Magic Johnson named President of Basketball Operations for the Lakers

Cesar Crespo

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Dec 22, 2002
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I hope Ainge is on the phone right now with Magic who is going to be an absolute disaster as a GM.
What do the Lakers have that we would even want/need? Julius Randle might help on the boards but he's also 22. The Lakers and Celtics don't really match up tradewise at all.
 

Cellar-Door

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I hope Ainge is on the phone right now with Magic who is going to be an absolute disaster as a GM.
Magic isn't going to be the GM. One name that's rumored is Travis Schlenk a well-respected Assistant GM w/ Golden State.

I don't know why people think Magic is going to fail, he's a highly successful businessman with a tendency to hire smart people and let them do their jobs. There's a good chance he hires a good GM then uses his public image to take the heat off by doing a lot of the press and gladhanding stuff that some GMs (cough... HInkie) aren't good at.
 

bowiac

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I don't know why people think Magic is going to fail, he's a highly successful businessman with a tendency to hire smart people and let them do their jobs. There's a good chance he hires a good GM then uses his public image to take the heat off by doing a lot of the press and gladhanding stuff that some GMs (cough... HInkie) aren't good at.
Magic has been an NBA commentator on TNT and ESPN, and hasn't really become known for his astute analysis in that role. That's a tough role, since smart analysis isn't really what people tune in for, but for a lot of people, that's the biggest exposure we have to him. In addition, there is a lot of skepticism about hiring former players, especially star players, to manage teams these days.

I don't know anything about his business life. I don't know who he's hired, or how involved he's been. Without knowing the details, it doesn't really impact my thoughts about how well he'd run an NBA team. If you tell me he's been a managerial genius in running his business, then great, but that's not nearly as public as his life on TNT and ESPN.
 

cardiacs

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I think broadcasting "I am a risk taker" to everyone who can read or listen isn't exactly a savvy move.
 

Devizier

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Vivek Randive built a multi-billion dollar software company from the ground up.

That doesn't mean shit for his ability to manage an NBA team.

I think no one knows how Johnson will do.
 

PedroKsBambino

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Vivek Randive built a multi-billion dollar software company from the ground up.

That doesn't mean shit for his ability to manage an NBA team.

I think no one knows how Johnson will do.
Agreed. Even beyond great businesspeople failing in the NBA, we of course also have indisputably great basketball people (Gavitt, Pitino) who have failed at running an NBA team in the recent past just in Boston.

No one doubts Magic is a great leader, and that he can inspire. Whether that translates to being an effective basketball exec is almost completely unknowable right now.
 

BigSoxFan

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Lakers hoping to get an Elway but they may be getting an MJ (well, the other MJ). I definitely think Magic will be successful in re-establishing the superstar culture that's been gone since Kobe retired. But the problem is that the new CBA really reduces the LA FA advantage.
 

reggiecleveland

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By all reports I have had, Magic is one of the nicest, most generous NBA superstars. If I had to guess I would say his mistakes may follow Ainge's admitted bias for guys that play with passion.
 

Kliq

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This was an overtly aggressive move by LA. I don't really understand why they needed to not just bring in Magic, but do a complete front-office turnaround mid-season. The biggest mistake they have made over the last few years was let the Kobe circus get out of hand and perhaps stunt the potential growth of their young core. Other than that I think they have done pretty well to rebuild the team:

1. They signed the hottest, up-and-coming young coach available who is coming from a team that had won like no other team had ever won before.

2. They have a solid core of young prospects through the lottery; they have Ingram, Randle and Russell; which is a lot more than other franchises that have sucked for a while have.

3. They hit on some outside-the-lottery talent (objectively the hardest thing to do in the front-office) and have gotten Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. who look like real NBA contributors.

4. They haven't traded away most of their assets and can still get into this loaded draft at the top end if they suck some more.

5. They still have cap space and can add a key FA if one appears.

Bringing in Magic, and the subsequent rumors about trading for George or Butler, is indicative of some executive growing impatient with conservative team building and shouting "This is LA, we are the Lakers, we have to be great right NOW!" instead of following a pattern that was on the right track. That is how dysfunctional organizations like the Knicks and Nets operate.
 

cheech13

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I travel to LA a lot for work and every time I'm down there I spend a couple hours digesting their local sports radio. You have no idea how out of touch the local fans and media are with the Lakers. They literally think Ingram will morph into Giannis, they'll trade a couple guys for a superstar, grab another superstar in free agency and compete for a title next year. You'd hope that ownership and management would be insulated from that and take a longer view of roster building, but it's possible to know how that kind of myopia affects your everyday decision making.
 

soxhop411

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I travel to LA a lot for work and every time I'm down there I spend a couple hours digesting their local sports radio. You have no idea how out of touch the local fans and media are with the Lakers. They literally think Ingram will morph into Giannis, they'll trade a couple guys for a superstar, grab another superstar in free agency and compete for a title next year. You'd hope that ownership and management would be insulated from that and take a longer view of roster building, but it's possible to know how that kind of myopia affects your everyday decision making.

I think you are referring to AM 710 (ESPN) which has the radio rights for USC (basketball and football) the Rams AND the lakers. It's sports overload and when it's not a game being broadcasted it's hottakes galore
 

ElUno20

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I think you are referring to AM 710 (ESPN) which has the radio rights for USC (basketball and football) the Rams AND the lakers. It's sports overload and when it's not a game being broadcasted it's hottakes galore

Yup. There's only one sports show out here that has no problem calling out the clown show the Lakers have been recently, PMS on 570, and it's barely a sports show.
 

ElUno20

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Jim Buss isn't going out without a fight....

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la-sp-buss-lakers-20170303-story.html
Jeanie Buss has thwarted an effort by her brothers, Jim and Johnny, to oust her as the Lakers’ president and controlling owner as the behind-the-scenes battle for control of the franchise moved into the courtroom.

Attorneys for Jeanie Buss sought a temporary restraining order in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday to prevent the brothers from holding a meeting next week to elect a new board of directors for the team that didn’t include her. In order to be the controlling owner, she has to be a director.