to yours throughout Kobe's career, tracing back to the Eddie Jones trade. His attitude cost him a dynasty that would have rivaled the Celtics of the 60's.


What's your take on the Shaq vs McGee online feud? My take is that these millenial NBA'ers
are fucking soft as Charmin's.

Big has the Bully Gene. McGee made it worse by responding to him and allowing Shaq to know it affected him. But when Shaq finds a target it's hard for him to let up.

Shaq play too much, we all know that. Unlike Barkley, I don't detect malice in his silliness though. Besides, Shaq's mama already shut it down, right?


I'm sorry but this was funny....

Ooh, It ain't ova. Restraining order filed against the Buss brothers.

The power struggle at the top of the Los Angeles Lakers organization is far from over. Primary owner Jeanie Buss ousted her brother Jim Buss from his role as Vice President of Basketball Operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak right after the All-Star break, installing Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations.

Two weeks after that move seemingly made the power shift permanent, the saga has continued. According to Nathan Fenno and Bill Pla...e LA Times, the Jim Buss and his brother Johnny, both still partial owners, attempted to start a coup to take the Lakers back from Jeanie, but were shut down by Jeanie, who filed a temporary restraining order against them to keep them from having meetings without her to elect new directors for the organization.


Full article.....

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/lakers-jeanie-buss-brothers-magic-johnson/

babynoz said:

Ooh, It ain't ova. Restraining order filed against the Buss brothers.

The power struggle at the top of the Los Angeles Lakers organization is far from over. Primary owner Jeanie Buss ousted her brother Jim Buss from his role as Vice President of Basketball Operations and general manager Mitch Kupchak right after the All-Star break, installing Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations.

Two weeks after that move seemingly made the power shift permanent, the saga has continued. According to Nathan Fenno and Bill Pla...e LA Times, the Jim Buss and his brother Johnny, both still partial owners, attempted to start a coup to take the Lakers back from Jeanie, but were shut down by Jeanie, who filed a temporary restraining order against them to keep them from having meetings without her to elect new directors for the organization.


Full article.....

http://uproxx.com/dimemag/lakers-jeanie-buss-brothers-magic-johnson/

It'll take the Lakers YEARS to get out of this mess and become a legit contender again.

uPtoWnNY said:

It'll take the Lakers YEARS to get out of this mess and become a legit contender again.

Laker fans shouldn't expect otherwise.

I grew up watching the Lakers during the "Showtime" era of the eighties and it is so odd that this franchise ended up in such a mess over these past few years. Hopefully Magic can get them back on track, but the rebuilding process may take a while.

Missmusicluver72 said:

I grew up watching the Lakers during the "Showtime" era of the eighties and it is so odd that this franchise ended up in such a mess over these past few years. Hopefully Magic can get them back on track, but the rebuilding process may take a while.

The wheels came off shortly after the 2010 title season, and 2 big events explain a lot of it:

1. Commissioner Stern killed the CP3 trade. Sources at the time told the LA Times that the nixed acquisition set the franchise back about 5 years. That wasn't the Lakers' fault, and some say if Dr. Buss had been well, the deal would have gone through. This meant Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol went back to the Lakers, and Odom eventually demanded a trade, which the Lakers hastily granted.

2. After the Lakers acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard without giving up Gasol, Phil was ready and willing to come back to coach them. Instead, Jim Buss, in his infinite wisdom, hired Mike D'Antoni -- the exact wrong coach for a top-heavy team with aging guards and twin towers. D'Antoni quickly proceeded to alienate Gasol and Howard, and ran an uptempo style that didn't fit Nash, who went down and really never recovered. LA struggled to even make the playoffs, and Kobe had to (or, chose to) carry the team, logging heavy minutes. He eventually suffered a serious injury from which he never recovered.