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Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson revealed to reporters on Tuesday that he has stepped down from his position.
When asked whether he thought Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was the right person to guide the team forward in the front office, Johnson said: “That’s a decision [Lakers owner Jeanie Buss] has to make.”
Johnson told reporters Buss was not informed of his decision before the press conference.
The 49-year-old Pelinka was hired as the team’s general manager on March 7, 2017. He signed a five-year contract.
The Lakers’ year has been a nightmare from beginning to end:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
– Magic quit
– AD trade fiasco
– LeBron got hurt
– Lonzo got hurt
– Missed playoffs
– Clippers made playoffs
– D-Lo, Randle, Brook balling
– Two more wins than last yearMost disappointing Lakers season ever? https://t.co/WYhG3nqeCo
Los Angeles is about to finish its sixth straight losing season out of the playoffs. The Lakers have also won just two playoff series since their back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
L.A. was particularly unlucky on the injury front, as LeBron James, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram played only 23 games together. That quartet went 15-8, which could have foreshadowed a much better season.
However, questionable front-office moves may have doomed the team, as well. Of note, the team jettisoned D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brook Lopez in the last few offseasons.
Russell led the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs with an All-Star season. Randle is posting 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for the New Orleans Pelicans. Lopez is scoring 12.5 points per contest and knocking down 36.5 percent of his threes for the Milwaukee Bucks, who finished first in the Eastern Conference.
The Lakers also didn’t do enough to place outside shooters around James, who signed with L.A. in the offseason. The team ranks No. 29 in three-point percentage (33.3 percent). Only the 19-62 Phoenix Suns are worse.
Johnson and Pelinka certainly shoulder much of the blame for this team’s woes, even after they brought on a four-time MVP who hadn’t missed the playoffs since 2005.
However, questions now revolve around where the Lakers go from here. They probably don’t know themselves, considering Johnson didn’t tell Buss or Pelinka he was stepping down.
Los Angeles closes out its regular season at home Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
from Update News Topic http://bit.ly/2Z2K8kb
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