Magic Johnson: ‘I hope the Lakers lose every game’
By Jacob Rude
Last season, Magic Johnson clogged Twitter timelines with his objections to Mike D’Antoni‘s losses.
This year, he’s rooting for Laker losses.
The Lakers legend spoke at Tuesday in New York City and was open on his thoughts of tanking.
"“I hope the Lakers lose every game,” Johnson said, according to Newsday. “Because if you’re going to lose, lose. I’m serious.”“If you’re going to lose, you have to lose because you can’t be in the middle of the pack,” Johnson said. “You either have to be great or you have to be bad to get a good pick.”"
Later in the evening, Johnson would go on to explain himself further on Twitter.
Laker Nation: Today in NY, I said I hope the Lakers don't win too many games because I want them to have the 1st or 2nd pick in the draft.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 10, 2014
Last years draft there were no superstars. This year there are about 3-4 superstars in college basketball and we need one of them!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 10, 2014
Laker Nation: I don't want the team to finish in the middle of the pack and get a 10th-14th pick because that won't do us any good.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 10, 2014
While his rationale is suspect, his point makes sense in the long run for the Lakers. Losing now and keeping your pick in a draft class with some stud big men would be smart business. With the Lakers essentially having two rookies next year with Julius Randle having missed all but one game this year, having a duo down low like that could be deadly in the future.
The bigger note, however, is that Magic is rooting for his friend and former teammate Byron Scott to fail this year. Can he honestly believe that last year’s draft had no superstars?
What do you make of Magic’s comments? Let us know down below!