The Lakers need more than Magic to turn the star-free franchise around
NEW ORLEANS — For Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss, the smart move on Sunday evening is to steer clear of the TNT network.
Watch The Simpsons, The Walking Dead, or maybe Shark Tank, the show that stars her pal, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. All are on in the same time slot. Anything to avoid seeing this version of the NBA All-Star game that she surely hoped would never be a reality: For the first time since 1996, and one year removed from the Kobe Bryant farewell weekend in Toronto that captured the global spotlight, the game is completely Laker-less.
No TV screen, much like Lakers executives these days, would be safe.
This is more than a footnote in Laker Land, where Buss’ recent hiring of Magic Johnson as an advisor had everything to do with their diminished star power. All the years of free agency failings, of general manager Mitch Kupchak and front office executive Jim Buss missing out on the biggest and best players, led to this point.
Enter Johnson, the five-time champion and business magnate with a magnetic personality whose ability to improve the player perception of the Lakers has everything to do with why he’s here. As the summer deadline nears, with Jim having vowed to step away if the Lakers weren’t back in title contention by then, this is Jeanie’s reaction to the culture shock of these last few years.
But Johnson isn’t enough – not even close.
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Today’s NBA is too much for Johnson to tackle on his own, no matter how much his mind may believe otherwise. It’s a turn-every-stone type of job these days, an endless cycle of salary-cap gymnastics, scouting, recruiting, and, especially this time of year, shopping for trades. Relationships with agents and rival executives, the kind that Johnson simply hasn’t had to foster in his current capacity as a hoops commentator, matter greatly.
It’s well and good that Johnson wants to “call the shots,” as he told USA TODAY Sports recently. But knowing what you don’t know is sometimes half the battle, too. And now, since Jeanie’s words and deeds the last few years would lead one to conclude that a front office overhaul is likely coming, the question of who else will be added becomes more important.
The notion of 78-year-old Lakers legend Jerry West returning to join Johnson and help save the day seems highly unlikely, even if he might be available. West, who built so many of the Lakers championship teams as an executive and has held an advisory role with the Golden State Warriors since 2011, currently has no contract for next season. Warriors owner Joe Lacob has said publicly that he will discuss the future with West after the season.
But Johnson and West are known to be very close, and titans of any industry who get along have a tendency to talk during times like these. Time will tell if Johnson is going to listen.
It’s no secret that West is a staunch supporter of Golden State’s assistant general manager, Travis Schlenk, who has played a pivotal role in the Warriors’ rise and who general manager Bob Myers once called “arguably the hardest-working person in the organization.” It’s also no secret that Lakers director of player personnel Ryan West, one of Jerry’s five sons who has been with the organization since 2009, is widely seen in league circles as someone who’s destined for bigger and better things.
There are plenty of other names, too, with Jeanie and Magic desperately trying to figure out the best way to dig out of this mess. The Lakers are 19-39 at the All-Star break, after the last three seasons in which the combined regular-season record of 65-181 is more than enough to make the late Dr. Jerry Buss roll over in his grave.
And no, the fact that current Lakers D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram will play in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday isn’t enough to soften this blow.
One way or another, the Lakers need to get back in the All-Star game again.
Follow Sam Amick on Twitter @sam_amick.
