Magic head should be called for this off-season if he doesn't deliver on those MAX FA, I'm not even expecting 2, 1 would be utterly amazing at this point. Dude is Lavar, I just didn't realize it till now
^^^Woah woah woah...needed a night for my head to stop spinning so that I could approach the doom and gloom much more level headed. IMHO, this is way too reactionary. I understand that some of the fans may not like Magic and how he puts out quotables in the media. I honestly find nothing wrong with them, but I can understand why some fans are not fond of it. However, I am perplexed at the short-leash Magic is getting here. If we strike out on free agency...we won't...but if we do, you can't have a FO turnover already. Magic was dealt a hand of cards and he's already sent out a culture-stopper (DLo) and a cap-blocker (Moz) in one offseason. As much as you guys wanted to see 2 misaligned players try to line up with each other, DLo and Zo wouldn't have worked. DLo lit that fire quick when he liked a post stating that the Lakers shouldn't draft Zo cause they already had a point guard in DLo. Then after Zo's predraft Lakers workout, he states that the Lakers needed leadership and he would give it to them....shots were exchanged and that duo would have been yet another offcourt issue that DLo would have been a part of. That wasn't going to work...get over it, fam. Magic and Pelinka were given a team that had been losers and that had a toxic locker room (it was reported that many players were happy DLo was gone). They were cap strapped as well with MozDeng (with only 1 season of their multiyear deals off the books). They luckily held onto the #2 pick, which was yet another doomsday scenario their predecessors left them in. Yet after all that, 1 season is Mag/Pelinka's timetable? You can't be serious! Now lets move onto why the 2018plan (and any plan for that matter) will work. First of all, you won't have Jimbo/Mitch at the table greeting free agents. Jr. was lucky to inherit the empire from his pops. Meanwhile Magic is arguably the best PG ever to play, a Laker-Lifer and was the franchise player to earn 5 titles in the 80s for the Lakeshow. Jimmy was none of those things and the players knew it. Its why LaBron to LA and George being hellbent to come on back home was such a large story AFTER Magic took the keys from Jimmy. Mitch, was old-school and never got on board as to how the new NBA worked. Pelinka is a progressive and will use all the tricks in the book (biblical even) to get things done. Hence the tampering charges that were thrown his way and even the indirect lines of communication to LaBron via the KCP signing. Now lets look at the 2018 cap itself. LA: 47M (10 players under contract) Chicago: 39M (13 players under contract) Philly: 35M (11 players under contract) Dallas: 31M (9 players under contract) ATL: 30M (11 players under contract) The rest of the teams outside these 5, have nowhere near 30M+ for a max player. LaVine's extension is going to drop Chicago's spending ability to around $30M. Philly has already one max player in Embiid and Chicago will have a psuedo max player with LaVine. Meanwhile LA has no max players on the roster and our best players are still early into their rookie deals. Stretching Deng alone brings us to just under $60M in cap space. If we let Randle walk or package him in a salary dump with Clarkson, you open up close to just under $75M. If we actually do find a way to shed Deng and not stretch him, along with shedding Clarkson/Randle, we are looking at close to $80M. But it goes without saying, just standing pat and stretching Deng gets us to just below $60M and that is close to 2 max players (minimal monetary sacrifice in year 1 of contract). I have been saying this for some time, but PG was supposed to be here if it wasn't for Pritchard's absolute hate for us. He threw PG to another small market, a Laker western conference rival, brought up tampering charges against us & George and even went to the depths of spite by not mentioning George at all in Indy's program guides when he comes back to Indy to play them for the 1st time (rather their program guide states that Oladipo & Sabonis will face their former team). Looking at PG's intention to come to a losing Lakers team still speaks volumes. And unless OKC makes it to the Finals, I think its all lip service and he'll be gone. Now lets look at LaBron. Went to Miami to team up with Bosh and an up and coming Wade. Then went to Cleveland to join forces with Love and an up and coming Kyrie. LA has some up and comers that have to deliver this season, but more importantly, they have the cap for him to find a partner to join him in LA with. Miami wasn't a legit contender before he chose South Beach. Cleveland had their worst seasons under Byron, before LaBron chose to come back home (kinda sounds like PG13 here). So even if we have a crappy season, as long as the money is there and the potential is there, FAs like LaBron and PG will still come. Yall need to connect the dots, instead of prematurely throwing dirt on a plan that has alot more practicality and reality than you think.
what pre-mature shade did i throw? all off season he talked up 2max fa, im only expecting 1....how you figure that plan still worrks out if this team looks like s***? if he doesn't deliver these fa he should be called out for it, same plan as mitch/jim bob, they didnt deliver n got their critcism, magic shouldnt be any different....i dont care bout the back story of dlo/moz, magic reasoning to do the trade was to get room for 2 max fa, if he doesnt deliver why should he get any leeway?
What's different? LA has the most money to spend next summer. LA's doing something behind the scenes to the point that small market teams wanted Indy to throw charges at us and some of it actually stuck (hence the fine). Something is bubbling behind he scenes and at least this FO is putting in the effort to get a "plan" done. LaBron and PG's LA rumors started bubbling AFTER Magic came on board as just an adviser. Things started to boil over when Jeanie made him head of basketball ops. I'm sure you know PG alone can't right this ship. He needs a fellow star. So if you throw too many assets to Pritchard for Indy to send him our way, we don't have enough assets left to rid MozDeng off the books. MozDeng still on the books, no 2nd star to team up with PG. The way Pritchard didn't mention us by name, the way he threw tampering charges at us and the the way he dealt George is enough proof that he was going to do everything he could to squeeze us for George or outright not trade him to us. The FO has done a good job in trying to right the wrongs that the previous regime has done. If you can't see that, then you need to get up out of the shade.
all that mean nothing to me if said max fa doesnt sign this upcoming off-season...at this rate i dont see no pg or lebron, best case now is if nop sucks n dmc wants to move...Pg13 aint coming
Jimmy-Mitch got yearS to right this thing and they still severely handcuffed us on the way out. One offseason is all it took to give us the possibility to get 2 stars next summer and still its Magic's fault and head if it doesn't transpire (oh it will ye of little faith...but still premature a bit, yeah?).
yes, jim sealed his fate with his stupid time line comments, just like magic fate should be tied to his 2max fa plans, you say it'll be different with magic, if he doesnt deliver on this fa plan, whats different? even during mitch/jim era, there were multiple rumors of love, westbrook, etc planning on signing in la. until i see it happen, magic as someon puts it is nothing more than you typical "used car salesman"... as of now im already seeing Rob back track on this 2max fa plan with some of his recent comments
Magic has proven over and over again that he can succeed in things he puts his time into. How bout them Dodgers? He's going to right this ship and he deserves more than 2 summers to do so. Unless you got some hidden agenda against the man that has compromised your perception, he's overcome at least some of the damage his predecessors left him with and its that type of progression that gives me faith he'll succeed and bring us back to our rightful standing in this league. Keep doubting him though. I'm sure it aids his drive to shut the naysayers down.
giving magic credit for dodgers success, really? dude just a figure head....again ill doubt until proven wrong, i have no agenda only expectation of what MAGIC SAID...deliver as promise or you're no better then mitch/jim were
Figure head...really? So Dr. Buss had nothing to do with Laker lore? Sterling had nothing to do with Clipper gore? It starts from the top. Dr. Buss/Jeanie's only problem was they put way too much trust, effort and patience in a family member when everything he did showed us the contrary. Remind me, what exactly has Magic promised? Clearing cap (2 max players worth) to go shopping next summer...didn't he deliver that? We're going to go shopping next summer...he's delivered on that. Did he promise playoffs this year...nope! He wants to change the culture here, well we definitely brought in character guys to get that part done...hopefully now it results in some more spirited fights than last night. So he's delivered on that as well with results TBD. The media, our players and their dads as well as Lakers fans' impatience, has created the win-now narrative. Magic hasn't promised us any of that. That's on you. But I do appreciate the efforts we see (and don't see) that are going into righting this broken ship....a ship that he inherited...and wasn't gifted like West gave to Jimbo/Mitch.
I thought about avoiding the board today all together. I didn't even look at this place last night. It'd be nice to have a bigger sample size than this before we start labeling everyone. Last year we beat the Houston Rockets opening night......and then proceeded to win 26 games.
wait so mitch/jim didn't go shopping n got us deng/mozgov? i never said Magic couldnt sign 2 max guys, i said if he cant he should be called out for it just like mitch/jim, they gave us same pitch
And rightfully so, but he needs more than 1 offseason to get the job done. I like Rob, personally. I think the guy is going to do a good job. They need time, though, to execute their vision.
2018 is all they've been talking up since taking over, yes they didnt create a deadline like mitch/jim but like mitch/jim the team future/success is solely depended on said fa signing this upcoming offseason
Well, if their success is solely tied to the 2018 season, they they're shortsighted; due to the circumstances that have changed, they need to be looking beyond 2018. PG and LeBron coming to this team would require a heck of a sales pitch, and while I'm confident Magic can sell probably as well as anybody, that's a huge challenge. They need to map out the list of Free Agents over the next 2-3 seasons and start to build this team around Lonzo.
My gripe with Magic and Rob is them saying we're going to be entertaining, competing every game, multiple times. And then preseason happened where we look opposite of that. And now after game 1 we look lost. No system, no effort. And it's the first game of the season! Not the 50th.
Besides, where do we go with it if we start calling for Magic's head? Byron has poop on lockdown. He is Poopaliciousness is legendary. I mean, there's only so many other bodily secretions.
