“Klutch Minions Gonna Be Blaming Him” – Fans Remain Doubtful as Magic Johnson Celebrates New HC Candidate for Lakers

Magic Johnson, the former president of basketball operation for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been eagerly awaiting to know who will be filling the head coaching vacancy for his team. What started with JJ Redick, has ultimately come to the 2024 NCAA Coach of the Year, Dan Hurley, and Johnson couldn’t be more excited about this news.

The 5x champion made a case as to why Hurley would be the perfect fit for the Laker nation on ‘X‘. However, fans are doubtful about the UConn Huskies coach, who is likely to become the new HC. Fans are rather circling back at the same point that Johnson emphasized, which is a change in the roster. 

An elated Johnson wrote on X, “I’m so excited and thrilled! This would be a game changer for the Lakers organization, LeBron, AD, the rest of the Laker players, Laker Nation and the NBA! Coach Hurley can coach his butt off lol” 

Hurley has been a head coach in college basketball for more than two decades now. However, the leap from college basketball to NBA is not everyone’s cup of tea. 

Moreover, like Johnson said a few days back, if the Los Angeles Lakers do not improve their roster, nothing is likely to change for years to come. Johnson shared during his interview at the ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die Premier‘, “I’m leaning more toward improving the roster. It doesn’t matter who the coach is.” Yet he couldn’t control his excitement when Hurley was named as a potential candidate. 

“NCAA coach can change mentalities?”: Fans hit Magic Johnson and the Lakers with a stinging reality check

Billy Donovan, the head coach of the struggling Chicago Bulls, found plenty of success with the Florida Gators. However, in the NBA, it was quite the opposite. He has been coaching the Bulls since 2020, and they have made it to the playoffs only once, which was a first-round exit. It’s a similar case when it comes to former head coach of the University of Louisville Rick Pitino, who tried his shot at the NBA with the Boston Celtics in the late 90s. A fan commented, “Do you really think that an NCAA coach can change mentalities ? Rick Pitino tried, Billy Donovan tried it too .. without Big success”. 

“2 years max of LeBron and then what? This team isn’t good enough, it wouldn’t matter who was coaching them,” commented another fan. The future of the Lakers has been a big question mark. Who will take over after King James heads into retirement? It’s an answer that we all await. 

On the other hand, a few want James to retire early. A fan wrote, “This team will continue to underperform until James later retires. I’m a huge lakers fan, but when he constantly complains it’s a turnoff”, ultimately blaming the 4x champion for the struggles off late. Moreover, if James leaves the team this summer, it will give the Lakers a good cap space to sign another star. Maybe, that’s a solution!

A few fans still want to see JJ Redick as their new head coach. There is one advantage for the Lakers if Redick takes up the vacancy. A fan pointed it out, “I still prefer JJ Reddick. He and LeBron are on the same page.” This fan believes the team chemistry would easily improve, which is something the Lakers lack again.

Finally, some have already decided that Hurley will become the scapegoat if he lands as the head coach of the LA unit. The Lakers have changed their head coach season after season when things do not go their way. A fan commented, “Magic, you know Klutch minions gonna be blaming him soon as things go left?“, which shows that the fans are not happy with the Lakers and their reception towards their coaches’ records.