FIRE MAGIC: Something Rotten in the State of Lakerland

[iamworthy]

Magics ego is as big or bigger than LeBrons. That being said, magic has hitched his success to LeBrons wagon. Magic understands his best opportunity to win a ring is with LeBron. I don't think magic ever had any plans to let the young core grow with LeBron, they were trade bait the moment LeBron came on. Also, magic is a very impatient person, evident with the Luke Walton situation and his good buddy Byron Scott said as much. I don't see magic staying in his roll after LeBron retires.

[Kilroy]

Magics ego is as big or bigger than LeBrons. That being said, magic has hitched his success to LeBrons wagon. Magic understands his best opportunity to win a ring is with LeBron. I don't think magic ever had any plans to let the young core grow with LeBron, they were trade bait the moment LeBron came on. Also, magic is a very impatient person, evident with the Luke Walton situation and his good buddy Byron Scott said as much. I don't see magic staying in his roll after LeBron retires.

Agreed, and Magic also is enamored with Vet players... It would be totally consistent with his character to look at Melo and think he's the superior player to Ingram, just because 6 years ago, Melo was a superstar...

I doubt any of the young guys would play much if Magic was the coach.

[Danny Darko]

So to recap the Arc of Magic's Laker career arc:

Legendary player>coach killer>horrible coach>twitter troll>proposed savior who delivered LeBron and has this summer to deliver a 2nd difference maker

Honestly as worked up as I get, minus injuries this team would be in a playoff spot.
I don't like LeBron's act and often even in the middle of a triple double he looks like he's playing poorly somehow. Then again, there were a lot of years Kobe's selfishness pissed me off.

Luke has some raggedly edges but pre-Bron had a team who was progressing and having a lot of fun. This year he's still got some rotation and in-game issues he needs to clean up, but don't forget what life with Mike Brown, Byron Scott, or D'Antoni with twin towers instead all wings was like.

I'd also like to send everyone this valentines day love note: Magic arrived to rid us of Jimmy Buss. Doesn't that feel better?
I am hoping his tenure is not long and we have another badass up our sleeves that doesn't need a lot of attention.

[milesfides]

I wonder how Mitch would have done without Jim Buss interfering. Miss how professional he was. Unemotional, practical, he really suffered through some tough times with remarkable poise. He also was well respected throughout the league. Ryan West and the younger Buss bros probably deserve some more influence too.

[stan francisco]

I wonder how Mitch would have done without Jim Buss interfering. Miss how professional he was. Unemotional, practical, he really suffered through some tough times with remarkable poise. He also was well respected throughout the league. Ryan West and the younger Buss bros probably deserve some more influence too.

Mitch is a class act and brilliantly bright. Hates the limelight but is still one of the best interviews in sports. His clarity of thought and concision in answers always impressed me as slightly savant like. And no rumors leaked; ever.

And to your point, I hated to see Jimmy ruin his legacy. Bynum, Pau. Rings.

[TylersLakers]

I wonder how Mitch would have done without Jim Buss interfering. Miss how professional he was. Unemotional, practical, he really suffered through some tough times with remarkable poise. He also was well respected throughout the league. Ryan West and the younger Buss bros probably deserve some more influence too.

He should have been kept. He certainly had his faults, but his faults were supposed to be Earvin & Pelinka's strengths. Andddd, that hasn't happened. Not close.

[milesfides]

Also, can't forget the completed-then-vetoed Chris Paul trade. That would have gone up as one of the GOAT moves ever for a GM. The Pau Gasol trade was up there too.

[Danny Darko]

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[Danny Darko]

My new nightmare is that the Pels hire Ryan West to replace Dell Demps

[Kilroy]

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Damn... Magic looks like crap there... Looks like he's aged 10 years this season...

[TurinTurambar]

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Damn... Magic looks like crap there... Looks like he's aged 10 years this season...

I can't imagine he's having very much fun. Certainly not as much fun as he probably thought it would be.

I concur with others who think his tenure as VP will be short lived. I just think it requires he be somebody he doesn't really want to be. I think Magic likes being loved, and likes being able to go on TV and say whatever he wants, and whatnot.

Btw, I'm one of the ones who voted for "Hug," because I've always wanted to give the guy a hug, and it looks like he could really use one right about now.

[stan francisco]

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Damn... Magic looks like crap there... Looks like he's aged 10 years this season...

It could be the Mimosa. No, not that one; the other.

[Cookin Baskets]

meh Lakers can have 10 years of losing and nobody should care because it is the Lakers the team has already won too much just like the Yankees and the Patroits.

[dAdo dA dEvil]

meh Lakers can have 10 years of losing and nobody should care because it is the Lakers the team has already won too much just like the Yankees and the Patroits.

Yeah. Sixers has been losing since like forever, so I think they should just remain as losers.

[Pointgod]

And it's not your dead father, Jeannie.

It's Macbeth, who is destroying the kingdom. A great soldier doesn't make a good king. And, "basketball players don't make good GM's," said Kobe Bryant.

Instead of assembling a sensible roster, Magic and Rob built a flawed one from the beginning, with mismatched agendas. They set unrealistic expectations based on their own inadequate work. And blamed others when it didn't work. And instead of developing our assets, Magic and Rob killed the value of ALL our young players. They did that carelessly, desperately, and ultimately, bottom line, they failed. They need to be held accountable for their bad risks - and bad faith.

And both Magic and Rob Pelinka have been unscrupulous as representatives of the Lakers. In their short time, they both have been individually fined or warned times for tampering, coming across to the rest of the league as arrogant pricks who think rules don't apply to them. That erodes trust - and the league is a club. It operates on good faith, which Magic and Rob have in their short time have disregarded. Wink-winks, back-channels, shady deals, conflict of interest - getting in bed with Lebron and Rich Paul, whom they've allowed to orchestrate moves that ultimately eroded the Lakers' standing and ability to operate in the league. Within their short tenure, at least several teams including the Pacers and New Orleans have stonewalled Magic and Rob and refused to deal with them.

Magic and Rob have lost credibility in the league. As a result, so have the Lakers. They've become handicapped as a result of Magic and Rob's own behavior and actions. The Lakers have become a laughingstock, because they've build so much resentment around the league that teams, not just fans, but actual teams are scheming of ways to gain their revenge for Magic, Rob, Lebron, Rich Paul's arrogance and unscrupulous behavior. And they've ruined their own product. The team is a mess. They're divided, against the coach, against each other. Toxic.

Magic is a basketball player. Rob is an agent. Neither of them has shown qualifications in running a basketball team, let alone elevating it or bringing back showtime. They screwed up. They can't undo this. They'll try, but they can't. Too many bridges burnt, reputations set. The Lakers used to be a class act. Now, the class clown.

Jeannie needs to clean house. She did once for incompetence. Now, that and debasement. Purple and gold can sadly join the red, white, and blue as glory bled dim by corrupt leadership.

The only thing worse than this nonsensical post is that 12 people gave it an and1. Lakers aren’t owed anything, but Magic and Pelinka have gotten way more done in 2 years than the craptastic duo of Mitch and Jim did in 5. They managed to complete the hardest part which is signing a superstar and they put themselves in the position to sign another one. They’ve made some mistakes but generally they’re trending in the right direction. I’m willing to give them another off season to see what they can do. This season was always a write off once they couldn’t land a second superstar.

[Cookin Baskets]

meh Lakers can have 10 years of losing and nobody should care because it is the Lakers the team has already won too much just like the Yankees and the Patroits.

Yeah. Sixers has been losing since like forever, so I think they should just remain as losers.

Not going to lie loved watching Shaq/Kobe win those titles beautiful basketball, but I realize the Lakers need a taste of losing for the balance of the league.Them and the Spurs dominated in the early 2000s. 76ers are on their way to title contention and because Lebron missed some time Lakers are going to miss the playoffs, so you might want to pay attention to the standings. I thought Lakers were going to make the playoffs. What gets me is when a organization like the Lakers starts to get their turn of losing their fans start panicking right away when they just get a few seasons of losing. TALK ABOUT ENTITLEMENT.

[dAdo dA dEvil]

meh Lakers can have 10 years of losing and nobody should care because it is the Lakers the team has already won too much just like the Yankees and the Patroits.

Yeah. Sixers has been losing since like forever, so I think they should just remain as losers.

Not going to lie loved watching Shaq/Kobe win those titles beautiful basketball, but I realize the Lakers need a taste of losing for the balance of the league.Them and the Spurs dominated in the early 2000s. 76ers are on their way to title contention and because Lebron missed some time Lakers are going to miss the playoffs, so you might want to pay attention to the standings. I thought Lakers were going to make the playoffs. What gets me is when a organization like the Lakers starts to get their turn of losing their fans start panicking right away when they just get a few seasons of losing. TALK ABOUT ENTITLEMENT.

You sound like David Stern when he said that "for basketball reasons" crap. Lakers have a winning tradition so we are really not accustomed to losing. We are not like the Sixers that has been losing since like Iverson left. We don't treat losing here as a process.

[Landsberger]

Gaps in our championships. 1954 to 1972 (8 losses in the finals between them). 1972-1980 (1 loss in the finals between them). 1988 to 2000(2 losses between them). 2004 to 2008 (1 loss between). It's been 9 years since our last championship.

We're 16-15 in championship series. We're barely over .500. We know losing at the highest level.

If anything.... I'd say we're getting overdue for another trip back to finals.... and I'd love nothing more than to beat the Sixers again.

[Danny Darko]

I'm glad the 76ers are coming out of their funk, but like no other team has as many obstacles just because they've won as LA. Not Boston or anyone. NY is Dolan's fault, but for us people love California, we have had winning ways, and outside forces do their damndest to try to offset that with literal skullduggery and tampering(see Pop calling Dempster fire).

[Cookin Baskets]

Yeah. Sixers has been losing since like forever, so I think they should just remain as losers.

Not going to lie loved watching Shaq/Kobe win those titles beautiful basketball, but I realize the Lakers need a taste of losing for the balance of the league.Them and the Spurs dominated in the early 2000s. 76ers are on their way to title contention and because Lebron missed some time Lakers are going to miss the playoffs, so you might want to pay attention to the standings. I thought Lakers were going to make the playoffs. What gets me is when a organization like the Lakers starts to get their turn of losing their fans start panicking right away when they just get a few seasons of losing. TALK ABOUT ENTITLEMENT.

You sound like David Stern when he said that "for basketball reasons" crap. Lakers have a winning tradition so we are really not accustomed to losing. We are not like the Sixers that has been losing since like Iverson left. We don't treat losing here as a process.

It's boring if the same team wins all the time. Yea hate to break to ya but recently Lakers had a "process" too how else do they get Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram. Lonzo Ball being a botched pick, but I'll admit 76ers also botched on Fultz too lol. Then just got Lebron James to sign on a team he knew wasn't going to compete for a title. The worst free agent signing of his career.