Jerry West came in with a plan and stayed the course, Magic Johnson cut corners
People forget these days that the Clippers were known as “Lob City” the hottest ticket in Los Angeles in recent years. It’s amazing that not one member of the most exciting era in Clippers history is there anymore.
Who led the destruction of Lob City? Jerry West. I was one of many NBA fans that wondered if the Clippers had lost their collective minds after making the playoffs six straight years.
But, I remembered the reputation of the greatest basketball mind in the game. Jerry West always had a plan.
"“This was not a championship-caliber team,” he said. “Chris Paul, a tremendous player. chose to leave here (and the Clippers granted his trade request by sending him to the Houston Rockets in a multi-player deal), and when it happens, it opens up everyone’s eyes, OK? “What can we do to make us better? Or, what can we do to make us more sustainable?”"
Being more sustainable means not paying an oft-injured Paul a four-year $160 million dollar max deal, which Houston is now paying, and flipping him for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell to set a culture of professionalism and defensive intensity that has become the identity of the team.
Trading Blake Griffin to Detroit provided even more flexibility by unloading his max level contract, coupled with DeAndre Jordan‘s expiring contract. Plus, the Clippers have draft picks in their cache.
Why do I mention these draft picks as a major point? Because according to Jerry West,
"“I’ve always felt that drafting is the life blood of any organization.”"
Let’s talk about West’s counterpart…Magic Johnson.
The Anthony Davis trade saga showed the business plan of Magic Johnson. The main (or maybe the only) goal for the Lakers is to get two max-level free agents. At the time, the plan was to get LeBron James and Paul George in the fold until George shocked the NBA world by signing a long term deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder without even meeting with the Lakers.
But that wasn’t a major issue in my opinion. The Lakers drafted very well selecting Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball in back to back drafts with the No. 2 overall pick in consecutive years, and Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers could have developed the young players with the supposed leadership of LeBron James and made a run for the playoffs. Then in the offseason, try to sign a max level free agent.
Here’s where things get confusing for Lakers fans and the media alike. The plan going forward, from what I saw, was LeBron James would hold the fort while Kuzma, Ingram and Ball continued to improve and gain experience. Now only one more thing needed to be done.
The Lakers had to fill out the roster.
Based on the video earlier, Magic Johnson had a point. He wanted tough guys that were going to compete and do multiple things besides stand out on the perimeter and wait for LeBron to pass them the ball.
He wanted multiple playmakers that can do multiple things all while keeping salary cap flexibility. That’s why he signed Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee. These are all veterans that provided cap flexibility on one-year deals.
Things went wrong when Magic Johnson and the front office panicked and changed course without looking at the ramifications of messing with the combustible chemistry that was already risky from the start.
Let’s go deeper into how this year’s trade deadline played out.