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Lakers Name Magic Johnson President of Basketball Ops, Fire Kupchak and Jim Buss

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In a stunning move to shake up their front office, the Lakers announced Tuesday morning that they have cleaned house of their top two basketball decision makers and elevated Magic Johnson from “advisor” to Jeanie Buss to the President of Basketball Operations. From the team’s press release:

Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss announced today that the team has named Earvin “Magic” Johnson as President of Basketball Operations. In addition, General Manager Mitch Kupchak has been relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Furthermore, Jim Buss will no longer hold his role as Lakers Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations.

“Today I took a series of actions I believe will return the Lakers to the heights Dr. Jerry Buss demanded and our fans rightly expect,” Jeanie Buss said. “Effective immediately, Earvin Johnson will be in charge of all basketball operations and will report directly to me. Our search for a new General Manager to work with Earvin and Coach Luke Walton is well underway and we hope to announce a new General Manager in short order. Together, Earvin, Luke and our new General Manager will establish the foundation for the next generation of Los Angeles Lakers greatness.”

While the move itself should not inspire surprise, the timing of it certainly should. The NBA Trade deadline is only two days away and the team just fired their GM and relieved the final say in basketball decisions. Just Sunday night there were reports that the Lakers were in conversations to acquire DeMarcus Cousins (before he was dealt to the Pelicans) and there have been ongoing rumors about the team being in active discussions about trading Lou Williams in advance of Thursday. Now the people who were on those calls and negotiating compensation are now no longer employed by the team! I am almost speechless.

The next steps here are vital. The release mentions the team has been actively searching for a replacement GM, which implies to me not only have these firings been decided on, but also that Jeanie and Magic have people in mind. My assumption is that this person is not currently employed by an NBA team since you would need to seek permission to even discuss a job with someone who is currently working for another franchise. I guess it’s possible this all happened behind closed doors and without any leaks, but that would surprise me a great deal. Progressing that line of thinking, then, leads me to believe that whoever is named as new GM isn’t some Assistant GM with another team but either someone internal (Ryan West?) or an outsider who is currently not working (Sam Hinkie? Isiah Thomas?? OH MY) but has previous GM/Front Office experience.

That last point is important because Magic Johnson certainly does not possess it. Just a week ago he was giving interviews where he mentioned he is getting up to speed on the nuances of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, learning about salary structure and the other rules which govern the league. Granted, the Lakers have some infrastructure still in place, but Magic will need strong guidance and experience to lean on in these areas to ensure the team is uncovering all stones and not getting out maneuvered.

Moving beyond the boots on the ground, though, this is a massive show of strength and finally a decisive move by Jeanie Buss. This franchise has been plagued by in-fighting, sourced reports pitting Jeanie and Jim against each other, and outright dysfunction between the basketball and business sides of the house. As much as Jim deserves blame for his performance at the top of the basketball decision making tree, Jeanie deserves blame for the ongoing sniping between her and Jim, for the persistent perception that their house was not in order. Allowing those things to fester is a leadership issue and as the final decision maker for the entire organization, that comes back to her as much or more than anyone else.

Now, though, she has moved her cards to the center of the table and gone all-in. She has relieved her brother of his duties, fired Kupchak, and empowered Magic Johnson. She has taken on the mantle of her father and, like or not, is now showing who exactly is in charge. With that comes the spotlight and the lack of a shield to deflect blame onto, but any good leader embraces that. We’ll see how this goes.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss. I know the latter has taken a lot of heat over the years and, from the reports I have read, some of that is very fair. That said, he had his hands in some of the huge successes in the past decade and to ignore that would not be fair. As for Mitch, reports this year have framed him as aloof and difficult to work with. Maybe those things are true. But he’s also been with the team for over 30 years and was one of the key architects (both under Jerry West and after The Logo departed) of multiple championship teams. Mitch often inspired calm in the fan base and his straight to the point approach (even when purposefully keeping information from you) was something I appreciated. I wish both Jim and Mitch nothing but the best moving forward, whatever may happen with them inside or outside of basketball.

Today is a new era, though. Magic Johnson is now the top decision maker for the team he led to 5 championships and 9 NBA Finals as a player. He was the face of Showtime and since then has been a massive success in business and other sports team ownership ventures. This is a new challenge; a different challenge. He can’t simply make a no look pass to Kareem or sink a baby hook to win a championship. He will need to hire the right people, make the right decisions, and leave no stone unturned along the way. I’m neither optimistic or pessimistic about his ability to do this, but I’m willing to give him his chance. He’s Magic Johnson and earned at least that much.


Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sam S. says

    Who are the likely candidates for GM?
    Any thoughtful thumbnail sketches of Ryan West, Hinkie (?), and Rob Pelinka (saw his name floated in some article), would be appreciated.

  3. new rr says

    I think this is pretty simple: if Magic hires a well-qualified GM and keeps himself one step away from day-to-day basketball ops and listens to his hire, then it will probably work out pretty well, since I think most new hire-type guys, like R. West, Schlenk, Weaver, or Zarren will do a better job than Kupchak and Buss have been doing. 
    If OTOH, Magic is the de facto GM, then it will probably go very poorly, since, as I noted in a post about this issue about a week or so ago, Magic is not qualified to run a NBA FO. He has never scouted or been an assistant GM, and I very much doubt that he knows much about either analytics or international ball. 
    As to the timing, it is awkward, but I think it is only a big deal if Magic makes some weird move before Thursday. One thing I do want to know is who will be handling day-to-day details during the interim period.

  4. radmd says

    I wonder if not pulling the trigger on the trade for Cousins was the straw that broke the Camel’s back! I would suspect that Magic wanted cousins and the other two did not and when they saw how cheaply Cousins was obtained by the Hornets, Magic was upset and used it as leverage to argue that this was another big misstep to get Jeanie to do the shake-up. 
    I think this at least somewhat increases the likelihood of Lakers trying to get Carmelo.
    I am no big fan, but if Jackson is willing to take either Deng or Timo as part of the trade and not want the young core as part of the trade, I would still do it in a heartbeat. As bad as Anthony is, he is still easier to trade than either one of those two, and better as a future asset and has less years less on his contract!

  5. _ Robert _ says

    Awesome news for which I have been waiting 4 years.
    This is the end of the worst “basketball” regime in Laker history.
    As to Magic: As I stated previously – he is not ideal, however his involvement allowed for this to happen.   And it had to happen !!!!
    As rr states – hopefully Magic will not meddle in all day to day ops, and will empower Ryan, and perhaps bring in Jerry West and others to do that.
    A great day no matter what though.

  6. LT Mitchell says

    The biggest game changing moves by the Lakers in the past 25 years:

    June 1996 – Lakers draft Kobe
    July 1996 – Lakers sign Shaq
    July 1999 – Lakers hire Phil Jackson
    Feb 2008 – Lakers trade for Pau Gasol
    Feb 2017 – Lakers hire Magic
    Feb 2017 – Lakers fire Jimbo

    We’ve been told the team has turned the corner for years now. That day has finally come.

  8. bluehill says

    re-post from below – more hopeful now that it is clear they are going to hire a GM.

    I’m not excited, but am hopeful. Getting rid of Jim and Mitch seems
    to resolve the power struggle between Jim and Jeanie. It’s a positive
    because there will be less confusion at the top. Magic is setting the
    direction and Jeanie is unlikely to undermine him in public the way she
    did with Jim. That’s a huge positive in my mind because before the
    discord between Jim and Jeanie was obvious and that reflected badly on
    the organization as a whole.

    Of course, it’s a double-edged
    sword because Magic could do some dumb things, but I’m assuming that,
    because of his business success, tutelage under Dr. Buss and his time
    with the Dodgers where the day-to-day of player acquisition is run by
    experienced hands, he will leave those functions to others and focus
    more on setting the overall plan for the rebuild and stepping in to
    close deals. All that said, who knows. This season was going
    nowhere and this makes things interesting. Of course, if he trades BI
    for Melo, it will be interesting in the worst way, but I don’t think
    (hope) that will happen.

  10. KenOak says

    I’m stunned that this happened, but strangely excited at the same time. I’m with some of the other posters that believe as long as Magic hires a good GM and listens to that person, then this could potentially go very well. It’s too bad that Jerry West couldn’t come back in some capacity. 

    Please for the love of god and all that is holy -> do not hire Isaiah Thomas or Byron Scott in any capacity Magic.

  11. Still R says

    new rr   I had to double check my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1…

    My first reaction is, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

    new rr’s caveats apply. As fans, we have no choice but to hope for the best.
    … or find another set of laundry to root for.

  12. MT87 says

    I hope this goes well but I am far from excited.  Change is here, but it remains to be seen if results will follow.  Having Magic as head of Basketball operations just seems like a nightmare waiting to happen to me.

  13. Still R says

    _ Robert _  well Robert, I have to fall back on a tired old cliché here: be careful what you wish for …

  14. Still R says

    radmd  I hope not; there’s a reason Cousins could be had “cheaply” – do I need to count the ways?!

    Getting Carmelo would I think be an even worse move than acquiring Cousins (if that’s even possible).

  16. drrayeye says

    Way, way overdue.  This is just the first step . . . .
    I’m not sorry in the slightest to see Mitch go.  Jimmy will still be around, but hopefully will spend more time at his earlier haunts.

    We need to wait until the smoke clears . . . . .

  17. Still R says

    KevTheBold MT87  Oh, I think it could actually get at least a little bit worse.

    Example: Isaiah Thomas with the NY Knicks.

  18. MT87 says

    KevTheBold MT87 I can see a lot of ways it could get worse.  The Lakers, despite the missteps, have not been the worst franchise in the league these past handful of years.  We are one incompetent head of basketball ops away from looking like the Knicks, the Nets, or the Kings.  The worst two things about our team right now are that we have money tied up in Moz and Deng and we don’t have a superstar.  Looking around the league it isn’t hard to see a lot of ways that we could do worse.

  19. Joe_H says

    YESSS Jim boy is gone! He should have been gone a long time ago.
    Obviously we hope Magic will make the right decisions, but for now we have hope that things can get better. Things were never going to be better with Jimbo.

  21. Jayelvee says

    I love Magic but I’m not thrilled with this hire. Greatness on the court does not equate to competence in the front office, coaching, TV analyst, and late night talk show host. I wished Mitch could’ve stayed and be given a chance to run things without Jim Buss lurking.
    On the other hand we are in dire need of a bold move. I’m skeptical this will work but I hope I’m wrong.

  22. LT Mitchell says

    MT87 KevTheBold
    I hate to break it to you but we’ve already looked like the Knicks, Nets and Kings for the past 4 years, and that was not going to change with the current regime.

  23. KevTheBold says

    MT87 
    Our record over the past several years is what I was referring to.
    Look,..We are the Lakers,..Not NY, the Nets or the Kings,..and Magic is one person who understands what that means more than most, and I am enthused to see what he can do.

  25. MT87 says

    LT Mitchell  MT87 KevTheBold We only look like those franchises if you ignore the actual status of the rosters in question and how they project over the next 3-5 years.  Would you trade the Lakers with their current bb situation for any of those teams?  I absolutely would not and it isn’t close.  The Lakers have a stock of young assets with upside and a pretty clear path to wins over the next 3-5 years.  Their cap situation isn’t great but it could be a lot worse.  The complaints about this team have always been more about the FO and expectations than they have been about development and the future.

  26. Alexander_ says

    I am sad to see Mitch go, but not Jimmy. Magic could be good or bad, but what is most important right now is to have someone unencumbered by past FA and draft decisions. For example, Magic can pull the trigger on unloading Moz or Deng (at a price) without the psychological barrier his predecessors would have faced. Magic has a strong POV on each players prospects, and for our sakes, I hope it’s a far-seeing one.

  27. MT87 says

    KevTheBold MT87 Record isn’t everything in this evaluation imo.  If we are only looking at record than the 76ers are the all-time benchmark for incompetence and yet I think their future looks pretty bright.

  28. KevTheBold says

    MT87 LT Mitchell  
    I agree with our future outlook,. and I do like our picks, however,..let’s not forget that they were an unintentional byproduct of bad trades and free agent acquisitions.
    Unless Magic does something like trade them for a meaningless reach at the playoffs, I would not be concerned. 
    Is that what you fear?

  29. MT87 says

    KevTheBold MT87 LT Mitchell That is indeed what I fear, although it isn’t my only fear.  I’m also concerned that Magic runs his mouth in much the same way that Phil does in NY which has the potential for all sorts of distractions that could ultimately undermine development.  I’m also concerned that Magic might make worse signing than Jim did.  He just doesn’t seem to have the right kind of grasp of the CBA and his stated desire to be the shot-caller does not make me confidant that he will step back and listen to people who actually know the business.

  30. KevTheBold says

    MT87 KevTheBold LT Mitchell
    Well, as none of us has a crystal ball,.. we can only speculate. 
    As for me however,..I view change as potential for good, as I say again, that having hit rock bottom, we can only go up from here.

  31. david__h says

    I would be in full agreement if one of Magic’s first moves is to bring Kareem in a mentorship role full time for the lakers.  A room full of hall of famers has always peeked my interest.  A room full of laker hall of famers; priceless.
    Go lakers

  32. MT87 says

    KevTheBold MT87 LT Mitchell I hear you, and I have hope, I just think that it is faaaaaar too soon to say that we have hit rock bottom.  In my mind things can always get worse.

  34. MT87 says

    I don’t know what Magic will do.  Perhaps he turns into the best FO exec we’ve seen; it could happen.  My concern with changing the FO is that it comes with significant risk and hiring Magic in particular seems to come with a lot of uncertainty because of his lack of track record.  If he does well I’m going to be very happy as a Lakers fan but in this moment I’m very wary of his penchant for telling the media everything and his desire to be the head honcho when he has no relevant experience.  Those just aren’t the traits I was looking for in a new FO; I think we could have done better.

  35. TempleOfJamesWorthy says

    I am more ambivalent about the canning of Jim and Mitch than the bulk of FB&G.;

    I realize it was probably inevitable and, had it occurred a day or two after the season’s end, it would have been about as surprising as the Sun coming up from the eastern horizon.

    I stand by my previous claims that Mitch/Jim received too little credit for their good moves and too much blame for their bad ones. Many who enjoyed the 2008-2010 championship runs, or even as small a thing as Ivica Zubac’s potential conveniently forget Jim/Mitch were the ones in charge when it happened. I encourage everyone to look over the front office moves made by the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers over the last several years (I detailed them in a comment several days ago). Were Jim/Mitch really that much worse than the guys who wasted two top-4 overall picks on Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters? Really? The difference, of course, is LeBron James decided to play in Cleveland, despite the front office’s track record of mediocrity.

    Even so, it seems the collective perception of Mitch/Jim had exceeded their actual sins (take a bow, Stephen A Smith!) to the point where their departure was necessary, if only to change the perception.

    A few other notes:

    —This was a dumb time to make the move. Because the season is still ongoing, many worthwhile candidates for the GM job are simply unavailable. I can see no compelling reason Jeannie/Magic could not have waited until the end of the season.

    —If the timing of this decision was Jeannie’s call, then I once again question the common perception Jeannie is much smarter and more capable than Jim/Mitch. She is certainly more personable (and a smoking hot babe), but I see scant concrete evidence of her purported management acumen. This is not the first time she has very publicly screwed up (the decision to give post-Achilles Kobe a huge contract, not swallowing her pride and keeping communications open when main squeeze Phil wasn’t hired back, etc.). Canning Jim/Mitch at this inopportune time could be added to that list.

    —Dumping Mitch/Jim does not guarantee an accelerated turnaround in the Lakers’ fortunes. Rebuilding from the ground up takes time, patience, and luck. Excepting the outlier 2003 draft (when LeBron, Melo, Wade and Bosh all came into the league), very few recent drafts yielded immediate franchise-altering talent. I would argue only Derrick Rose and Damian Lillard really fit into the “instant turnaround” definition. Even teams with recent “unicorn” picks (Karl Towns, Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, etc.) are still struggling to make the playoffs. I don’t know if Markell Fultz, Lonzo Ball, et. al. will prove to be the exception, but the smart money is on the rule.

  36. LT Mitchell says

    MT87
    All legitimate concerns, but the biggest risk would have been to keep the status quo and continue to allow Jimbo to make desperate moves to save his job.

  37. MT87 says

    LT Mitchell  MT87 All that needed to happen to keep Jim from making desperation moves to save his job was for Jeanie to say that the timeline was always stupid and Jim isn’t going anywhere.  That was never going to happen of course but it was always an option.  There were other ways to change the status quo besides bringing in Magic.

  38. Archon says

    The Deng and Mozgov signings suggested a FO that had no clear direction or foresight. Before that I was willing to believe the front office was more unlucky then incompetent but after those deals (which are already sunk costs) I believe firings were justified.
    Magic is my hero but I recognize that he’s walking into a tough situation and he doesn’t have any front office experience in basketball. A change had to made though and I’m confident Magic is smart enough and humble enough to recognize the momentous task ahead of him.

  39. new rr says

    Sam Amick ?@sam_amick 1h1 hour agoIf Magic listens to Jerry, he’ll hear a pitch of Warriors’ Travis Schlenk and Larry Harris (former Bucks GM)
    Sam Amick ?@sam_amick 1h1 hour ago
    Also in that potential group: Jerry’s son, Ryan, who is widely respected & has been underutilized there for years
    Sam Amick ?@sam_amick 30m30 minutes ago
    Two more names to watch in Lakers situation, in addition to Rob Pelinka & Arn Tellem: Portland’s Neil Olshey & former Cavs GM Chris Grant

  40. Clay Bertrand says

    new rr

    WOJ is saying Pelinka is the clear front runner.

    Has history with the team, is like Bob Myers in that he’d be a former agent, he has great NBA ties, and has a good relationship already with Ryan West.  

    He is reporting talks have been ongoing with Pelinka.

  41. new rr says

    If Magic and Jeanie hire Pelinka in the next couple of days without going through a real search process, then that will be a very bad sign.

  42. Clay Bertrand says

    new rr

    Not as bad as it sounds.  Its not just a Kobe guy hire.  They think he is already a good fit with the FO.

  43. new rr says

    Clay Bertrand new rr

    Pelinka might be great, but here are the problems I would have: 

    1. I want to see an orderly process to fill this job. 
    2. Pelinka has a law degree and BA in Business,but AFAICT has not scouted or been an AGM. He is not IMO as well-qualified as some other guys they should look at. 
    3. It would be an insular hire in some ways: Instead of bringing in someone from outside the org. with a fresh perspective, Jeanie would be replacing her brother with Magic Johnson and Kupchak with Kobe Bryant’s agent, which suggests to me that when she decided to pull the trigger, she called Magic and Kobe, and maybe did not talk enough to others. 
    YMMV.

  44. Clay Bertrand says

    new rr  Clay Bertrand

    All good points.  

    The Lakers see him as a copycat type of hire.  They are trying to emulate the Warriors.  

    Bob Myers worked under Arn Tellem who was Kobe’s original Agent.  Rob Pelinka did exactly the same thing but I believe, had more clout due to his client list.  

    Myers was hired as Asst. GM under Larry Riley but he got Riley’s job after only a year.  

    The Lakers have been after Myers for awhile and it even surfaced last year that they were going to try to hire Myers away from the Warriors when his contract was up prompting the Ws to lock him up hastily right before the season last year.  That report was met with rolled eyes at the time.  Apparently, there was some truth to it.  
    I agree though that a clean process of interviewing different guys from different teams like Schlenk and Weaver, etc. would leave no doubts and be full DUE DILIGENCE.  

    I also agree that Pelinka could well be a very good hire.  

    Interesting times!!!!

  45. fern16 says

    Well, the same could be said when the Dubs hired Bob Myers. They are looking for a “wheeler n dealer” we don’t need a 3 month search for a new GM. We need somebody in there fast before Magic do something crazy…

  46. Clay Bertrand says

    fern16

    A lot of people are reporting Pelinka is the guy and that the hiring will be sooner than later.

  47. BigCitySid10552 says

    _ Robert _ I’m with you Robert. Too many are looking for perfection, would have been nice, but I’m more than ready to see what Magic has on his mind. All here know how I felt about the front office personnel decisions over the last three years. So glad to see the last of those responsible are now history. 

    As a player, Magic was unselfish, didn’t mind sharing the glory & putting his teammates in position to succeed. Here’s hoping he can do that on a managerial level.

    I believe in Magic 🙂

  48. Clay Bertrand says

    _ Robert _

    Jerry aint coming back.  Ryan will figure prominently though behind the scenes.

  49. BigCitySid10552 says

    bluehill While Magic “could do some dumb things”, Jimmy B & Mitch “did do a lot of dumb stuff” the last three – four years. I’ll take the 1st option over the 2nd option any day of the week.

  50. fern16 says

    I hope so, really bad timing.There were a coupke of deals cooking now they are in limbo. But i saw it coming, That barrage by Ding yesterday wasn’t a coincidence…

  51. drrayeye says

    TempleOfJamesWorthy It’s not decision; it’s vision–and Jimmy/Mitch have had a murky one at best.  The first sense that someone has at least some vision in the FO was the hiring of Luke–but look who they gave him:  Moz, Deng, and almost no cap space. 

    The progression of coaches before Luke were dealt with in much the same way.

    I won’t forget the peculiar way that Trevor Ariza was pushed away–or
    the vindictive purging of Derek Fisher–or the peculiar offer/no offer
    for Phil Jackson–and the almost immediate fallout with Jeanie . . . . .
    I could go on–and on.

    The interpersonal, bigger-than-life Jerry has been replaced by aging aloof Mitch, enabling and supporting a Jimmy who still hasn’t grown up.  
    The best answer might still be to completely separate the Buss family from management–and maybe Magic will help the process along–but Jimmy and Mitch have obviously forgotten who the Lakers are–if they ever knew.

  54. fern16 says

    One of the other reasons that had to had done Jim and Mirch in was that after 3 years of losing we had the biggest capspace in the league and the FO blew their load on Moz and Deng long term contracts.That had to factor that in when they fired them…

  55. Mid Wilshire says

    There are several interesting effects / repercussions that could arise from today’s shake-up of the FO.
    1) There are the obvious long-term issues about building a team: How successful will the new FO be in constructing a competitive team?  How adept will they be at drafting (a major strength in recent years)? Will they continue to be committed to the re-building process? Will they believe in and embrace the current young core (Russell, Ingram, Randle, Clarkson, Zubac, Nance, Black)?  Or not? Or will they jettison some of them and decide to bring in “win-now” talent or other young players to whatever degree their cap space will allow?
    2) There are near term considerations as well. What will happen with the (reported) recent trade talks for Lou Williams (and perhaps others)? Are those talks still on? Will any trades be consummated? Will the other teams still talk to the Lakers? Or have the Lakers been crossed off their lists?
    3) But there are other considerations as well.  How will the players on the current squad react? Whenever new leadership is brought in en masse, whether in the corporate world or the sports world, there is almost always a reaction of some sort in the trenches. Will the current players feel energized by this? Will they be sanguine about the future?  Or will they be nervous and uneasy?
    4) Finally, how will the coaching staff react.  Will they feel empowered? Will the new FO encourage and validate their direction? Will the new FO contribute in some way to a new culture, attitude, and belief system? (These things do matter.)
    Only time will tell, of course. but we should keep our eyes on all of these issues. Because one way or the other, they will impact the Lakers’ future, now and in the long term.

  57. Lakers Future says

    LT Mitchell  MT87 KevTheBold

    Agree with LT. From the outside the Lakers have been as bad as the Knicks. We Lakers fans don’t realize just how bad the Lakers look to everyone else outside of L.A.

  58. Travis Y says

    It makes zero sense to hire someone quickly to meet a Trade deadline. Hire the best person with the vision, connections, discipline, and knowledge of the CBA to lead the Lakers.
    Interview all the best assistant GMs that are known to be top commodities.
    Listen to their idea and plan for the future and maybe we can learn something and become realistic about our situation. This would cost time and money but would also be something called due diligence.
    If we make a hasty hire of Pelinka it makes me question the judgment and leadership of Magic. Fans like us are hasty and make rash decisions. The front office must be measured and look at the long view.
    I wanted Buss gone, but this trait is something I valued in Kupchak.

  61. Clay Bertrand says

    I think this will be a much better hire than some may understand.  He is sharp and plug and play.  NO compensation to get him and he’s not green in dealing with GMs and agents.  
    No one is talking bad about him yet.  In concert with Ryan West and others he could be a really good progressive hire.

  62. KevTheBold says

    With regards to the GM hiring, though we don’t know at this point who or when,.. a quick hire may not be as hasty as we assume,.. for all we know this was
    planned out for some time, including who they were going to hire as GM. 
    I for one after all these years of sloth and waiting ending up with nothing happening worth happening,.. welcome a quickly executed plan that gets us moving again.

  64. radmd says

    Still R radmd
    It is about collecting and improving your assets.
    Carmelo is obviously not a long term solution but it beats the heck out of what we have with deng and mazgov.  We are stuck with them for another 3 years at a cost of about 32 million per year. Carmelo has only two years left and is still much more productive than both combined. And still has a better trade value.

  65. bluehill says

    KevTheBold As you surmised, it’s clear that a series of moves have been in the works. Given the timing, it would suggest that there are some moves to be made before the trade deadline too.

  68. Clay Bertrand says

    bluehill KevTheBold

    Lou will be gone to the highest bidder.  All we needed was more than one team in the bidding.  Leverage is everything.  Agents are good at creating leverage. This will be a strength of Pelinka for sure.

  70. fern16 says

    Habemus GM looks like. There is no way this wasn’t planned in advance. Since Jeannie and Magic had that talk prior to him becoming and “advisor” a plan was set in motion. This is happening so fast because everything was in place already. Im sure of it…

  74. bluehill says

    Clay Bertrand I’ll hand it to Magic. He has thought this through and is executing with some efficiency. We should get a good idea what he has in mind in terms of the team he wants by Thursday because I’m guessing he’s got some trades he wants to get done.

  75. fern16 says

    “The talk”, “the hiring”, the “i want to run the show”remark, the “talk” with Kobe which looks more like letting him know of the plan, “the barrage” the firing, a gm already in place. All in the same month Fully orchestrated plan. Worthy of Game of Thrones…

  76. bluehill says

    Crazy. Who cares about the remaining games? The action is in the FO. Checking twitter it seems like Lou’s price is going up by the minute. CHA, HOU, NO supposedly interested too. Hahaha. Crazy.

    Showtime is back! Go Magic!

  78. Mid Wilshire says

    If Jeanie were 5-8, Sicilian, male (perish the thought), and looked like Al Pacino, and if this were 1970, I’d be addressing her as Don Corleone.
    This whole thing has been orchestrated brilliantly (almost cruelly).  Having spent my entire adult life in the corporate world, I’ve seen a few coups before. I know palace intrigue when I see it.  (I’ve been on the winning and losing ends of a few.)  And this one ranks up there at the top.
    Things look as if they were rushed. But they weren’t.  This all unfolded gradually, carefully, clandestinely. It took several weeks, maybe longer.  It was done beautifully. 
    I’m impressed.

  81. _ Robert _ says

    Mid Wilshire 
    Jerry Buss = Don Corleone
    Magic = Michael Corleone
    Jim = Frado
    Mitch = Tom Hagen (your out Tom)
    Dan Gilbert = Barzini
    Mark Cuban = Phillip Tattaglia
    Chaz = Moe Green

  83. Clay Bertrand says

    Brewer is signed thru next season like Lou was.  SO we don’t gain a roster spot or cap space.  The  pick is likely Houston’s own which would be a late 1st

  84. Mid Wilshire says

    Clay Bertrand We trade offense for defense.  Good move, I say, at least on the surface.  This certainly changes the look and feel of the bench.

  85. fern16 says

    I think the real target was that 1st round pick, looks like the Lakers weren’t getting a 1st from the other teams. I have a feeling were not done dealing…

  86. Clay Bertrand says

    fern16

    Gotta be a pretty late 1st Rounder coming from Houston.  I don’t know what pick it is.  Hasn’t been reported yet.   It may be Indiana’s pick.  That pick would be better than HOU.

  87. fern16 says

    Thanks for everything Lou, you did your job, became a fan favorite and are going to a playoff team.

  89. Clay Bertrand says

    The Collection of 30 and older wings that suck grows……………SO its gonna be Ingram at the 3 backed up by, Deng, Brewer and Metta………..  Depth is key

  90. fern16 says

    If we lose that pick to Philly there wouldn’t be even a 1st rounder for the Lakers on this Draft!!. I reaallyy doubt teams were tripping themselves giving 1st round picks for Lou. What i heard was couple of second rounders or a protected first from playoff teams which amount to what we got.

  91. fern16 says

    The most inpirtant thing here is the pick, i think Brewer can be buy out and he is an expiring contract next season. We weren’t getting multiple picks or high prized young players for Lou. I have the feeling weren’t done dealing…

  92. LT Mitchell says

    Can this day get any better for a Laker fan?
    I wanted a little more for Lou, but I cant complain.
    So far, Magic seems know what he’s doing. I’m actually excited about the future of this team…..almost forgot how that felt.

  93. fern16 says

    The other teams look like they would trade the 1st rounder but they wanted to trade it protected. Screw all that, the pick is unprotected.

  94. _ Robert _ says

    I am “OK” with the deal
    It is not great but it is OK.  Better than eating Nicholson but I would rather have a 2017 expiring as opposed to 2018.
    That said – welcome to the new era – the deal got done.   If it was still the Jim era, the deal would have not been made, the deadline would have passed, and there would have been a bunch of defensive stuff written about “context” as to why the deal did not get done.
    In any case the deal did get done and Lou is gone  (1 year later than he should have been).   we are going to be soooo bad without Lou for a while.    We will see if any of the youngsters can fill the void.

  95. TempleOfJamesWorthy says

    drrayeye TempleOfJamesWorthy

    Re: “It’s the vision…”

    I’m sorry, but that’s a rationalization you’ve woven in your head from whole cloth.

    Once again, I encourage you to go back through Cleveland Cavaliers front office moves since 2010 (the last year the Lakers won a title).

    THEY hired Byron Scott and Mike Brown as head coach…just like the Lakers.

    THEY overpaid for Timofey Mozgov…just like the Lakers.

    THEY let go of promising young players (e.g. Jae Crowder) who turned out to be useful…just like the Lakers.

    And, unlike the Lakers, the Cavs wasted two top-4 picks on the likes of Anthony Bennett and Dion Waiters.

    So, did the Cavs front office have “vision”…or were they just lucky enough to have LeBron James want to come back to Ohio and play for them (despite the antipathy between LBJ and owner Dan Gilbert)?

    I think you know what the REAL answer to that question is.

    If you wish to argue Jim/Mitch needed to go because the dysfunction between them and the rest of the Buss family (esp. Jeannie) had reached critical mass, I’d think the evidence supports the assertion. If you wish to cite the Mozgov/Deng signings as evidence the FO was engaging in CYA behavior instead of determined creative long-term team building, I think that’s a fair claim.

    But Mitch/Jim and their staff made many many moves that were either net positive, or defensible at the time they were made but didn’t turn out as planned. I think the perception of their incompetence (which may ultimately be more important than reality in a perception-driven industry like pro sports) has been oversold and they were fired at least partially for problems not of their creation.

  96. TempleOfJamesWorthy says

    I’m happy to see the LouW to the Rockets deal go down.

    I was skeptical any team would give up a 1st-round pick for an undersized isolation scorer, but I guess LouW’s short/cheap contract overcame some reluctance.

    If Corey Brewer were 4-5 years younger, he would be an excellent throw-in. I’d have preferred a young prospect like K.J. McDaniel, but I guess Brewer was needed for salary matching.

    Maybe SwaggyP can fetch some real assets as well?

  97. jaronbryce says

    Clay Bertrand
    Key was to get the pick in a year where draft is deep in good prospects. I’m guessing that the teams mentioned as “being interested” were perhaps offering 2nd round picks instead of a first round pick.

  98. Clay Bertrand says

    I totally got that wrong.  It has to be Houston’s low 1st rounder.  Which is 27.  

    Not knowing what else was being offered, im still lukewarm on the deal.  This pick is basically like 5 picks ahead of the Lakers second rounder that they may or may not have.  

    Seems like they pulled the trigger a little early but maybe teams start to make moves and the interested teams dwindle.

  99. wwlofficial says

    The biggest value coming back to the Lakers is we get to play Clarkson and Russell play crunchtime minutes. If we pull off another Larry Nance, Jr. from the draft it will have been a steal of sorts. If not, nothing. Great move.

  100. wwlofficial says

    To lighten up the mood, I just hope Rob’s middle name doesn’t start with “I” otherwise… 😀

  101. fern16 says

    I think the deal timing was fine because a year ago the Lakers wouldn’t had get a 1st rounder for Lou. he had a good season but not a career year like this season. His stock was higher than ever now, not last year. We have a presence on the 1round of the Draft regardless of what happens with the philly pick. We didn’t had that luxury before.

  102. _ Robert _ says

    fern16  Nothing comes for free.  The cost was that our offense was dominated by Lou more than even Kobe did. Further – Brewer is a boat anchor – dead money through 2018.   The pick is a late first.  
    So like I said – I am OK but not elated.
    Jim/Mitch would still be wringing their hands over the deal and it never would have gotten done (see DH, See Pau, etc)

  103. fern16 says

    Yeah the 27th pick, same pick we used to draft Nance and 5 picks ahead of were we picked Zubac. If we lost the protected pick we would have zero, zilch picks in the first round and word is that the other teams interested in Lou wanted to keep their picks protected or offered second rounders. I don’t even count with the top 3 protected pick. If our luck ran out with that pick finally this is what we got, more than what we would had got a year ago if we traded Lou then.

  104. fern16 says

    Of course nothing comes for free. Last season we would had got one or maybe two second rounders and thats it. At least we got something of more value. Same spot we drafted Nance btw. Im ok with the trade. Who knows we might get. We weren’t getting a lot more out of Lou in any trade scenario. If the old regime was still on? The deadline would’ve come and go.

  105. bluehill says

    fern16 I agree. At this point, Lou’s value is arguably the highest it’s been since he arrived. We may think that Lou should have yielded more, but assuming that multiple bidders were involved, then this is what the market was willing to pay. 
    This take from the Ringer is made me laugh (they are overall positive)
    “To paraphrase Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh from Bull Durham, the http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources-with-magic-johnson-in-power-lakers-eyeing-agent-rob-pelinka-to-become-gm-204625211.html just https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLdrVWDdQU.
    The Lakers get a first-rounder from the Rockets?—?which is a great
    return on Williams by itself. Swapping Williams for Brewer is also a
    great shadow tank move.Lou Will is leading the Lakers in scoring, averaging 18.6 per game. Corey Brewer is leading the Rockets in sitting next to Sam Dekker.
    The Lakers need to be the top three of the 2017 NBA draft or their pick
    goes to Philadelphia and the city has to change its name to
    Hinkiedelphia.”

  106. MT87 says

    Thanks for your service Lou, it has sure been fun watching you play.  Glad we were able to snag a guaranteed first round pick, but I think that was a foregone conclusion for Lou this season.  I’m more interested to see if Nick Young gets moved.

  107. Clay Bertrand says

    I don’t get why the media is all Jazzed that the Laker pick from Houston is UNPROTECTED.  Its for THIS YEAR and the Rockets are 40-18.    Who care’s if its protected or not!?!??!?!!  It actually IS protected because the Rockets record is already good enough that the pick won’t be a lottery pick and in reality, will NOT be high at all.  Were the Rockets gonna make it TOP 24 protected!?!??!?!  

    Its a low first rounder.  No protection necessary.

  108. Triplepost says

    Shouldn’t be that hard to lay the blame where it belongs if you take the time to read the articles by ding and others. But we’re still trying to say it’s somehow jeannies fault. Sounds like something Jim buss would say.

  109. denciox909 says

    Hey Darius.  Any chance we can get rid of the 2 albatrosses we have in Deng and Mozgov.  I suppose it would be a minor miracle if we can get rid of one of them but both?  That would be indeed “Magic”…..almost reminiscent of how we got Pau Gasol 9 years ago.

  110. MT87 says

    Triplepost The FO dysfunction of the last handful of years has been directly related to the power games between Jeanie and Jim.  Neither of them is innocent.  Jeanie is in charge of the franchise, she has to bear ultimate responsibility.  Furthermore there are a lot of reasons to question if her hiring Magic is at all the right move.  It is clearly yet another nepotistic decision and nobody is responsible for that other than Jeanie.

  111. MT87 says

    Lakers Future LT Mitchell  MT87 KevTheBold Here is the thing: hiring an ex-player with no FO experience to run our basketball ops makes us much more like the Knicks and the Kings.