(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
With the NBA Trade Deadline just two days away, the Los Angeles Lakers decided now would be a great time to fire their top basketball executives, promote Magic Johnson to president of basketball operations and just free ball without a general manager for a while. Hmm…
We’re not saying that all was fine and dandy in Laker land with the current leadership structure; Los Angeles is on pace for its fourth consecutive losing season. We’re just not quite sure Magic Johnson is the right guy for the job. Let’s take a quick look at some of the, ahem, expert opinions he’s expressed recently.
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/476414674452635648
If you’ll remember, Fisher retired as an NBA player after the 2013-2014 season…and was immediately hired by the New York Knicks as head coach that summer despite zero coaching experience. You know, because hiring a guy who has never proven he can do the job always works out! He signed a five-year, $25 million deal and promptly went 40-96 (.294) in one and a half seasons.
Looking back on it, Magic, maybe the Fisher hire wasn’t such a “great move.”
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/545967451461410817
Desperate for some talent around Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks traded promising youngster Jae Crowder, a first- and second-round pick and some spare parts to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Rajon Rondo in 2014. Admittedly, at the time, Rondo hadn’t gone full Houdini on us just yet. But many were skeptical that acquiring a mercurial pass-first point guard who had given up on defense was going to be the move that made the Mavs a contender.
Surprise, surprise: Rondo lasted just 46 games with the Mavs before the team suspended him indefinitely and allowed him to walk in free agency. They finished He averaged just 9 points and 6.5 assists during his time in Big D. Those aren’t quite contender numbers.
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/552301986608332803
Dion Waiters has always been a me first, scoring guard. While the Thunder were looking for some extra offensive oomph at the time of this deal, Waiters never quite fit in to their team culture. He pouted when he didn’t get the ball, disrupted locker room chemistry and got absolutely torched on defense.
In two seasons with OKC, Waiters never averaged more than 12.7 points nor did he make a significant impact in the postseason.
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/49565033717440512
Oof, this one hurts. I’ll just say Jimmer Fredette is currently paying in Chine and leave it at that.
https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/726910416123645952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In other news, water wet.
Seriously, Lakers, this is the guy you hired to call the shots? Good luck.
