Magic Johnson Is Returning To The Lakers - YES

[WiggyRuss]

According to sources, Kupchak was reluctant to allow Mozgov to be tempted by other offers, giving him a four-year, $64 million deal just minutes after free agency began. Deng heard offers from other teams, but sources indicated he had no other offers that extended beyond three seasons. The Lakers gave him four years and $72 million.

For years, Jeanie Buss and Lakers fans had waited for the franchise to clear the kind of salary-cap space it needed to bring in superstar free agents, particularly in the wake of Bryant's retirement. For years, the fans had hung their hopes on the lure of L.A. and Showtime. Suddenly, within the first 32 hours of free agency, Kupchak and the Lakers had committed most of the salary-cap space the team needed going forward to sign two role players in their early 30s.

While Deng and Mozgov have been good mentors and veteran presences for the Lakers' younger players, from a performance standpoint the moves have been underwhelming. Deng is 144th in Real Plus-Minus, and Mozgov is 396th, while the Lakers stand at 18-36. This week, the Lakers took the embarrassing step of benching Mozgov and Deng in favor of starting rookie Brandon Ingram and third-year man Tarik Black.

And that's the real issue: It's not the 2016-17 season that the Lakers should be worried about. Rather, it's how the Mozgov and Deng contracts affect future seasons.

 

[trojanfan12]

Said one player agent, who has dealt with Kupchak on several contracts, "He's the only GM in the league who won't engage at all before 9:01 p.m. [PT] on the first night of free agency. Then when he calls to express interest, there's no stickiness to it."

Adrian Wojnarowski made a great comment about this in an interview I heard yesterday. He said that the Lakers need to be recruiting FA's a lot earlier than they do. He said "Is it against the rules to do that? Yes, it is. Is it also how things are done today? Yes, it is."

It's admirable and honorable that Kupchak tries to stick to the rules, but it hurts the team when trying to attract FA's because by the time they start recruiting guys, a lot of the decisions have already been made, so they're always trying to play catch up.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Adrian Wojnarowski made a great comment about this in an interview I heard yesterday. He said that the Lakers need to be recruiting FA's a lot earlier than they do. He said "Is it against the rules to do that? Yes, it is. Is it also how things are done today? Yes, it is."

It's admirable and honorable that Kupchak tries to stick to the rules, but it hurts the team when trying to attract FA's because by the time they start recruiting guys, a lot of the decisions have already been made, so they're always trying to play catch up.

i cant believe you guys were gonna sign Isiah Thomas but missed out because you were waiting on answer from Melo....thats a bummer.....that guy truly was a 2nd round diamond in the rough- Lowry too apparently.

 

[trojanfan12]

i cant believe you guys were gonna sign Isiah Thomas but missed out because you were waiting on answer from Melo....thats a bummer.....that guy truly was a 2nd round diamond in the rough- Lowry too apparently.

To be fair, a lot of that had to do with Kobe. Kobe really wanted Melo and, of course, the Lakers wanted a star player to take over for Kobe when he retired. Unfortunately, Melo took his sweet time deciding and the Lakers ended up with neither.

Plus, people obviously knew that Thomas was good, but I don't think anyone knew that he was going to be so good that he would be in the MVP convo.

 

[larryjohn]

i cant believe you guys were gonna sign Isiah Thomas but missed out because you were waiting on answer from Melo....thats a bummer.....that guy truly was a 2nd round diamond in the rough- Lowry too apparently.

Interesting stat -- Five 2nd round players made the All Star game this year.

(plus Jimmy Butler was picked 30th ... Lowry was late first rounder also.)

 

[LogicMan]

Kupchuck's days are numbered. Magic is going to find the solution. AND, when he does, we will see a franchise revival that will be amazing. When your this deep in the muck, you need major change

 

[WiggyRuss]

Kupchuck's days are numbered. Magic is going to find the solution. AND, when he does, we will see a franchise revival that will be amazing. When your this deep in the muck, you need major change

just letting Howard and Gasol walk for nothing- and Kobe and Nash injuries/retirements and all the assets they spent to get those guys combined for a situation where the cupboard was beyond bare.

 

[LogicMan]

You know Wiggy there is a side of me that thinks Lebron and Gilbert planned this whole Cavs to heat to Cavs thing just to get more assets............................ok that does seem farfetched

 

[WiggyRuss]

You know Wiggy there is a side of me that thinks Lebron and Gilbert planned this whole Cavs to heat to Cavs thing just to get more assets............................ok that does seem farfetched

i dont think it was planned necessarily- but its evident that as soon as LeBron was gone- they werent trying to win. They were trying to gather as many assets, as much cap space, as many draft picks and young players as possible.

Kind of similar to where the Sixers are right now.

AT some point you have to move from asset acquisition mode- to forming your team into what it will be going forward. THe Sixers still havent done that- there roster still doesnt fit with all the big men etc....at the time- i get it- draft the best player avaliable- let the chips fall wher they may- and make some deals.

but at some point,after 3-4 years or whatever- you have to move from asset acquisition- to molding the team, picking the guys you want to keep, picking the positions you want to target in free agency etc.



If Bron Bron didnt sign in 2014- the Cavs were going to puruse guys like Gordon Heyward etc....offer a max- the chance to come play with Kyrie/Wiggins/Thompson/Waiters- along with a cache of a handful of extra picks.

Once LeBron was in the picture and filled their biggest hole (SF- a position they DIDNT use any draft picks on- you can speculate as to why)- and used all those assets to form their team----

they decided to move Wiggins for Love. They decided to move Waiters and assets for Smith, Shumpert, Mozgov....they decided to keep Irving and Thompson.


The Celtics are even i na similar situation--- they have an overabundance of picks, and young players- and still need to make that big move to fill out their roster in order to become a true championship contender.

 

[trojanfan12]

Kupchuck's days are numbered. Magic is going to find the solution. AND, when he does, we will see a franchise revival that will be amazing. When your this deep in the muck, you need major change

Right now, Magic has been working to establish himself as a bridge between business operations and basketball operations to see where everyone's heads are at and if can get them on the same page.

What I think/hope Magic will do is sit with Jim Buss and say "What made your Dad one of the greatest owners is the history of sports was the fact that he would hire the best people he could and then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. That is the approach you need to take."

I also think/hope that he sits down with Mitch and basically says "You need to conduct business the way business in the NBA is conducted today. There ways that you can gather information from/about FA's and get information to, FA's that you are interested in without running roughshod over tampering rules. We can't be starting every off-season 3 steps behind everyone else when it comes to FA's and trades."

I don't know if Magic will be the cure for the Lakers ills, but I do know that having him back in the fold certainly won't hurt. One of Magic's greatest skills is his ability to work with people and get everyone pulling in the same direction. If that is the only thing he accomplishes, he will have done his job, imo.

 

[Black Adam]

Right now, Magic has been working to establish himself as a bridge between business operations and basketball operations to see where everyone's heads are at and if can get them on the same page.

What I think/hope Magic will do is sit with Jim Buss and say "What made your Dad one of the greatest owners is the history of sports was the fact that he would hire the best people he could and then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. That is the approach you need to take."

I also think/hope that he sits down with Mitch and basically says "You need to conduct business the way business in the NBA is conducted today. There ways that you can gather information from/about FA's and get information to, FA's that you are interested in without running roughshod over tampering rules. We can't be starting every off-season 3 steps behind everyone else when it comes to FA's and trades."

I don't know if Magic will be the cure for the Lakers ills, but I do know that having him back in the fold certainly won't hurt. One of Magic's greatest skills is his ability to work with people and get everyone pulling in the same direction. If that is the only thing he accomplishes, he will have done his job, imo.

Kup's one of the best in the business...

If the Lakers are smart he's going nowhere...

 

[True Lakers Fan]

According to sources, Kupchak was reluctant to allow Mozgov to be tempted by other offers, giving him a four-year, $64 million deal just minutes after free agency began. Deng heard offers from other teams, but sources indicated he had no other offers that extended beyond three seasons. The Lakers gave him four years and $72 million.

For years, Jeanie Buss and Lakers fans had waited for the franchise to clear the kind of salary-cap space it needed to bring in superstar free agents, particularly in the wake of Bryant's retirement. For years, the fans had hung their hopes on the lure of L.A. and Showtime. Suddenly, within the first 32 hours of free agency, Kupchak and the Lakers had committed most of the salary-cap space the team needed going forward to sign two role players in their early 30s.

While Deng and Mozgov have been good mentors and veteran presences for the Lakers' younger players, from a performance standpoint the moves have been underwhelming. Deng is 144th in Real Plus-Minus, and Mozgov is 396th, while the Lakers stand at 18-36. This week, the Lakers took the embarrassing step of benching Mozgov and Deng in favor of starting rookie Brandon Ingram and third-year man Tarik Black.

And that's the real issue: It's not the 2016-17 season that the Lakers should be worried about. Rather, it's how the Mozgov and Deng contracts affect future seasons.

You still don't get it or understand which is really sad. The Lakers already knew they had no hope of getting marquis players like Durant or Lebron and they had to spend the money. There was no way Deng or Mozgov were going to come to the Lakers for less money then what the Lakers threw at them. Both players knew from the beginning when they signed it was about the young players. With most of the season gone, Luke wants to develop the younger players for next year since they weren't winning more games anyway.

The Lakers have already won more games then last year, so they are headed in the right direction.

 

[larryjohn]

You still don't get it or understand which is really sad. The Lakers already knew they had no hope of getting marquis players like Durant or Lebron and they had to spend the money. There was no way Deng or Mozgov were going to come to the Lakers for less money then what the Lakers threw at them. Both players knew from the beginning when they signed it was about the young players. With most of the season gone, Luke wants to develop the younger players for next year since they weren't winning more games anyway.

The Lakers have already won more games then last year, so they are headed in the right direction.

No reason to sign Moz/Deng to long-term deals.

 

[Black Adam]

No reason to sign Moz/Deng to long-term deals.

WILL agree i hate the length of both contracts...

 

[trojanfan12]

Kup's one of the best in the business...

If the Lakers are smart he's going nowhere...

I agree. He's respected and well liked, but if what Magic says he's been told is true, then Mitch needs to adjust his approach because the Lakers have been playing catch up every off-season for the past several years.

It's admirable to follow the rules, but if others are finding ways to get things done or at least in motion before FA officially starts, the Lakers need to be doing the same.

Players aren't going to wait for an offer from the Lakers just because they're the Lakers anymore. Especially when they don't present an immediate chance to win.

 

[trojanfight]

I saw a report recently that Jim buss said he looks forward to working with magic For years. I could be reading too much into it but seems to me his times up. That 3 year deal that he said he would step away or Jeanie said she would fire him is upon us now. Just thought it was great that magic is there but Jim yeah his days are numbered

 

[trojanfan12]

I saw a report recently that Jim buss said he looks forward to working with magic For years. I could be reading too much into it but seems to me his times up. That 3 year deal that he said he would step away or Jeanie said she would fire him is upon us now. Just thought it was great that magic is there but Jim yeah his days are numbered

Not so sure Jim's days are all that numbered. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he'll be having the input that he has been having anymore, but I think there's a pretty good chance that he will remain President of Basketball Operations.

I think that Magic will (some say he already may have) basically sit Jim down and explain to him that what made his father such a great owner is that he hired the best people he could find and got out of their way. Then he'll encourage Jim to do the same. If he refuses, then I think he'll be gone.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

No reason to sign Moz/Deng to long-term deals.

Yes there was, because one of them had already been offered 3 years/same salary - The Lakers offered him four and that's why he signed. The Lakers were not going to get players of Mozgov or Deng without that

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Not so sure Jim's days are all that numbered. Don't get me wrong, I don't think he'll be having the input that he has been having anymore, but I think there's a pretty good chance that he will remain President of Basketball Operations.

I think that Magic will (some say he already may have) basically sit Jim down and explain to him that what made his father such a great owner is that he hired the best people he could find and got out of their way. Then he'll encourage Jim to do the same. If he refuses, then I think he'll be gone.

I don't think anyone has to worry about Jim Buss - with Magic in the middle as a buffer, I expect Jim quietly give the nod to Magic and Kupchak on big agents. and do more like his dad. As I said before - This was all new to them when their dad died, but give them the time and they will get it together

 

[larryjohn]

I'm surprised Magic would be so publicly clear about what his plans.

-----------------------------------------------
Magic Johnson said he wants to “call the shots’’ for the Los Angeles Lakers, a week after it was announced he has rejoined the team as an adviser to owner Jeanie Buss.

“Working to call the shots, because it only works that way,’’ Johnson told USA TODAY Sports when asked what he hopes his role with the franchise will be. “Right now I’m advising. I get that. But at the end of the day, then we all got to come together and somebody’s got to say, ‘I’m making the final call,’ all right? And who’s that going to be?

“So, we’ll see what happens.’’