Magic Johnson promises to step down if he can't save Lakers within 2 years
Much to the chagrin of the NBA, one of its most storied franchises has become a laughingstock in recent years.
The Los Angeles Lakers, owners of the second most championships in NBA history, are a hallmark franchise likely worth billions, but that prestige hasn’t stopped them from entering a deep downward spiral the last several seasons.
Since their last playoff appearance in 2013, the Lakers have failed to win more than 35 games. Their string of woeful seasons included a particularly putrid 17-win season in 2015.
Despite the misery, Lakers fans were given a glimmer of hope in February 2017 when incumbent team president Jimmy Buss was replaced by Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
The fact that fans were elated despite Johnson’s having zero front office experience was a testament to just how bad the Lakers had become.
Adding to the excitement was that Johnson’s first year as team president showed some tangible improvement, as the team won 35 games, up from 26 in 2016-17.
But at the end of the day, the Lakers still had a losing record and didn’t make the playoffs.
More worrisome is that the collection of talent the Lakers have selected in the early parts of the NBA draft haven’t shown the star power to which the Lakers had become so accustomed.
Brandon Ingram (No. 2 overall in the 2016 NBA draft) and Lonzo Ball (No. 2 in 2017) are both looking like fine talents but haven’t shown any superstar potential quite yet. D’Angelo Russell (No. 2 in 2015) was traded away, and Julius Randle (No. 7 in 2014) is likely to bolt via free agency this year.
That’s not a lot to show for quite a bit of draft capital.
Perhaps owing to the fact that Lakers haven’t exactly been savants when it comes to the NBA draft, the team has made no secret about its intentions to lure some big-name free agents to Los Angeles.
In fact, the Lakers are so obsessed with signing star players from other teams that Johnson came out Tuesday and basically staked his job on it.
Interesting stuff from Magic…Giving himself a deadline of two Summers to turn the Lakers around…
“If I can’t get deliver, I’m going to step down myself, she (Jeanie) don’t have to fire me, I’ll step away from it.” pic.twitter.com/Q0FPzPJxIA
— Allen Sliwa (@AllenSliwa) June 26, 2018
“If I can’t deliver, I’m going to step down myself, she don’t have to fire me,” he said, referring to principal team owner Jeanie Buss. “I’ll step away from it.”
That’s a lot of pressure Johnson is placing on himself.
Yes, the Lakers will have an avenue of carving out enough cap space to sign two max free agents. Yes, Johnson still holds quite a bit of clout and reverence among modern NBA players.
But will the top free agents, all presumably chasing an NBA championship, be willing to go to a Lakers team devoid of any surefire homegrown stars?
When LeBron James joined the Heat, Dwyane Wade had already established a winning culture in Miami. When Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors, they already had a trio of homegrown talents in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
That’s not to say everything is doom and gloom for the Lakers. Stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both reportedly have expressed interest in playing for the Lakers. Both grew up in Southern California. James has been linked to the Lakers for years as he has made his intentions to break into the television and entertainment industries well known.
By that same token, it’s not abundantly clear if an aging James, a not-quite-superstar George and the mercurial Leonard would bump the Lakers above the resident juggernaut NBA champion Golden State Warriors.
But at this point, even making the playoffs would be a massive success for the Lakers — and more than enough to save Johnson’s job.
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