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Los Angeles Lakers: The case for why Magic Johnson might really be a magician

By Lloyd Tunstill

Feb 24, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson watches action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 24, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson watches action against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers: The case for trading D'Angelo Russell
Los Angeles Lakers: The case for trading D'Angelo Russell /

Mar 28, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakes guard D’Angelo Russell (1) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Staples Center. The Wizards won 119-108. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Build-Up

The most important part of any proper magic trick is timing. For months, it has been a foregone conclusion that the Lakers were selecting, Lonzo Ball, the star point guard out of UCLA. The media salivates over the antics of his father, Lavar Ball, as if the man were Pavlov himself!

However, the quickest way to reveal a trick is to see if it has been used before. Lakers’ fans should remember that this part of the narrative was used throughout history. In 2015, it was widely reported for months that the Lakers were leaning towards Jahlil Okafor over Dangelo Russell. In fact, just hours before the draft, Los Angeles Times’ Mike Bresnahan reported:

"“There is a 50% chance the Lakers take Okafor, 30% chance they take Russell, 10% chance they trade the pick and 10% chance they take Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis, who is 7-foot-1 and has three-point range.”"

The build-up continued up to the final seconds of the Lakers’ selection with Jalen Rose claiming that his head would explode, which, many wouldn’t mind due to his irritating broadcasting, if the Lakers did not select Russell over Okafor. Although he claps in the video like a bystander in Augusta watching the masters, I’m positive that Okafor is completely in shock that he is not the Lakers selection. Okafor, along with others, became victim to the build-up.

For Magic, he is using a classic trick in the book. He says nothing when the media, analyst, or even friend Pat Riley insinuates his plans of drafting Ball. Still, if you can watch closely, Magic’s laugh tells a deeper story. Magic does not shy away from Riley’s comments regarding Ball, but he does not confirm them either. Magic’s laugh essentially might go down as one of the best filibusters of all-time. Its all a part of his plan for the proper build-up.

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