Jeff Van Gundy rips the Lakers management

[GAME TIME]

I didn't hear what Magic said, but heard he tore them a new A hole too.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/stor ... ke-dantoni

JVG thinks the Lakers embarassed Phil Jackson . Then says that Mike Brown is a GREAT coach, and they treated him wrongly too, comparing it to spoelstra situation of last season when they got off to a slow start.

[jigga_man]

Surprised he took the time to take Lebron's balls out of his mouth to say that. Bravo jvg.

[BEazy]

According to the Heat board they're ripping Spo and any Heat player not named LeBron a new A-hole...

[DEEP3CL]

Magic, JVG, SVG , Lebron and Aldrige needs to shut the f*** up, don't we always hear these guys say it's a business ?

Well this was business......so why the hell are they taking it so personal. Back the hell up and get the f*** out our way, we got work to do.

[LateRoundFlyer]

Oh lord, the hypocrisy here is astounding. You want to say the Lakers made a mistake firing Mike Brown early? Sure, okay. There's probably still a lot of people here who agree with that. You want to say that the FO screwed up for leading the fans (and perhaps Phil himself) to expect that the Zen Master would be back in the coaching saddle? Alright, you could certainly put up the argument. You want to say that hiring D'antoni was a mistake before he's even so much as coached one practice? Like that doesn't have the teensiest effect on fans' expectations? At this point, say whatever you like.

But the one thing you're no longer invited to do, if this team DOES end up winning it all, is shake hands with Stern and lift that Larry O'Brien trophy over your head and exclaim, "I was with them 'til the end."

[picc]

It was cringeworthy listening to him, knowing he had absolutely no clue what the hell he was talking about. Throwing around debunked theories and accusations like they were facts, with nothing beyond hearsay as his evidence. He sounded like a buffoon. And then affirmed it with his acclimation for Mike Brown's coaching talent.

Someone should have forwarded him some of the articles detailing the hiring process LA went through before the game, so he would have had some modicum of informed opinion. I used to think he was a great analyst and basketball mind, and in ways he is, but he's proven to be just another uninformed parrot in others.

[gotokyo]

Am I missing something? That link takes me to what Magic said not what JVG said...

[Edrees]

Lakers made a mistake with Mike Brown alright, and it was called hiring him

[MensRea]

You know what scares me about what Magic said? He used to be part of the Lakers front office. He knows the culture and what goes on behind closed doors. And he's pointing his finger at Jim Buss.

That scares the hell out of me...and makes me sad....angry....

It confirms how a lot of fans feel about Jim Buss and makes it harder to rationally move on and get behind what the Lakers did.

[Father Time]

Do any of us actually really know anything about Jim Buss? I mean, enough to justify our undying hatred of him? I'm sure any decision he makes is co-signed by other execs, but it seems like he gets blamed for everything.

[JustAwesome]

It was cringeworthy listening to him, knowing he had absolutely no clue what the hell he was talking about.

While we may not agree with Van Gundy, it's a bit of a stretch to say that he has no clue about what he's talking about. Guy is in the fraternity of coaches. He knows the front office way better than us fans do.

[MensRea]

Do any of us actually really know anything about Jim Buss? I mean, enough to justify our undying hatred of him? I'm sure any decision he makes is co-signed by other execs, but it seems like he gets blamed for everything.

I'm with you on that. But when a guy who used to be part of the front office comes out and shares the fans sentiments, it lends some credence to the reputation.

[EArl]

Jeff Van Gundy needs to get his head out of Lebron's ass!

[LateRoundFlyer]

Do any of us actually really know anything about Jim Buss? I mean, enough to justify our undying hatred of him? I'm sure any decision he makes is co-signed by other execs, but it seems like he gets blamed for everything.

I'm with you on that. But when a guy who used to be part of the front office comes out and shares the fans sentiments, it lends some credence to the reputation.

Forget about Jim Buss for a minute, do you even know what responsibilities Magic had when he worked in the front office? Because as I understand it, those responsibilities had nothing to do with team personnel whatsoever. So how anyone would conclude Magic was EVER privy to the workings of Jerry's inner circle -- then or now-- is, quite frankly, dumbfounding.

Now Magic no longer retains any significant role in the organization at all. He sold off all his Laker assets almost 2 full seasons ago, right before Phil retired, which means he knows just as much about what goes down in management as the next guy.

Why's he quick to voice his distrust in Jim? I'm not entirely sure, but we have a few good ideas, straight from Magic's mouth:

•He never liked the Brown hire; he wished they considered Brian Shaw or Jeff Van Gundy.
•He lobbied hard for Phil to return, only to hear D'Antoni would replace Brown instead.
•He's had more than a thirty-year relationship with Jerry Buss, while Jim only joined the organization 15 years ago.
•Magic's paid to run his mouth off, a position I'm sure many armchair analysts around here find enviable.


Connect the dots and what else would you expect him to do? You think if Wilbon or Rose or Barry or Van Gundy asks him, "hey, whose fault do you think is it for the Pringles debacle?" that he's just gonna let five minutes of dead air go by? Hell no. He's going to tell people what he thinks they want to hear, which just so happens to be what he would like to hear.

There's nothing more to it than that, folks. I'm not sure why we keep having to have this discussion every time he utters something else about Buss, but here it is again, and here is why you shouldn't take his words without a hefty grain of salt.

[leeprettyp]

I'd expect better from Magic to be honest. Regardless if he was for the Mike D. hire or not. He got suckered into that situation by Simmons. BTW Jeff Van Gundy has always been pro coach fraternity, moves were made and a new coach is here lets embrace Mike D as our next Lakers coach.

[dockingsched]

I'd expect better from Magic to be honest.

not really, this is what magic has become the last yr or 2.

[dirtymike]

Magic, JVG, SVG , Lebron and Aldrige needs to shut the f*** up, don't we always hear these guys say it's a business ?

Well this was business......so why the hell are they taking it so personal. Back the hell up and get the f*** out our way, we got work to do.

Thats what I'm talmbout, DEEP!!!!

[coach-bdj]

Magic, JVG, SVG , Lebron and Aldrige needs to shut the f*** up, don't we always hear these guys say it's a business ?

Well this was business......so why the hell are they taking it so personal. Back the hell up and get the f*** out our way, we got work to do.

i've been and continue to be a huge Magic fan... but he is way out of line.
Thank you Deep... exactly my feelings.

[Father Time]

I mean, didn't Mitch obviously have a part in this as well? Nobody seems to be tearing him to shreds though.

[GAME TIME]

From @SportsCenter

D'Antoni reaches out to Magic Johnson. They'll be having dinner.

*This was after Magic basically trashed D'Antoni on ESPN by saying, like Mike Brown, he too wasn't the right coach for this Lakers team.

Pretty classy by Mike. I must say he is a bigger man than me. He really took a verbal beatdown by Magic.