Getty Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Rob Pelinka discuss the upcoming Los Angeles Lakers' season.
A day after Magic Johnson‘s explosive interview on ESPN’s First Take, the basketball world was still buzzing from the fallout. Legendary NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski took some time to address the situation on his “The Woj Report” segment on ESPN and more or less ripped into Magic Johnson for the way he handled things with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Magic Johnson to Blame for Lakers Woes, Not Rob Pelinka Says Woj
“ESPN – You talk about Rob Pelinka, the general manager, accused him of backstabbing Magic over time. His example was the idea that he told people that Magic didn’t work hard, that he wasn’t around the organization and yet Magic admitted that was the case. But if Magic’s idea of backstabbing is someone in the building saying that Magic’s not around when he’s not around, what happens when you’re the president of an organization? People want to have meetings they want to talk through decisions and when the ultimate decision maker comes in off the road, is away from the team, sets up a meeting with Luke Walton – his coach, berates him in the meeting, and then leaves town again, his credibility eroded over time.”
Woj went absolutely in on Magic Johnson and held him accountable for the chaos that surrounded the Lakers 2018-19 season. Woj particularly harped on the fact that Magic took offense to the allegations he wasn’t fully committed, yet fully admitted that he was in fact not fully committed. The lack of accountability, in particular, is what Woj felt led to a massive leadership void within the Lakers’ organization.
New Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel Has His Work Cut Out For Him
Taking over a franchise in disarray, Frank Vogel has some quality pieces in place to build a contender. With LeBron James as the centerpiece, the Lakers have an exciting young core, tons of cap flexibility, and the fourth pick in the NBA Draft. Coming off a rough stint in Orlando as head coach, Vogel claims to have picked up quite a bit during his year sabbatical from coaching.
The Lakers lineup already looks much better than the roster Vogel inherited when he took over the Orlando Magic, who were unwilling to add the necessary help during his tenure to ever improve. Vogel had a successful run as the Pacers’ head coach and the Laker job should be the perfect test to see if Orlando’s lackluster roster was the issue, or if Vogel was just unable to adjust to the modern NBA.
Another interesting thing to consider is to what level Vogel might attempt to push LeBron James. When James dials in, he is one of the best defenders on the planet but given the insane workload he handles, can be prone to taking some plays off on the defensive side of the ball. That sort of thing doesn’t fly in a Frank Vogel system. Vogel talked about “accountability” and how “great players love to be pushed” so expect Vogel to try and stay on top of LeBron to lead by example on that side of the ball as well.