Magic Johnson Opens Up About Jim Buss, Lakers, Kobe
Magic Johnson spent most of his Tuesday on the ESPN campus, and doing this of course meant having to talk about his beloved Los Angeles Lakers.
As usual, Magic was candid on his criticisms, concerns, and feelings regarding the Lakers’ leadership. That means Jim Buss. Here were some of Magic’s comments on ESPN First Take, via Baxter Holmes of ESPN:
“Jim is trying to do it himself and trying to prove to everybody that this was the right decision that my dad gave me the reins,” Johnson said Tuesday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “He’s not consulting anybody that can help him achieve his goals and dreams to win an NBA championship.
“If he doesn’t have a big summer with a free agent,” Johnson said, “it looks like they’ll have a good draft pick. Put that together with a good free agent, you can be right back into the mix. If this summer, that doesn’t happen where they can sign a great player, it’s over for us.
And as it pertains to Kobe Bryant, who will be just recovered from his latest shoulder injury going into his final season under contract in 2015-2016, here was Magic’s take on Stephen A. Smith’s Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio show:
“And I really believe this: [Kobe] should … say to Jim and them, ‘Look, if you don’t sign one of these free agents [this offseason], man, I’m just not going to play next year,'” Johnson said.
“You almost gotta say that because if you come back with the same level of talent, you’re just going to have the same results,” Johnson said. “You know, so, look, Kobe, put pressure on Jim to say, ‘Look, man, you’ve got to bring me some talent, some help, so that this can be a great season for the Lakers and a great season for me, being my last season, and then I can retire.
Magic was openly critical of Jim Buss’ decision to bring on Mike D’Antoni instead of Phil Jackson after firing Mike Brown. He obviously has every right and the ultimate green light to criticize given his status as a Laker great, but also because he recognizes that a once feared and revered franchise has become one of the competitive jokes of the NBA.
It’s a legitimate concern to wonder if this new Buss crew can pull it off the way Jerry Buss could. Not just for Magic, but Laker fans everywhere.
