From: jamesd@techbook.com (James Deibele)
Subject: Re: Magic un-retires
Organization: TECHbooks --- Public Access UNIX --- (503) 220-0636
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 02:45:55 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.171640.29135@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> u_nique@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Jerray Wei) writes:
>How can you tell who's on what level with the Dream Team?  The only player
>that stood out was Barkley...even Jordan shot under 50%, I think.  I thought
>Magic played pretty darn well.

You're entitled to your opinion.  It's article 2 in the Usenet Bill of
Rights.  For myself, I thought that the Dream Teamers played much better
with Stockton at controls, and at least as well with one of the Finals
Troika (Drexler, Jordan, and Pippen) controlling the ball.

Partially that's because they're not that familiar with each other's
game and weren't faced with serious competition.  But I'll pick any of
the Dream Teamers, even when bored, tired, or rusty, over Scott, Threatt,
Worthy, or Divac.  Magic may get the best out of the other Lakers, but
so what?  This is an old team, and all they need is one injury to a key
player (Magic, Worthy, Perkins, Divac, Threatt) to put them out of it.  

>I don't think that's true.  I think whatever Magic Johnson does, he's always
>going to be in the spotlight for better or for worse.  I think he's coming
>back because he LOVES basketball and he misses the game so much.  Every game
>that went past must have been agony for him.  Not only that, he's still a

I know Magic loves basketball.  But every article that I have read
agrees that one of the prime reasons he's coming back is so he can be at
center court once again.  Without basketball, nobody really gives a damn
who Magic is or what he thinks.  He's a nice guy and it's a terrible
thing that's happened to him, but I can print you a list of the nice
guys I know who have had terrible things happen to them.

>top notch competitor.  With him aboard, the Lakers are nothing to laugh at.
>Before he retired, I thought L.A. would have a better crack at the finals
>than they did before (with the acquisition of Threatt, who solved all their
>weaknesses against the Bulls before).  If the older guys can crank out one
>more season and be rejuvenated by Magic's return, there's no reason they
>can't be dominant for at least one more year.

Whatcha smoking?  The Lakers haven't been "dominant" for several
seasons.  They <upset> the Blazers and went on to get destroyed by the
Bulls.  I think that's going to be the Lakers finest moment for a while,
because nobody expected the Blazers to have the kind of trouble they did
with Lakers.  That's what I mean by Magic going out on a legendary note,
because he made his team so much better that they knocked off a better
team.  Sort of like the double overtime game that Bird had in the Garden
against the Blazers, where you could see what kind of player he was
<all the time> once.  But you can only go to the well so often, and Magic
and the Lakers are running dry.

I would pick Portland, Phoenix, and Golden State to pass the Lakers for
sure, with Seattle and the Clips having 75% chances.  That makes them
only better than the Kings, and the Kings might not be so bad if they'd 
stop doing stupid trades.  They may sneak into the playoffs, because I
don't know what's going to happen with San Antonio and Houston, but I'd
bet against it.