With the Los Angeles Lakers unofficially waving the white flag on their current season, the national media are now beginning to nitpick the team and the reasons behind their collapse.
Bill Oram of The Athletic is pitting team president Magic Johnson against head coach Luke Walton and his coaching staff, reporting that Johnson refused to heed the advise of Walton's team with regards to retaining the services of Brook Lopez and Julius Randle last summer.
While Buss has been an ardent backer of Walton, she has also empowered Johnson, who has been less resolute in his support. His efforts have all worked against his coach rather than with him. After delivering James in July, Johnson ignored the pleas of the coaching staff that he retain Brook Lopez and Julius Randle. Instead, he signed controversial and limited journeymen JaVale McGee, Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson.
The conflicts and disagreements between the front office and the coaching staff of the Lakers has been well documented throughout the season, but perhaps this is one of the most concrete examples of their discord.
Lopez is having a tremendous year with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 12.3 points (on 45.3 percent shooting), a career-high 2.4 three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 2.2 blocks (also a career-best) per contest. The 30-year-old has played a pivotal role in helping the Bucks maintain the best overall record in the league.
As for Randle, he too, is loving life post-L.A., putting up a career-high 20.7 points (on 52.6 percent shooting), 0.9 three-pointers, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game with the New Orleans Pelicans.
It would be foolish to assume that both guys would still put up the same type of numbers had they stayed with the Lakers, but in hindsight, both players would have likely been a better option as opposed to McGee, Beasley, and Stephenson.
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