Magic Johnson blames LA Lakers problems on Jim Buss

Magic Johnson thinks that Jim Buss is the reason for the LA Lakers struggles over the last few seasons, and he isn’t shy in telling people.

Johnson, who is part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was in a meeting between Dodgers officials and Los Angeles Times staff when, according to Mike James, he commented about the direction in which Buss has taken the team:

"This is what happens when you make the wrong decisions, two coaching wrong decisions, giving Steve Nash that deal, it’s backfired. You’ve got to have someone helping Jim. He’s got to quit trying to prove a point to everybody that he can do it on his own, get his ego out of it, and just say, ‘Let me get someone beside me to help achieve the goals I want.’"

Of course, Magic hasn’t been silent over the decisions made by his former team. After Mike D’Antoni was hired he told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles that he didn’t understand the decision:

"I love Dr. (Jerry) Buss. I don’t believe in Jim Buss. He’s made two critical mistakes already. To me, they made two critical mistakes. First, hiring Mike Brown—he wasn’t the right coach. He’s a great coach but not the right coach for the Lakers. And I don’t feel Mike D’Antoni is the right coach for the Lakers. Especially when you have Phil Jackson sitting out there, who wanted to be the Laker coach. Jim Buss decided he didn’t want Phil Jackson, he wanted Mike D’Antoni. And that’s OK, but why didn’t you just say that? But the fans were cheering for Phil Jackson two nights in a row."

Things are all not well in Laker land, and having one of the franchise legends ripping into management won’t help to calm things.