If the idea is that Magic is the public face of management and in charge of recruiting stars to the Lakers, that would work. Certainly a better plan than Jim Buss butting his way into meetings with free agents.

But if the idea is that Magic, without help from an ace GM, can build and maintain the roster as well as Jerry West did, not so much. Management across the NBA as a whole is much more professional now than when West became GM. West could learn the job over a few years while nearly all other teams were run by guys who didn't know what they were doing.

On the other hand, if Magic hires a staff full of smart, experienced people who know their jobs well, then it could work as well as, say, John Elway running the Broncos.