One Los Angeles Lakers legend has a big brain suggestion for how to solve the team’s continued woes.
Retired Lakers great Michael Cooper said over the weekend on KABC in LA that the team should bring Magic Johnson back to their front office.
“I think the biggest thing is bring Magic Johnson back,” said Cooper. “That’s what you need back up in there because remember he’s the one that got all this started and he can keep it flowing.”
When Cooper’s co-host brought up that Johnson was actually the one who left the Lakers (having resigned from his post as president of basketball operations in 2019), Cooper replied, “That’s what they say.”
Michael Cooper wants Magic Johnson back in Lakers front office 😬 pic.twitter.com/7eIZnw0I6u
— Ralph Mason (@Ralph_MasonJr) February 27, 2022
Cooper, the former NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is probably extremely biased here. He was teammates with Johnson on the Showtime Lakers for all five of their title teams in the 1980s. On its own merits though, Cooper’s suggestion does not really make sense.
Though the Lakers are 27-33 (.450) this season, that is actually better than they were during the two seasons that Johnson was running the team. The Lakers posted a 72-92 record (.439) in those two years. Johnson also had many blunders as an executive, to the point that adversaries were even laughing at the Lakers over their missteps.
Granted, there are signs Johnson still has some influence over the Lakers. But in terms of bringing him back in an official capacity, that might create more problems than it would solve for the floundering Lakers.
Photo: Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
