**Magic to assist Jeannie in basketball and business

[madmaxmedia]

All we need to complete this mess is to get V.Stiviano in the building somehow...

[wco81]

Seems like there's no support here for Magic making personnel decisions.

One of the things he said in that USA Today interview is that he can already evaluate talent, so he had to learn the CBA.

Is there reason to believe he can break down talent in today's NBA? It's one thing to know which players are good on the playground but does Magic know advanced stats or even believe in them?

If he doesn't know advanced stats, maybe he'll rely on an analytics guy, take their evaluations to heart?

Or is he no more likely to succeed as a GM than his friend Isaiah Thomas in New York?

[LakersSoul]

No support here for Magic??

Why is everyone freaking out about Magic and the moves of the owner? Has Jim done so well that we dont welcome Magic as an advisor and possibly more if he is qualified or continues to improve on all fronts? Jeannie didnt make Magic GM, did she? Everyone knew he is ambitious and love the Lakers that he MIGHT seek out more than just an advisor role. I wish he didnt say it out loud. Now Mitch and Jim will get all defensive and the meeting will be more of a bitter fights, hope I am wrong.

That said, maybe Jeannie was too soft to say what was needed to be said and hold Jim accountable as this season is unfolding and thing will have to get ugly. We all know change is needed even though the draft picks have been solid. Magic has the balls to stand up and make his point. Now its out there. I dont know if Jeannie promised Magic anything. I hope not but asked Magic to play a future bigger role with the team. I would love a Magic/Jerry West Sr/Jr. combo.

I know many fear Magic and think he will ruin the team by trading all of our assets for over the hill vets like Rose. I think different. He was allowed access to Jerry Buss and has been involved with the Lakers forever. He was/is also involved with the Sparks and rebuilding the Dodgers. In fact, 2.5 years after they bought the Dodgers, they hired Zaidi as the new GM, a sabermetrics data analyzer. They hired him from the As to lead the team. He already learned about Nash and the gapping hole it created. You think Magic is not aware and will think the way to win is the way the Knicks are doing it? I hope he has learned the value of mixing youngsters and vets to get a dynasty going. He sure is saying the right things about the youth and promise and adding a major star in 3-5 years to take the team to elite status. I hope he or whoever is the next GM will keep the team that keeps on picking the right draft picks and helping with the trade decisions. That leader could easily be Magic as he has real business experience from other sports to retail businesses. He could come across as a big oaf with a gigantic smile but dont let that smile fool you. It takes smarts to build an empire and invest his money wisely and Magic has done that.

Right now, my first reaction was, what the hell did Magic just do/say? However, the more I analyze the situation, I think maybe he is speaking for Jeannie as she knows Jim has to go and Magic will help her get through this ordeal. Then Jeannie can be more objective about setting up the right management team that will include Magic and Jerry West plus a few stat nerds.

Hey, at least Jeannie didnt ask Phil to come back. Now that would have been a real disaster. So, how about giving the owner and Magic some slack before tearing them apart as they are saying and moving in the right direction before announcing the removal of Jim and hiring a new GM.

[madmaxmedia]

I think most of us welcome Magic as a prelude to front office changes in the near future. Whether it's better for him to help Jeannie develop a transition plan (which is what I thought), or actually take charge of basketball operations himself (which he seemed to state he wanted) is a different question.

But the timing of his comments was not good, better to keep that in-house until something is formally announced.

[wco81]

Maybe Kobe will get the GM bug in a couple of years.

[stan francisco]

I'm the first one to want Jim gone. How does that make Magic going Isiah on us our only choice?

VP: Mitchy
GM: West Jr
Advisor: Magic

[myersia]

I will say the one thing that really hurts Mitch is that the new NBA doesn't just move fast on the court it does off the court too. Now if one is going to make a deal you gotta pull the trigger first. Same goes with a free agent. Society as a whole moves fast now with technology. I think Mitch often is a few steps behind which hurts our trade chances and chance at free agents. Obviously we moved fast in getting Mozzy and Deng . I think Mitch was great for his time but he needs to be dismissed as GM. I would be fine with VP though for Mitch as many have recommended.

[Landsberger]

I will say the one thing that really hurts Mitch is that the new NBA doesn't just move fast on the court it does off the court too. Now if one is going to make a deal you gotta pull the trigger first. Same goes with a free agent. Society as a whole moves fast now with technology. I think Mitch often is a few steps behind which hurts our trade chances and chance at free agents. Obviously we moved fast in getting Mozzy and Deng . I think Mitch was great for his time but he needs to be dismissed as GM. I would be fine with VP though for Mitch as many have recommended.

Circular argument exception/


..... and blatant agism.

[Landsberger]

I think most of us welcome Magic as a prelude to front office changes in the near future. Whether it's better for him to help Jeannie develop a transition plan (which is what I thought), or actually take charge of basketball operations himself (which he seemed to state he wanted) is a different question.

But the timing of his comments was not good, better to keep that in-house until something is formally announced.

For those of us to remember Magic from the very start this is exactly what he did back in the day. A coach got bounced, he tried to run Kareem out of town and he commented publicly to anyone who would listen about the 90's team he "returned" to and how he'd save it then when they failed he threw them all under the bus and backed over them.

This is nothing new at all from him.

I want front office changes but I'm not in the camp that thinks anything significantly positive will transpire if Magic gets control of player decisions.

[wco81]

Maybe he could do what West has done for the Warriors, have big input on drafts and trades but isn't the final decision maker.

And help attract big free agents, as West did with KD.

[myersia]

I will say the one thing that really hurts Mitch is that the new NBA doesn't just move fast on the court it does off the court too. Now if one is going to make a deal you gotta pull the trigger first. Same goes with a free agent. Society as a whole moves fast now with technology. I think Mitch often is a few steps behind which hurts our trade chances and chance at free agents. Obviously we moved fast in getting Mozzy and Deng . I think Mitch was great for his time but he needs to be dismissed as GM. I would be fine with VP though for Mitch as many have recommended.

Circular argument exception/


..... and blatant agism.

Just for giggles how old are you my man? 16?

[Landsberger]

I will say the one thing that really hurts Mitch is that the new NBA doesn't just move fast on the court it does off the court too. Now if one is going to make a deal you gotta pull the trigger first. Same goes with a free agent. Society as a whole moves fast now with technology. I think Mitch often is a few steps behind which hurts our trade chances and chance at free agents. Obviously we moved fast in getting Mozzy and Deng . I think Mitch was great for his time but he needs to be dismissed as GM. I would be fine with VP though for Mitch as many have recommended.

Circular argument exception/


..... and blatant agism.

Just for giggles how old are you my man? 16?

53

[dockingsched]

Read on Twitter

Went from Magic saying he wants to help Jim/Mitch, to saying he wants to call the shots, and we're back to wanting all of them to work together.

[dockingsched]

“I’m going to school, for sure,’’ he said to USA TODAY. “Because I know talent. This part (evaluating players) comes easy, watching people play and seeing how they play, whose game hopefully can translate to the next level, those type of things. You’ll find out more as you get to interview them later on, the draft and workouts we have predraft. Then you’ll find out a lot more.”

Anyone else get concerned with comments like these? Shrugging off talent evaluation as easy gives the sense of just not having an appreciation for the magnitude of the job at hand. Reminds me of when Jim boasted about his self created evaluation stat.

[LakersSoul]

Read on Twitter

Went from Magic saying he wants to help Jim/Mitch, to saying he wants to call the shots, and we're back to wanting all of them to work together.

"Last week Johnson told USA Today that he would love to "call the shots" in the future, but was only there there to advise. He clarified those statements Monday, saying that he would always want a "day-to-day" general manager in place."

"Last week someone asked me if I wanted to call the shots. I'd told them my role was as an adviser. Then he said, 'Do you want to call the shots?' And I said, 'I would love to call the shots.' But I know that I'm an adviser. Jim is the one calling the shots. I'm just an adviser. But I want to make sure that I have some type of input, and then he can decide how he wants to use that input,"



Friggin headliners. Also, all those guys freaking out about Magic ruining the Lakers as a GM... smh

[Slava]

Sounds like Magic envisions himself playing a Phil Jackson/Pat Riley kind of role.

[Michael Lucky]

With the way things are going, I might qualify for social security before we're competitive again.

[damiantrillard]

Sounds like Magic envisions himself playing a Phil Jackson/Pat Riley kind of role.

Let's hope he's more Pat Riley than Phil Jackson. Phil had been unequivocally awful with the Knicks.

[TylersLakers]

I'm okay with Magic replacing Jim Buss, as long as he hires experienced people and a great GM to do their job. If he feels like Mitch is that, great. If he hires someone else, great.

He shouldn't be going out on a National Sports Talk show and talking about it though when it's not his role at the moment. That's a little awkward.

[Kilroy]

IMO, the best possible thing that could happen for Laker fans, the Buss Family, and Magic himself, is if Magic comes in, makes a big show about 'Double Checking' what Jim and Mitch are doing... Analyzing their moves, etc... All as public as possible...

And then coming back and telling Jeanie THROUGH THE MEDIA, that 'He has complete faith in the plan Mitch and Jim have. That he supports them completely, and is excited about the future they have planed out. He can't wait to help them however he can.'

Then Jeanie comes back with 'Well, you heard Magic!" and officially puts the 'rift' to bed, endorses Jim and Mitch indefinitely, etc...

Then they can take any BS they have between each other deep behind closed doors.

If we want to impress free agents, we need a solid organization, and Magic could actually help make that happen.

And if they still think Mitch needs to go, they can ask him to retire gracefully, which he deserves... And they can hire whoever they want. They can also work with Jim on a quiet exit plan for him too, if that's what they think needs to happen.

They need to take these debates out of the media and become a closed mouth organization again.