MAGIC DRAW
Can Hall of Famer restore Lakers’ glory?
The Magic Johnson appeal has always been impossible to ignore. The transcendent talent, the dynamic personality, the rags- to- riches story of a kid from Lansing, Mich., who went on to become an NBA icon and business tycoon. As charming champions go, he might top the list.
But when Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss recruited her friend, first adding him as an adviser and later elevating him to the top basketball position while firing her brother, Jim Buss, and longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak, the only question that matters soon became clear: As their once- proud franchise careens toward a fourth consecutive playoff absence, is Magic’s magnetism still strong enough to save Laker Land? It depends who you ask. “If you have a free agent sitdown with a superstar and Magic Johnson is in the room, that’s going to move the needle as far as getting that guy serious about wanting to come here,” said Dell Curry, who works for the Charlotte Hornets, played against Johnson for nine NBA seasons and is the father of the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the Dallas Mavericks’ Seth Curry. “L. A. is L. A. already, but if you have Magic Johnson pushing for you to come here, it’s going to make you think.
“It’s success, man. That’s what every player wants on and off the floor, and he’s the epitome of it. He built his way up, built his brand once he got here.”
As strategic NBA formulas go, this is more than just another former player returning to his beloved franchise. What Johnson has is a profile on the business and basketball fronts.
He boasts a massive net worth ( more than $ 500 million, according to Forbes), a reputation as a devoted leader in the black community and the on- court credentials that come with being the fivetime champion who was captain of the “Showtime” era. Only Michael Jordan can come close to making those kinds of claims, but his task — persuading stars to head for a small market in North Carolina — is a much tougher sell.
Still, not everyone sees it that way — especially those who lived through the lean Lakers years.
“I really liked working with Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss; they weren’t the problem,” said Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, the former New York Knicks coach who resigned as Lakers coach in April 2014 after two seasons. “They had tried to make the trade for Chris Paul ( in December 2011 that was blocked by the NBA), and they had it, and that would’ve ( kept them successful) another 10 years. ...
“Luck is involved. They were doing the right things, trying to do the right things. ... You have to accept that ‘ OK, we’re not ( good), and let’s take baby steps.’ And a lot of times, for New York and Los Angeles, that’s not good enough.
“I don’t see ( Johnson’s appeal as) being one of the top factors in players deciding whether L. A. is ( for them). It’s the players they have, the money you’re getting, the role you’re going to have. I see all that way before ( the Magic appeal).”
Johnson will have front office folks around him to shore up his weaknesses, chief among them general manager- tobe and former Kobe Bryant agent Rob Pelinka, who is expected to be formally announced soon. They will all be heard in June, when the Lakers ( 19- 42) hope to retain their first- round pick ( it’s topthree protected) and add another toptier prospect to their young core.
But if Magic shoots an air ball in free agency in July, perhaps suffering the same fate as the Lakers’ jettisoned basketball execs who couldn’t persuade Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant or so many others to come their way in recent summers, then he’s just another inexperienced former player who is learning on the job.
“I don’t get caught up in ( questions about Johnson’s ability to attract stars) because we’ll find out; time will tell,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously, I think there’s been a lot of positive feedback about having Magic around. He’s incredible at knowing what he wants and just doing it. It’s a great trait.”
Sam Amick @ sam_ amick USA TODAY Sports