Magic Johnson shot down any criticism
With LeBron James heading to the Lakers is just one of many burning topics as we inch closer to the 2018-19 NBA season.
Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers made the biggest move of the NBA offseason by signing LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million deal.
There’s little to criticize about bringing in a four-time MVP who remains at the top of his game even after 15 years in the league. Some of the Lakers’ other summer moves, however, have not been met with the same enthusiasm.
President of basketball operations Magic Johnson is not worried about the Lakers’ offseason moves.
Los Angeles missed the chance to acquire another marquee player like Paul George or Kawhi Leonard. Instead, the Lakers opted to to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and sign Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley to a series of one-year contracts that left many observers scratching their heads.
Johnson has heard all the questions about the team he and general manager Rob Pelinka have assembled, and he’s not concerned. The Lakers president of basketball operations shot down any criticism ahead of training camp opening next week.
“We don’t care about what has happened in the past. All we care about is what happens when they put on that purple & gold.”
“No concerns. We love that they all are different individuals and they bring something different to the table,” Johnson said Thursday at a preseason news conference with Pelinka. “We needed some grittiness, we needed some toughness. We needed somebody to come in and be upset that somebody had a defensive lapse.”
On paper, the roster lacks shooting around James, one of the game’s best passers. Johnson is happy, though, with the skills the new additions do bring to the team. And he’s not particularly worried about the potential chemistry issues in bringing together several of the league’s most distinct and interesting personalities.
“We love everything that everybody brings to the table, and we’ve been seeing it out here every single day,” Johnson said. “Some guys had different things happen in their past. Rondo is still a champion. And you saw what he did for New Orleans last season, so we’re happy to have him. Lance played excellent basketball last season. …
“We don’t care about what has happened in the past. All we care about is what happens when you put on that purple and gold. They know what they need to do. They know how to act as a professional. But we don’t want nobody to change.”
