Coach Magic Johnson

[Myth]

How bizarre was this? I was a kid at the time, so any old timers here that can reflect on it? I was vaguely aware as a kid this happened, but it was so brief that most of my knowledge on the subject is from reading about it. Also, it is strange that he would retire, coach, and then come back as a player.

Btw, I'm aware that very few ISH people here were old enough at the time to truly reflect on this (many of you likely not born yet and hearing of him as a coach for the first time).

[chocolatethunder]

How bizarre was this? I was a kid at the time, so any old timers here that can reflect on it? I was vaguely aware as a kid this happened, but it was so brief that most of my knowledge on the subject is from reading about it. Also, it is strange that he would retire, coach, and then come back as a player.

Btw, I'm aware that very few ISH people here were old enough at the time to truly reflect on this (many of you likely not born yet and hearing of him as a coach for the first time).
I remember it. Randy Pfund got fired and I think Magic coached for something like less than 20 games and was awful. He was an awful coach. Granted, he took over midseason but he's just not a coach. A coach on the floor yes but he was a brutal head coach. I don't think he really wanted to do it much either to be honest.

[Roundball_Rock]

It was weird. They won something like 3 of their first 4 or 4 of their first 5 but then did nothing thereafter. You see this often in sports, especially NFL, where a team plays hard and is temporarily rejuvenated by a new coach but then reverts to the poor form that lead to the original coach being fired in the first place.

Magic is a cautionary tale for the "coaches on the floor" becoming actual coaches. Kidd, M. Jackson were okay but it will be interesting to see how Kerr and Fisher fare.

[navy]

What was his coaching record?

[Stringer Bell]

It was interesting while at the same time had this feeling of "publicity stunt". Or at least that's how some of the media was portraying it as.

Here's a short passage from an SI article about his time as coach.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1007724/index.htm

[QUOTE]He has blown right past all the normal stages of grieving, and you wondered if there would be hell to pay down the road for that. Or if none of the rules apply here; if the virus has never bumped into anyone quite like this. When he coached the Lakers for 16 games in 1994, Earvin would get a couple of assistant coaches and bench warmers and take on the Lakers' starting five. He would tell the man guarding him exactly what he planned to do: All right. I'm gonna post you up, take two dribbles to the right, fake left and go right. He would do just that

[chocolatethunder]

What was his coaching record?
5-11

[Bless Mathews]

He is top 5 goat player , horrible coach.

All over on the sideline too emotional. Horrible.

[9512]

He is a horrible coach along with a bad commentator and analyst.

Isiah Thomas did better as a coach bu both him and magic fail as commentors.

[Stringer Bell]

He is a horrible coach along with a bad commentator and analyst.


And a bad talk show host too.

http://joedigital.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/08/Howard-and-Magic1.jpg

[played0ut]

not everyone can be a larry legend.

http://i.minus.com/idMtKUiN471XY.gif

[Myth]

It was weird. They won something like 3 of their first 4 or 4 of their first 5 but then did nothing thereafter. You see this often in sports, especially NFL, where a team plays hard and is temporarily rejuvenated by a new coach but then reverts to the poor form that lead to the original coach being fired in the first place.

Magic is a cautionary tale for the "coaches on the floor" becoming actual coaches. Kidd, M. Jackson were okay but it will be interesting to see how Kerr and Fisher fare.

From what I read, he won his 1st game, lost 5 straight, and then won 4 of his last 5 games. The team what shit before and after him coaching, so I think it is hard to say he was terrible, he never really had a chance.

[Hey Yo]

His head coaching gig lasted about as long as his talk show did.

He was awful at both.

btw....could you see Magic trying to teach his players how to play defense? Laker fans think D'Antoni was bad, just imagine a whole season of Magic.

[TheBigVeto]

He's the worst coach of all time.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Can't imagine him in a huddle. He doesn't come across as being very articulate in the studio.

[Thorn]

Magic was given the reins to the 94 Lakers which pretty much had no chance. This was the middle of the dry spell after Magic and before Shaq. I believe this was more a publicity stunt than an actual gig.

Some of the issues was that he couldn't really relate to his players. I remember in his book he got himself, Cooper (who was an asst. coach), Worthy, Divac (basically all the old guys) played a scrimmage against the starters and just crushed them because the main, young players were so fundamentally awful. Their attitudes sucked too and compared to Magic who would basically cut your heart out in order to win...it wasn't pretty.

Interestingly I think this is the only case of someone coaching before actually playing in their last game. I really wish Magic stuck around for the late 90s Lakers with Shaq, Van Exel, Frobe and Eddie Jones but there probably would've been too many guards - there was already friction on those late 90s Lakers and adding another capable guard in Magic probably wouldn't have ended well. Or maybe adding him would've settled the locker room a bit. Who knows?

[Micku]

Magic was given the reins to the 94 Lakers which pretty much had no chance. This was the middle of the dry spell after Magic and before Shaq. I believe this was more a publicity stunt than an actual gig.

Some of the issues was that he couldn't really relate to his players. I remember in his book he got himself, Cooper (who was an asst. coach), Worthy, Divac (basically all the old guys) played a scrimmage against the starters and just crushed them because the main, young players were so fundamentally awful. Their attitudes sucked too and compared to Magic who would basically cut your heart out in order to win...it wasn't pretty.

Interestingly I think this is the only case of someone coaching before actually playing in their last game. I really wish Magic stuck around for the late 90s Lakers with Shaq, Van Exel, Frobe and Eddie Jones but there probably would've been too many guards - there was already friction on those late 90s Lakers and adding another capable guard in Magic probably wouldn't have ended well. Or maybe adding him would've settled the locker room a bit. Who knows?

Magic played PF and a bit of SF when he came back, right? And he was already complaining about the drama when he returned before Shaq and Kobe got there.

[chocolatethunder]

Magic was given the reins to the 94 Lakers which pretty much had no chance. This was the middle of the dry spell after Magic and before Shaq. I believe this was more a publicity stunt than an actual gig.

Some of the issues was that he couldn't really relate to his players. I remember in his book he got himself, Cooper (who was an asst. coach), Worthy, Divac (basically all the old guys) played a scrimmage against the starters and just crushed them because the main, young players were so fundamentally awful. Their attitudes sucked too and compared to Magic who would basically cut your heart out in order to win...it wasn't pretty.

Interestingly I think this is the only case of someone coaching before actually playing in their last game. I really wish Magic stuck around for the late 90s Lakers with Shaq, Van Exel, Frobe and Eddie Jones but there probably would've been too many guards - there was already friction on those late 90s Lakers and adding another capable guard in Magic probably wouldn't have ended well. Or maybe adding him would've settled the locker room a bit. Who knows?
Not sure if you remember but Magic and Van Exel did play together. Van Exel couldn't stand Magic and ridiculed him and called him fat and old. It was not a good scene at all.

[Thorn]

Magic played PF and a bit of SF when he came back, right? And he was already complaining about the drama when he returned before Shaq and Kobe got there.
Yeah, that's why I don't think it would've worked as well as it could've but, you gotta admit...Magic running that fastbreak with Shaq, Frobe, Nick and Eddie Jones, four of the most athletic people in the league? Their locker room might've been toxic though. Even if Magic played forward he'd still be handling the ball more than Nick would like.


Not sure if you remember but Magic and Van Exel did play together. Van Exel couldn't stand Magic and ridiculed him and called him fat and old. It was not a good scene at all.
Yeah, I remembered that since they were both PGs and disagreed on how to play. Nick was talented but wild. There was an incident where Magic got on Nick for bumping a ref and then Magic ended up bumping a ref too. Something like that. There was too much "me-first" on the late 90s Lakers. I believe Ceballos also had an issue with Magic, but he got dealt in mid-97 for Horry.

[gts]

Magic went 5-11 The Lakers were 28-38 When he took over

Crap team, either too old in some positions or way to young in others, Nick Van Exel (rookie year) was a royal pain in the ass to everyone... 82 games of hero ball on his part...

Younger Laker fans say this past season was the worst in Laker history, I point this squad.. They won a few more games than this years team did but that squad had it's starters for the whole season for the most part....

Painful to watch, Excel ignoring wide open James Worthy cutting to the rim so he could jack up another 3 pointer on his way to a 32% season from behind the arc...

Elden Cambell mr inconsistent..

egads.. horrible

[Xiao Yao You]

He's the worst coach of all time.

Frank Layden

[Harison]

Most Top players cant be coaches, either because a) they cant relate to mediocre players, or b) because their BBIQ as players doesnt translate to coaching BBIQ.

Imagine Jordan as a coach :facepalm Magic was terrible. How about Shaq? :lol

The only two Top10 players of All-time who were elite coaches too - Bird and Russell, and they quit coaching soon after too.

[GimmeThat]

it's about generation gap.

once people get past of seeing the same faced they've played with/against etc. they lose/temper their focus on competition, but focus on the job alone and itself.

I guess you can say Larry Bird could straight up tell his competitor that right now I'm the coach, how my team perform is a reflection of my coaching career, not my playing career, because I could still beat you if I played. etc.

And of course, the ability to handle losses as a coach and as a player is very different as well.

[chocolatethunder]

Most Top players cant be coaches, either because a) they cant relate to mediocre players, or b) because their BBIQ as players doesnt translate to coaching BBIQ.

Imagine Jordan as a coach :facepalm Magic was terrible. How about Shaq? :lol

The only two Top10 players of All-time who were elite coaches too - Bird and Russell, and they quit coaching soon after too.
Coaching is like teaching so you can refer to the old idiom; those who can, do and those who can't, teach. It's normal for someone who is exceptional at something to not be able to explain it because it's something that comes natural for them. That doesn't mean that they didn't have to work to get better but it's instinctual not learned. Of course there are outliers but by and large this is a truth.

[Stringer Bell]

Yeah, I remembered that since they were both PGs and disagreed on how to play. Nick was talented but wild. There was an incident where Magic got on Nick for bumping a ref and then Magic ended up bumping a ref too. Something like that. There was too much "me-first" on the late 90s Lakers. I believe Ceballos also had an issue with Magic, but he got dealt in mid-97 for Horry.

Yeah Ceballos once went missing and said he had "personal issues" to attend to.

He was spotted jet skiing and it was said he was mad that Magic was stealing his minutes.

[senelcoolidge]

I kind of remember this but it went by so fast. Didn't he wear multi-colored suits and looked like a clown?

[TheBigVeto]

Frank Layden

He's still better than Magic.

[Hey Yo]

Yeah Ceballos once went missing and said he had "personal issues" to attend to.

He was spotted jet skiing and it was said he was mad that Magic was stealing his minutes.
:roll:

:cheers: