The NBA offseason has been one of twists and turns for the Los Angeles Lakers ever since Magic Johnson stepped down as team president at season’s end. Additionally, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was under fire after Johnson said in late May that Pelinka was the one who was “backstabbing” him while both men worked for the team.
While all of this has been going on, Lakers governor and controlling owner Jeanie Buss has been silent on the events surrounding the franchise. However, she ended her silence on the matter at last night’s 2019 NBA Awards, speaking on the state of her team before the event got rolling. She minced no words, saying she stands behind Pelinka and was decidedly caught off guard by Johnson’s resignation as well.
She said her relationship with Johnson will “be fine” and backed the work Pelinka has done since coming aboard in the spring of 2017.
“I’ve always had confidence in Rob, whatever the speculation is out there,” Buss said, per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. “We don’t need outside media to validate the things that we do. I’m very happy and I think we’re on the right path.”
As to why she hadn’t spoken up on the matter of Johnson’s resignation and subsequent accusations against Pelinka, Buss said: “There really wasn’t anything to say,” Buss said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I think that when Magic decided that he didn’t want to be with the organization any longer in an official capacity, that took me off guard. So I needed time to figure out what the process was going to be. That’s all. Just taking care of business and looking out after the organization.”
Magic’s resignation came as a surprise; I did not foresee that. However, aside from that, we’ve been functioning like any other organization preparing for a new season. Despite all the speculation about the Lakers, I believe we are in a positive position. We are sticking to our path and our plan for the upcoming season.
On May 20, Frank Vogel was hired as the new coach for the Lakers, coinciding with Johnson’s claims against Pelinka on ESPN’s “First Take”. Pelinka found Johnson’s allegations both surprising and disheartening, denying them as untrue. Meanwhile, the Lakers promoted Pelinka to the position of lead basketball executive, filling the void left by Johnson.
“I have 100% confidence in him in running his basketball operations,” Buss said, per the Los Angeles Times. “He’s brought us a great new head coach in Frank Vogel, whose teams have had a lot of success in the playoffs and who have played consistently ranking high in defense, which means not only does he emphasize defense but the players buy into his defensive schemes.”
Los Angeles has been active in the offseason already, reaching a reported trade with the New Orleans Pelicans that will net the Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis. In exchange, the Lakers will reportedly send guard Lonzo Ball, guard Josh Hart and forward Brandon Ingram to the Pelicans.
Buss was at the awards to support Johnson receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award and to support former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal, who was serving as emcee of the event. When asked by ESPN about Johnson’s comments about Pelinka betraying him, Buss said: “I can’t really anticipate what he thinks. He has to answer those questions. He’s always full of surprises. Like as surprising as it was, it kind of reminded me of back in 1981 when he asked to be traded after winning a championship with the Lakers because he wasn’t happy with the way the offense had changed. And that led us to getting Pat Riley as our head coach.
He certainly possesses good instincts. It’s crucial for him to remain true to his nature and do what suits him best. I would have appreciated a bit more of a heads-up, but I believe we will be just fine.
Once the Davis trade is officially consummated, the Lakers will have plenty of work to do to round out a roster chock full of vacancies and needs. Buss knows that getting back to the top remains priority No. 1 for her and her team.
“Buss stated, as per ESPN, ‘There’s the gold standard, and then there’s the purple-and-gold standard. Undoubtedly, we will strive to acquire the best players possible to bring the Lakers back to that consistent level. However, we still have a long way to go. I believe we are on the right path, but ultimately, our success will be measured by our wins and losses.”
The objective has always been to return to the playoffs.
