Rick Garcia Asks: Where’s the Magic?

After coming off a Super Bowl and Two World Series in the last two years, L.A. sports teams seem to be in pretty good hands…for the most part. The Rams and Dodgers appear to be built to last. On the other hand, what’s up with the Lakers? The franchise that has won 16 world titles — 11 in Los Angeles– appears to be in disarray. As the 2018-2019 NBA trading deadline was approaching, the Lakers were a team of desperation. Their efforts to get New Orleans superstar Anthony Davis, to pair him with their own free agent superstar Lebron James, has been a public mess. Their anxiousness to have another championship team right away seems to have clouded the judgment of those making the decisions (Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka). It used to be they’d make great draft decisions, then build their teams around amazing young talent. Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant ring a bell? Then they’d sprinkle in some veteran free agents to fill in the roster. It worked more recently for Golden State. How about this for an idea? Draft better and quit trying to mortgage the future for the present. There’s nothing supernatural about it!