NBA · OT: Magic Johnson calls out Jim Buss on the MDA hire (page 1)

Check out the video in the link...

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story...

After tweeting that he would remain silent if he didn't "have anything nice to say," Magic Johnson said what was on his mind anyway.

Johnson doesn't think Mike D'Antoni is the right coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and can't understand how the franchise passed on bringing back Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson.

And Johnson doesn't believe in Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss.

"I love Dr. (Jerry) Buss. I don't believe in Jim Buss," Johnson said on ESPN's "NBA Countdown" on Wednesday night. "He's made two critical mistakes already. To me, they made two critical mistakes.

"First, hiring Mike Brown -- he wasn't the right coach. He's a great coach but not the right coach for the Lakers. And I don't feel Mike D'Antoni is the right coach for the Lakers. Especially when you have Phil Jackson sitting out there, who wanted to be the Laker coach. Jim Buss decided he didn't want Phil Jackson, he wanted Mike D'Antoni. And that's OK, but why didn't you just say that? But the fans were cheering for Phil Jackson two nights in a row."

Asked by ESPNLosAngeles.com if he'd heard about Johnson's on-air comments, Jim Buss said, "But I believe in Magic as I always have."

“

Johnson I love Dr. (Jerry) Buss. I don't believe in Jim Buss. He's made two critical mistakes already. To me, they made two critical mistakes.
” -- Ex-Lakers great Magic Johnson

Earlier in the day, Johnson tweeted that he was "mourning Phil Jackson not being hired as the Lakers head coach." The tweets marked Johnson's first public comments on the Lakers' coaching situation since the weekend.

"The reason I haven't tweeted in 2 days is because I've been mourning Phil Jackson not being hired as the Lakers head coach," Johnson tweeted Wednesday morning. "My mother always taught me that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said Monday that hiring D'Antoni was a unanimous decision amongst himself, Jerry Buss and Jim Buss.

The Lakers simply felt D'Antoni was a better fit for their current roster than Jackson, who would need time to install his Triangle offense with a group of players who has so far struggled to grasp the similarly complicated Princeton offense.

"Without going into great detail, some of our guys, I don't think would be very successful in the Triangle," Kupchak said Tuesday. "Some of our newer players might take a long time to learn the Triangle."

This isn't the first time Johnson has publicly called out the younger Buss. Last season, after Kobe Bryant had publicly called on management to either trade Pau Gasol or assure him that he would not be traded, Johnson said on a conference call that Jim Buss needed to sit down and meet with his star player.

More on the Lakers

For more news and notes on the Lakers, check out the Land O' Lakers blog from the Kamenetzky brothers. Blog

"I think what has to probably happen is sit Kobe down (and) Jim, sit him down," Johnson said at the time. "Say, 'Hey, Dr. Buss was the master at taking you to lunch or taking you to dinner and really going over what he thought about, or what he was thinking and what he wanted to do with the team and Jerry West was great at that as well.' Kobe, Mitch and Jim just got to get on the same page and it will be OK."

Soon afterward, Buss and Bryant met and began developing a closer relationship.

Bryant said Tuesday that he and Jim Buss had consulted before the Lakers began their coaching search. D'Antoni had been his first choice until Jim Buss suggested Jackson, and he learned that Jackson was open to the idea of returning.

Bryant told Buss he "loved them both" and has since said he's thrilled to have D'Antoni as his new coach.

Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

The same thing crossed my mind. I like D'Antoni, I really do. But does he fit that team? He is about ball movement, which they have the right players for in a sense, but with Kobe? It seems a bit like Melo again, I mean is he going to have Kobe camped out in the corner like he did Melo? I think Jeff Van Gundy (as Magic said) would have been a better candidate. Well, I don't have super strong feelings here and to be honest am really looking forward to how they're gonna play.

earthmansurfer wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

The same thing crossed my mind. I like D'Antoni, I really do. But does he fit that team? He is about ball movement, which they have the right players for in a sense, but with Kobe? It seems a bit like Melo again, I mean is he going to have Kobe camped out in the corner like he did Melo? I think Jeff Van Gundy (as Magic said) would have been a better candidate. Well, I don't have super strong feelings here and to be honest am really looking forward to how they're gonna play.

Hiring a Van Gundy is impossible after what happened with Dwight and Stan in Orlando. If Magic actually said that then he has no idea what he's talking about.

VCoug wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

The same thing crossed my mind. I like D'Antoni, I really do. But does he fit that team? He is about ball movement, which they have the right players for in a sense, but with Kobe? It seems a bit like Melo again, I mean is he going to have Kobe camped out in the corner like he did Melo? I think Jeff Van Gundy (as Magic said) would have been a better candidate. Well, I don't have super strong feelings here and to be honest am really looking forward to how they're gonna play.

Hiring a Van Gundy is impossible after what happened with Dwight and Stan in Orlando. If Magic actually said that then he has no idea what he's talking about.

True. I wasn't thinking of the personal relationship between Stan and Dwight (if true). But the fit is there and perhaps the personal thing can be overlooked, as it was personal between Dwight and Stan - a grown up.

I said the same thing here when the Knicks got ... it's not the Pringles is some bum, it's just that he doesn't fit the Knicks/Lakers brand. I think Pringles fit perfectly in Phoenix, who have a history of playing variants of small ball (like when Rex Chapman played there)

I kinda agree with Magic that Phil would have been the better choice for that roster but MDA is not a bad hire. He has all the components to run his offense. Kobe does not play Melo ball. Kobe will actually create for others and I think running the PnR with Kobe will jump start his game. The Black Mamba is a student of the game and I think he will adjust and flourish. Nash...well, he is the perfect MDA PG. You have great PnR big men in Dwight and Gasol. You guys see Gasol run the PnR with Rubio? It was a thing of beauty. The player that is a big question mark is Artest. Dude is an east coast player. I was also looking at their roster, they have some good spot up shooters in that team...Duhon, Blake, Antawn Jamison. They will be fine.

I think Houston really fucked this up. They should have hired MDA right away. Lin/Harden backcourt with the 3pt shooting PFs they have would have been ideal. They also have wing players Parsons and Delfino. I think Lakers jumped on MDA because they were afraid that Houston might hire him specially with McHale having a leave of absence.

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

They have a long way to go to reach the Knicks level of clumsiness

earthmansurfer wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

The same thing crossed my mind. I like D'Antoni, I really do. But does he fit that team? He is about ball movement, which they have the right players for in a sense, but with Kobe? It seems a bit like Melo again, I mean is he going to have Kobe camped out in the corner like he did Melo? I think Jeff Van Gundy (as Magic said) would have been a better candidate. Well, I don't have super strong feelings here and to be honest am really looking forward to how they're gonna play.

Imagine how bad it would make melo look if Kobe stood in the corner and bought in and the Lakers actually win games

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

Their mantle is quite full of bling. Ours has two very old trophies. Dolan's mantle is empty. No soup for Dolan!

Posts here are consistant, the more we can crap on MDA the more knick self esteem is created.

Lakes "Jimmy" did have a good summer getting Nash and Howard. They have been able to retain Kupchek over the years and are still a successful franchise.

Magic has been outspoken before and just because its "Magic" does not mean he has the midas touch.

Magic was a disaster as a coach and his TV gigs are over done. I respect the guy as a player and business outside of sports.

Magic thought Isiah would be a great GM/President for the knicks. Magic is not your friend.

gunsnewing wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:Seems like the Lakers are the new Knicks now!

Jim Buss "Starphuching" and making all the wrong moves now. 3 coaches in 2 years. Your star player giving "death stares" and now your team is the 2nd best team in the city.

About time someone take the mantle from us!

The same thing crossed my mind. I like D'Antoni, I really do. But does he fit that team? He is about ball movement, which they have the right players for in a sense, but with Kobe? It seems a bit like Melo again, I mean is he going to have Kobe camped out in the corner like he did Melo? I think Jeff Van Gundy (as Magic said) would have been a better candidate. Well, I don't have super strong feelings here and to be honest am really looking forward to how they're gonna play.

Imagine how bad it would make melo look if Kobe stood in the corner and bought in and the Lakers actually win games

That is worse case scenario for Melo's image.

gunsnewing wrote:Imagine how bad it would make melo look if Kobe stood in the corner and bought in and the Lakers actually win games

I don't see this happening. D'Antoni hasn't won a thing. Kobe will find a reason to tune him out, so will Howard.

Kobe is much better at making plays for others

Nalod wrote:
Magic thought Isiah would be a great GM/President for the knicks. Magic is not your friend.

+1
Cogent and clear.

Credibility is such a difficult thing to maintain in the NBA. At almost every level.