Magic Johnson, Losing, And A Fractured Lakers Organization

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Being a hypocrite doesn’t make you wrong. It just makes you a hypocrite.

With that in mind, I turn to recent comments from Magic Johnson during an event in New York. Magic is a figure synonymous with winning, but while entertaining this Steiner Sports audience, the Point God didn’t just make a statement wildly counter to his image. He likely committed blasphemy in the eyes of many Laker fans:

“I hope the Lakers lose every game,” Johnson told reporters. “Because if you’re going to lose, lose. And I’m serious.”

Johnson thinks that the Lakers could turn around their fortunes quickly with the right moves in the offseason — and another high lottery pick.

“The Lakers are in a good space, too, next summer if they can sign or trade for a talented guy,” he said. “I’d rather be all the way bad than be in the middle.”

To be clear, Magic is absolutely right, and anybody willing to be honest about where the Lakers currently stand, how the NBA works and what rebuilding requires knows he’s right. The Lakers are currently 6-16, with zero chance of making the playoffs in a brutal Western Conference. 22 games into the season, they’re already too far gone — not to mention too untalented — for the postseason to represent even the faintest of pipe dreams. No matter what Kobe Bryant, Byron Scott, Nick Young or anybody else peddling hope and determination tries to sell you, it’s a wrap. (Plus, let’s be honest. If the Lakers somehow managed to claw their way to an improbable eight-seed, all that’s waiting on the horizon is a ferocious beatdown at the hands of Golden State, Memphis, San Antonio, or the like. Cheap thrills aside, what’s the point?)

The Lakers also have precious few draft picks or tradable assets on hand, since they were all moved over the last few years in a wholly-justifiable-but-ultimately-fruitless attempt to win one last title while Dr. Jerry Buss was still alive. Picks (along with Andrew Bynum) were used to bring in Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and even Ramon Sessions. Picks were used to make absorbing Derek Fisher and Luke Walton a worthwhile cost of doing business. Again, I don’t fault the Lakers for making these moves, and a few wouldn’t have even been necessary had the league not vetoed the Chris Paul deal (#BasketballReasons, #NeverForget). But that’s nonetheless where things stand right now. And because of this, the Lakers need a lottery pick far more than scattered wins that represent little more than empty calories.

I’m not suggesting the Lakers “tank,” a phrase tossed around far too liberally — and inaccurately — these days.

They’re losing just fine while actually trying to win, thank you very much. But if the goal of winning is currently elevated ahead of Jordan Clarkson’s development, that needs to change pretty soon. And if guys like Jordan Hill or Jeremy Lin eventually get dealt, it better be for young players or flippable assets rather than some veteran who “knows how to play the game.” For the Lakers, it’s not necessarily about hunting losses, but rather avoiding steps centered around short-term gains.

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Kobe Bryant, Nick Young React To Magic Johnson’s Tanking Comments

CONTINUE READING: Magic Johnson, Losing, And A Fractured Lakers Organization

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The first priority is the big picture, and if Magic Johnson can be pragmatic, that should be good enough for the rest of us.

But like I said, you can be right and still be a hypocrite, and with that in mind, it takes serious onions for Magic to even share this wisdom. Last season, as the Lakers were mired in the exact same problems — losses piling up, laughable defense, Staples Center boo birds — for the exact same reasons — injuries, middling roster — with a lottery pick hanging in the balance, Magic took every possible opportunity to blast Mike D’Antoni. And I mean BLAST the dude. Publicly. Mercilessly. With all the exclamation points!!! He literally celebrated D’Antoni’s resignation. But with his good friend and Showtime teammate Byron Scott now at the helm, Magic has suddenly zero criticism for a flailing squad.

An 0-5 start was presented with unwavering positivity. Losses now aren’t just embraced. They’re the goal. The hypocrisy is shameless, and likely does more to hurt Scott than help, since it ultimately draws attention to a dirty little secret Laker fans may loathe admitting, but also can’t deny.

22 games into last season vs. 22 games into this campaign, Mike D’Antoni was the better coach, and it’s not even close.

So it’s understood, I’m not here to take up for D’Antoni. The guy’s tenure was neither successful nor popular, and he alienated too many key people over two years. Even if you think he got the short end of the stick (and to a large degree, he did), hanging around would have been untenable. And I want to make perfectly clear just how much respect I have for Magic.

He’s among the greatest, most transcendent athletes to ever walk the Earth, and yet his post-basketball career is probably the more impressive chapter. The man is legitimately inspiring and iconic. But his comments, beyond the lack of class, feel indicative to me of the chaos swirling around the Lakers these days. While Johnson no longer is formally connected to the organization, his voice carries enough weight that he might as well be. At a time when players, Scott, and the front office alike are all trying to avoid any appearance of tanking, Magic is rooting for L’s.

Whatever message the Lakers are trying to send, Magic has muddled it.

Then again, the front office is chock full of mixed messages these days. They’re hoarding cap space for superstars and superstars only, which may prevent the infrastructure necessary to land said superstars. They’ve also devoted one-third of their cap space to one guy, and even if that guy happens to be Kobe Bryant, that’s a dicey way to build a roster. Sure, Kobe’s presence was deemed necessary to put butts in seats and draw eyeballs to televisions, but this methodology ironically created a team that’s often unwatchable. Plus, Jim and Jeanie Buss have provided no signs of being on the same page. Whatever the “plan” is, I’m not sure you could get two similar answers from anybody pulling the strings.

Unification is on short supply these days, and Magic rooting for defeat feels like the latest example of how fractured this organization appears at the moment.

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Kobe Bryant, Nick Young React To Magic Johnson’s Tanking Comments