Former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson has been very critical of the way the team has been run over the past few years. Johnson has had no problem in voicing his opinion in a very public fashion about the team’s decline and has consistently pointed the finger at Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations, Jim Buss.
In a recent interview with Sam Amick of USA Today, Buss finally fired back at Magic for all the criticism he’s received:
“Magic Johnson going nuts on me?” Buss said with a laugh. “It’s like, ‘Really, dude? My dad made you a billionaire almost. Really? Where are you coming from?’ “
Clearly, Buss is tired of hearing Johnson say anything that crosses his mind in terms of the Lakers struggles in recent years. Buss has been the fall guy for the team missing the playoffs the past two seasons and the significant moves made that simply haven’t panned out since winning back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.
USA Today reached out to Magic and informed the five-time NBA champion about Buss’ response. Johnson replied with a simple one-liner, via Amick:
“It’s all about winning, Jim,” Johnson said.
Although it seems Magic and Buss don’t see eye-to-eye and probably won’t until things turn around in Los Angeles, the team is finally starting to show some promise after missing the playoffs for two straight seasons. Many believe the Lakers will suffer a third straight year on the outside looking in on the postseason, but the roster does appear to be much improved with some promising young talent leading the way.
With Buss’ self-imposed deadline hanging over his head, the clock is ticking to right the ship. The Lakers may be able to make another blockbuster trade this season or the next to instantly get back into title contention, but if not, this situation may only get worse for Buss.
