Posted on 03/05/2019 11:24:48 AM PST by C19fan
It was the fall of 1981 and Magic Johnson was not happy. The Los Angeles Lakers had just won five in a row, but Johnson was feeling constrained by the new offense head coach Paul Westhead had installed.
Westhead met with his star point guard over what he called a "lack of concentration," according to a Sports Illustrated report. It didn't go well. Because in the locker room after that meeting, Johnson told the media he couldn't play under Westhead's system anymore and wanted to be traded.
John Rockwell, a close friend of Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, was dispatched to find a solution that didn't involve trading the conductor of Showtime.
"I go to Jerry and he says, 'Well, that's not a problem at all,'" Rockwell recalled in a recent interview with ESPN. "He said, 'Just fire the coach.' So, that's what he did. I was really surprised, but Magic was very important to the team."
There is perhaps no greater articulation of the Lakers' unwavering commitment to the star system than the clarity Buss showed in choosing Johnson over Westhead.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
Title is LeBron but excerpt is Magic.
Who is LeBron blaming this year? It’s never his fault when he loses, but always because of him when a team wins.
Injuries.
Lebron will be back next season, he will add another superstar, and the Lakers will be in the hunt.
Article takes awhile to get to LeBron. After Johnson, it goes to Kobe...
but I get what you are saying...
More proof that MJ is the greatest ever.
So for the purpose of changing the subject, occasionally talking about sports or entertainment is a healthy thing.
The Lakers could already have that superstar but Ervin Johnson mucked up the trade for Anthony Davis.
if you’re familiar with the lakers for the last3 years, the whole team into blame.
James is 6’8”
I clicked on the article. My bad.
OMG!!! I heard about the Snoop rant but not the Slave Ship part.
Yes that did not go well.
Correct. Had LeBron and Lonzo Ball stayed healthy throughout the season, the Lakers would be in the hunt for as high as a 6th seed in the Western Conference.
He’s too busy running his mouth to run his play.
Hell of a lot of money and truckloads of BS to put up with from L&L to achieve such a notable seed...6th???
Paul Peirce was saying the other day they should sit LeBron down—save him for next year.
No one thought they were going very far this year. It is nice to see LeBron struggle.
I have never understood the public fascination with pro-basketball. It irritates me: the squeaking of shoes on the varnished floor, the buzzer, a score is made every ten seconds, at least, because most of the players merely run up and drop the ball in, and the fans react as if they are absolutely witnessing a miracle, etc.
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