Johnson places blame on GM Pelinka for Lakers exit

The Los Angeles Lakers were ready to unveil their new coach, Frank Vogel, on Monday. It was a good opportunity for some upbeat talk, a fresh start after a disastrous season.

Then Magic Johnson went on television.

In a startlingly frank interview on "First Take" on ESPN, Johnson, who resigned as team president last month, painted a picture of dysfunction at the Lakers and openly accused team general manager Rob Pelinka of stabbing him in the back.

"I started to hear 'Magic's not working hard enough, Magic's not in the office,'" Johnson said, identifying the person speaking badly about him as Pelinka. "I didn’t like those things being said behind my back."

Johnson said he had been warned that Pelinka would act that way.

"If you're going to talk about betrayal, it’s only with Rob," he said. "I wasn't having fun going to work, knowing that you want my position."

"Somebody's got to be the leader; there’s too many voices," he said of the Lakers front office.

Johnson abruptly quit the team presidency last month, not even telling owner Jeanie Buss in advance.

At Vogel's unveiling later Monday, Pelinka said he had enjoyed working with Johnson.

"It's disheartening to hear he believes a misperception," Pelinka said, adding that the accusations were "simply not true."

"My job is to not worry about what other people may say or think about me as a person," he added.

Pelinka joined the Lakers in 2017, after being one of the top agents representing NBA players, including Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant.

Johnson's comments were surprising because as president of the team he was Pelinka's boss.

Johnson said he agreed that former coach Luke Walton should go at the end of the regular season, but he wanted a different new coach, Tyronn Lue, whom the Lakers considered before opting for Vogel.

"‘Vogel is a good coach, but Lue is better," he said of the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach.

Walton left the team shortly after the season and signed on as coach of the Sacramento Kings.

Johnson, a Lakers legend as a player, insisted he was still rooting for the team and supporting Vogel.

"If the Lakers were up for sale tomorrow, I’d be running up to (Buss) saying, 'Let me buy them,'" Johnson said.

Los Angeles went a disappointing 37-45 this season, failing to make the playoffs despite the arrival of Lebron James as a free-agent acquisition in the offseason.

Wolves retain Saunders

A person with knowledge of the process told The Associated Press that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Ryan Saunders are finalizing a contract to make the 33-year-old their permanent head coach.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Timberwolves had yet to announce the decision.

Given owner Glen Taylor's fondness for the son of the late Flip Saunders, removal of the interim tag that Ryan Saunders took in January after Tom Thibodeau was fired was widely expected. The Timberwolves went 17-25 under Saunders, but players unabashedly endorsed his leadership.

The next-youngest coach in the NBA is Walton, who is 39.