We already knew the story behind why he left anyway though. He really didn't uncover anything. Just another TV spot, but it's Lakers, so it's headlining news for social media to eat up. More NBA drama. It's still up to LeBron to recruit and land a co-star..AD/2020 at the latest
I don't know man... his answers seem to be on point to me. I haven't watched the whole thing though. He admits the worst mistake was not resigning Brook Lopez and therefore not having enough shooting to space the floor for LeBron. His response to the Zubac trade is pure truth as well. He is a RFA who was going to be offered a contract the Lakers had no reason to match with salary space at a premium. Zubac was already in firewood pile so burning him for a shot at a stretch 'big' to try and correct not signing Lopez was a move that could be made. Not signing Lopez forced the Lakers to keep KCP and then reach on Bullock and Muscala. Randle was never in the cards as he was not going to settle for a 1 year deal. Randle was not thrilled to play ball and be on the team as the backup PF/C on a 1 year deal. That lower usage would kill the value he thought he had earned down the stretch. Randle wanted the minutes he would get in NO. He feels he was backstabbed by the guy he was holding the seat for. Pelinkobe. Yet he knows that Pelinkobe needs to be at the table when recruiting FA along with Jeannie, Vogel, and LeBron. He made it obvious yet again that while the backstabber was Pelinkobe the actual enemy is Kurt and Linda Rambis who are part of dirty uncle Phils and Waltons hippie swinger polyamorous club. Magic and Kobe are fighting a posterity type battle but on a larger scale they are on the same side against the Phil Jackson plague that has ruined the post playing careers of once proud Laker role players like Kurt Rambis, Derek Fisher, and i'm sure others. Is this cult like a gang where every new member has to get jumped in by Jeannie and Phil? Magic probably remembers how this shit all went down when he was part of it with ol' freak dr Buss in the 80's. So he knows this is not going to turn out well unless they get the Rambis family out of the control room.
But if you're trying to help the team, you STFU about the back office politics. If you're trying to make it about you and what a great business man you think you are, you air the dirty laundry. Shit, who gets pissed about being called out for not working hard enough? Only guys who aren't working hard enough. Well all know magic is an idiot with a big smile and incredible vision on a basketball court. He fails at everything that requires more than smiling and dropping dimes.
Pelinkobe is a snake remember that. You have a Black Mamba hiding behind the scenes. But a White Mamba in the front office. When the Magic man was put in charge to clean up the Playgirls garden he notified her that she had a snake in the grass. What he didn't know is that he also had a couple of horny rams dressed as furry lambs. So since the snake does what it does and the rams do what they do then the magic will do what it does an put on a show. Magic is taking home the slumpbuster, jumping on the grenade, taking one for the team. The magic show is for the media and for now even most fans but the intended audience are the players and their agents as well as other teams front offices. The Twin Headed Black and White Mamba Snake is facing off against the Pyramidal Dragon centered around Uncle Phil/Jeannies heart, The Waltons/Establishment, and their associated succubii Rambii. Magic setting up the show.
You are an idiot if you hire Magic Johnson to a position you expect an employee to be in. Even a highly paid executive employee. He was not there to put up with those office politics in the first place. Specially since you essentially grew up with him and probably lost your.... I mean if anyone other than Cookie knows Magic better its probably his 'sister'. You know this how sister/brother thing has me thinking in light of his other things he keeps repeating. He is telling us that Jeannie is like his sister in the same way that Jim Buss was Jeannie's sister. He is remind you a little bit about who this family really is and how they do their own. So if Magic is an idiot then everyone else in the organization that was involved with asking him to come help the team is clinically retarded. Magic knows that he looks bad in these interviews. He doesn't care. The Lakers look good. And that is what he cares about. This allows them to sweep the rug, regroup, start over clean with Vogel, and have Magic be the fall guy. Magic is closing up all the lose ends so it can be all positive from here. Unless the Rambii infection can't be contained.
no way magic is doing this for the team its all about his ego as a "great" businessman and he has fingers to point at everyone thats a lot of fingers pointing back at him what a loser
yeah. Lakers can trade that pick the second they make it, so agree beforehand, then make the pick for whoever, then trade the draft right to (presumably) the Pelicans.
Sounds like Gentry likes Zo and could want to keep Holiday as well. So maybe LAL and N.O. get this thing done without CHI, and Garland ends up being our guy @ PG? Zo, Ingram, Kuz and future draft comp go to N.O. Lakers go into free agency with an upgrade at head coach and a foundation of LeBron, AD, Hart, shooter/scorer Moe @ C, and shooter/scorer Garland @ PG. Re-sign Caruso to start over Garland, at least initially. That's a strong base. Easily stronger than the Clips. Should be an easy choice for Kawhi. Just turn on the film of the last Lakers/Clippers matchup and have Kawhi watch Caruso bust Gilgous-Alexander's ass for 32 points/10 reb/5 dimes and the W.
I'm pretty sure the Lakers have to clear everything, like literally everything except Lebron to be able to sign a max FA after trading for AD.
They'd have to clear everything to sign a Durant, whose max figure is around $7M-$8M more than Kawhi's max figure. LAL's projected cap space, including the $7M cap hold from the #4 pick, is at around $33M. $1M-$1.5M more than Kawhi's number. That Kawhi is a bit cheaper than some of the other max guys offers the flexibility to keep the #4 pick out of the trade. It's a squeeze, but it's possible. And if it comes down to the difference of a couple mill because of an oversight in projection, remember..Kawhi turned down the supermax in San Antonio in order to get to Cali. He's already shit on a bunch of cash. So they come right out of the gates in free agency and sign Kawhi into the cap space, then make the AD trade official with expensive Zo/Ingram accounting for $16M + Moe/Hart accounting for $4M + Kuz accounting for the $2M necessary to get to $22M. Which is where they'd need to get since AD's cap figure is $27M. So almost everything, but not quite. I forgot about Deng's $5M on the cap, which would basically cost us Moe and Hart, but oh well. Have to cut down on young players in the rotation if you want to win a title anyway..replace them with experienced vet minimum guys like Cleveland used to do, bringing in Richard Jefferson types that want to win a title. Basically the #4 pick and Bonga could stick around. Depending on the market for UFA Caruso, they may also be able to retain him. He probably won't get more than a couple mill because the sample size is so small