Jerry West, Magic Johnson 'Embarrassed' By Lakers, Call Team 'Classless'

Not only did the Dallas Mavericks embarrass the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, they embarrassed a couple of former Lakers stars.

After the Mavericks finished off the sweep, Magic Johnson said that the Lakers "embarrassed the organization" and called the fouls on Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum "classless."

Ex-Lakers star and general manager Jerry West made a Monday appearance on the Dan Patrick Show and said that he "was a little bit embarrassed."

"Not with the loss," West said. "But some of the things I saw on the floor which I thought were really just not something that a person that wears a Laker uniform should do.”

In the fourth quarter of Game 4, Dallas' J.J. Barea drove to the basket and Bynum leveled him with an elbow to the ribs. The Lakers center was immediately ejected and escorted off the floor.

Odom was ejected moments earlier for a flagrant foul against Dirk Nowitzki.

Jerry West's interview was transcribed by Sports Radio Interviews. Click HERE to listen to the full segment.

Comments

[paulpeterman504]

11:38 PM on 05/11/2011

Jerry West should be more embarrassed regarding his role in bringing Pau Gasol to the lakers. They were already a contender and were able to get Gasol basically as a gift in a trade, featuring Kwame Brown, from the Memphis Grizzlies. How, you ask? Because Jerry West, former longtime lakers gm, went to the grizzlies for a few years, then left to return to the lakers. During his time with memphis, however, he established a relationship with the Grizzlies' owner, michael heisley. When the trade was announced, most teams were shocked to learn that a) gasol was on the market and b) that he could go for so little. Michael heisley made his fortune off of shady dealings, so I'm sure there had to be something in it for him. The league didn't look into it, but my guess would be that it probably welcomed an all-star player coming to the league's biggest fanbase for nothing. Either way, the lakers should never have been given gasol when they already had 2 7-footers. Karma's a bitch though, as the mavericks ate their lunch in a sweep, featured by a 36-point blowout. Now we can only wait for Dwight Howard or Chris Paul to come to the lakers in a dubious trade, smh.

[JacksonHts]

09:55 AM on 05/12/2011

Excuse me, the Grizzlies got the rights to Marc Gasol in the same trade. I would say that the trade turned out pretty well for Memphis in time.

[paulpeterman504]

06:54 PM on 05/17/2011

Excuse me but the grizzlies made it to the 2nd round, and that's supposed to be a fair trade? The Grizzlies took a HUGE risk in trading an all-star who was the centerpiece of their franchise and a rare 7-footer. The chances of any of those players working out were a gamble, while Gasol was a sure thing. Now they're trying to make a bs trade for howard and you'll be okay with that? C'mon Son!

[phantom power]

10:35 AM on 05/12/2011

this is the most insane, idiotic, non researched argument i've ever read. memphis went on record at the time saying they wanted to rebuild the team from scratch and didn't want to hold pau back from being successfu and they would take their chances with marc who had more potential to work with what they had planned. memphis took a huge gamble that, if you've actually been following the playoffs, worked out for them.

[tundra599]

04:12 PM on 05/13/2011

you both have valid points. Marc was a no-name at the time, but had lots of potential, as has been seen. But if you also recall at the time of the trade, many other coaches were talking about the trade being very one-sided. Granted, they could have just been upset at the deal the Lakers got, but at that time it looked and felt very dubious. Especially with the ties that Jerry West has with both organizations.

[paulpeterman504]

01:11 AM on 05/17/2011

Yes, exactly, they took a huge gamble that happened to work out for them. They traded their franchise player for a bunch of draft picks and expiring contracts? And you bought their explanation that they "didn't want to hold pau back from being successfu(l)"? Wow, you are gullible...also, use hyperbole a bit much? Getting bounced in the 2nd round in your best season is equivalent to handing over the key addition to a team that made 3 straight finals? Talk about (fill in your ridiculous use of hyperbolic language).

[bongogirl]

10:49 PM on 05/11/2011

The Lakers ARE classless and an embarrassment.

[dekethortonsarmy]

08:39 PM on 05/11/2011

Jerry West is too scared to watch Laker games last time I checked

Wasn't he the one hiding in the tunnels his last year as GM

Not good with dates - But I will never forget him chewing his fingernails in the shadows of Staples

Who cares what Jerry West has to say

I trust in Kupchak
Mitch will take care of business this summer

[BigBrax]

10:04 PM on 05/11/2011

Mitch Kupchak is responsible for making the a geriatric team in the first place: Theo Ratliff; Joe Smith, Derek Fisher, Ron Artest, Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol are all between the ages of 31-38. Kupchak got his work cutout for himself with those contracts.

[tapeatsbill]

06:35 PM on 05/11/2011

Exactly why hockey is the best sport. When a player gives a cheap shot like Bynum or Odom he will immeditately have to defend himself from getting punched in the face. This tends to cut way down on the cheap shots. Its not perfect but it has worked in hockey for years.

Then, the tradition in playoff hockey at the end of a series is for all the players from each team line up and all shake hands. Hockey sure isn't perfect but it has a much better sense of justice and sportsmanship than any other sport. As a fan it is so gratifying to see a goon have to defend himself for his cheapshots.

Its also way more fun to watch and play. I'm just sayin.

[LittlePurpleUSA]

03:26 PM on 05/11/2011

I'm still shocked that they folded like origami.

[Jay818]

05:08 PM on 05/11/2011

right.....

crazy...they had two games where they held comfortable leads later in the game they just gave up....whack....Kobe never did...Kobe never quits...but Gasol, Odom, and especially the other guys..Just quit playing.

[paulpeterman504]

11:44 PM on 05/11/2011

Sorry, didn't mean to mark that as favorite. Kobe definitely quits, you don't have blowouts by 36, 39, 21, 31, 28, and 28 in consecutive elimination games without quitting. He is a great clutch player, but his level of clutchness is overrated, considering he has put up lemons in many of his most important games, including shooting 6 for 24 in game 7 of last year's finals, yet he still won finals mvp (completely bogus series). He only put up 3 points in the second half of game 7 of the Suns-Lakers series, when the suns beat them by 31, everything on his face and body looked like he gave up in that game.

[moreobamafarrakhanluv]

01:44 PM on 05/11/2011

I'm a proud, unashamed lakerhater......

[paulpeterman504]

01:01 PM on 05/11/2011

Also, even though I can't stand the lakers, I think the people on here calling bynum a "thug" and "criminal" are way out of line. He made a very stupid move in the heat of battle, but that's no reason call him a thug, he's young and made a mistake, as we all have. It's not a pattern I've seen in his play, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Nor does this have anything to do with the basketball of the 80's, as Magic Johnson pointed out. I have no problem with a hard foul, but a) this was a play that could have seriously hurt Barea and b) the game had long been over. In fact, I've always thought the lakers were one of the softest teams among the contenders in the nba. They're a finesse team (especially before they got artest) that struggles against teams with strong big men like the Celtics or Nuggets.

[paulpeterman504]

12:54 PM on 05/11/2011

“YeahDonkey­,
Their history would go more like this, though these are based on facts, which I'm sure will stop it from getting through your skull:
2000 - Come back against Portland following very fishy calls including getting their best player, Scottie Pippen, fouled out on a bogus call.
2002 - Win a championsh­ip after being completely outplayed by the Sacramento Kings - Referee Tim Donaghy later says this game was fixed.
2003 - Lose by 28 in game 6 vs. Spurs
2004 - Lose by 28 in game 5 vs. Pistons in what is deemed the 1st "5-game sweep"
2005 - Don't make playoffs
2006 - Lose by 31 in game 7 vs. Suns
2007 - Lose by 19 in game 5 vs. Suns
2008 - Lose by 39 (NBA record for finals-cli­nching game) vs. Celtics
2009 - Win despite sketchy officiatin­g in which Nene is fouled out multiple times in wcf's
2010 - Come back from 13 pt deficit despite shooting 32.5% from field. In fact, they shot a significan­tly lower fg%, 3pt% and ft% than Celtics. Also took 25 of last 33 ft's - screams of a fix.
2011 - Lose by 36 vs. Mavericks.
What an unimpressi­ve history...­"haters just can't touch history" sounds like something barry bonds or mark mcgwire would say...some day the league will look into the corruption that gave the fakers these championsh­ips, won't happen until stern steps down. BTW, get over yourself and pull the sheepskin from over your eyes.”

[moreobamafarrakhanluv]

01:42 PM on 05/11/2011

what an outstanding comment...fanned and faved and shared with my facebook family and friends too.

[Jay818]

05:11 PM on 05/11/2011

16 titles....oh, yeah, that's bad "history"

All the comebacks? That's what champions do..but people that follow losing franchises never experience such greatness.

Whatever....

[paulpeterman504]

11:19 PM on 05/11/2011

Yes, champions do come back, but the lakers' in the above posted were contrived. They all (in 2000, 2002, and 2010) came from the free throw line, which is bs. The game is supposed to be one on the floor, not in a free throw contest. The lakers should be ashamed not for their 36-point loss or flagrant fouls, but for accepting championships that were given to them, rather than earned.

[Fritzwood]

11:50 AM on 05/11/2011

...when the elite fall..people eat it up...it's the Lakers' world...your other teams just live in it....

[moreobamafarrakhanluv]

01:54 PM on 05/11/2011

lol....the 2X hand selected champions are no longer the commish's selection...I love it

[Jay818]

05:12 PM on 05/11/2011

That's what people say that follow losing teams...

hand picked......Fisher hitting last second shots to win games. Horry, who else? Ariza's last minute steals.... Where do I stop?

You cant fix those types of plays..the players either make them or they dont.

[GEM-592]

07:47 AM on 05/11/2011

To those who suggest that sports build character, I submit for your consideration : the Los Angeles Lakers. And not just this year's team.

[kmich718]

08:30 AM on 05/11/2011

While I see your point about the LA Lakers team as a whole, but please don't loop SPORTS as a whole into this.

Sports, if coached, played and supported like it should be, then it is one of the best forums for learning and confidence building I've ever had.

Swimming team, golf team, ski team, volleyball team, softball team, track team......I'll never regret participating and still do from time to time.

[GEM-592]

08:37 AM on 05/11/2011

Sometimes it builds character ... but other times just CHARACTERS. I think you're right that sports can be very positive, but pro sports are out of hand.

[GEM-592]

08:46 AM on 05/11/2011

These are the best and brightest pro sports has produced, evidently worthy of their millions and constant attention from the media. The fact that they haven't learned even the simplest lessons of sportsmanship should tell you something about how far from "should be" we are down the line.

[Jay818]

05:13 PM on 05/11/2011

The lakers have alway had class and one incident in frustration by a 22 year old kid that never even went to college tarnishes their entire history?

Follow a losing franchise do you?

[Fireytiger]

05:57 AM on 05/11/2011

Criminals parading as athletes. Why do we even watch these animals?

[thatbrothasmoove6]

08:47 AM on 05/11/2011

Careful. Your sheet is showing.

[paulpeterman504]

01:06 PM on 05/11/2011

Please, he has no criminal record, nor record of excessive flagrant fouls. He's a young man who made a mistake in the heat of competition, our society would be a better place if people didn't always act like they had never been in his shoes. Also, calling them animals shows exactly why you're just as classless, if not more so.

[Photog Momma4]

02:17 PM on 05/11/2011

Are you freakin kidding me?! Do the names Gerald Wallace or Michael Beasley ring a bell?! He actually fractured Wallaces rib, causing a partial collapsed lung and seemingly tried to do the same to Beasley and Barea. Calling him a criminal is not too far of a stretch in my mind. Even a record of 1 flagrant foul is one too many, IMO.

[BraveWarrior]

02:17 PM on 05/11/2011

How dare you inject reason and understanding into this thread. How often do young people make mistakes? Like those young soldiers who were probably intimidated into following peers in the sport of hunting civilians in Afghanistan? How much envy, jealousy and resentment to see these pampered, spoiled athletes, especially the soulful ones, win so much fortune and fame. Strange that they don't post such hate at the bankers, who stole all of our futures.

[Queen Cassandra]

04:53 AM on 05/11/2011

Bye Bynum, Odom ....and be sure to take Kloe with you.

[Jay818]

05:15 PM on 05/11/2011

Grape or red?

haterade

[Queen Cassandra]

04:25 AM on 05/13/2011

The Haterade has way tooo much sugar !!!! Go Miami !!!!!!

[blade1]

03:30 AM on 05/11/2011

So what, the Lakers have nothing to be ashamed of. Between Jabbar, Majic, Shaq and Kobe they've made a name for themselves. Besides whats the motivation. The best thing is for the team to be broken up. Kobe should go somewhere else purhaps that would motivate him to make another run. Let the Lakers endure mediocrity for a while.

[awaitingmd]

12:33 PM on 05/11/2011

What team would accept Kobe?

[blade1]

04:33 PM on 05/11/2011

... Are you serious? Aside from all the hate'n Kobe's services would be invaluable to any organization. Don't spend your time reading someone elses color comentary for sensationalism!!! Above all Basketball like every other sport is a "business" and Kobe is money in the bank!

Oh and as a Kicks fan I wouldn't mind seeing him in the blue and orange!

[666dorado]

03:19 AM on 05/11/2011

it was like bynum was swatting a pesky fly buzzing around his face!

[Jay818]

05:16 PM on 05/11/2011

exactly...frustration on a poor guy that was light in the caboose....

not condoning, just perspective.....7 footer vs 5'9???

[numnuts]

03:00 AM on 05/11/2011

The Lakers should be ashamed and embarrassed. Disgusting. I'm glad they were humiliated.