Kupchak Did It With a Bit of Magic

A part-owner, a vice president, a consultant, Magic Johnson has never been more entrenched in the management side of the Lakers than he was the last 10 days, serving alongside Mitch Kupchak’s other advisors and confidants in a most critical period for the organization.

Faced with a summer in which the Lakers could become thinner, older and more reliant on Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant than ever, Kupchak, three years in as Laker general manager, turned often to Johnson.

“This is the most I’ve been involved probably [since] I’ve been a part owner,” Johnson said Thursday evening. “I was part of the game plan since the Thursday night we lost. Mitch ordered me to send him a fax on an assessment of the team and what we should do. We’ve been formulating this since we lost that Thursday night [against San Antonio], ever since then. Mitch deserves so much credit. Everybody has been on his case. They can’t be on his case anymore. He deserves this credit. He formulated the plan and he talked to me and we got it together.”

Said one league insider: “Using Magic the way Mitch did was really ingenious.”

Johnson, who has considered other part-ownership opportunities and who occasionally has desires to run his own team, found the last two months rewarding, particularly so when Gary Payton and Karl Malone committed to the Lakers this week.

Of course, some days it sounded easy.

“What’s Karl going to do, go to Sacramento and play center all the time?” Johnson said with a laugh. “What’s he going to do, go to San Antonio and play center? And go up against Shaq? No, I don’t think so. Why do that when you can go with them, and your life and job will be a little easier?”

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The Laker roster is at 12, assuming Malone and Payton honor their oral commitments. The team probably would carry 13 players into the season, as it figures Rick Fox, recovering from foot surgery, will start on the injured list.

The payroll, with Malone receiving the $1.5-million exception and Payton earning the mid-level exception, stands at about $63 million, or about $11 million over the estimated luxury-tax threshold.

Therefore, Kupchak’s heavy lifting is over. The club would like to add a backup center, though Malone and Slava Medvedenko could play some minutes there, and it has been considered adding a shooter along the lines of Eric Piatkowski, Jon Barry or Voshon Lenard.

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These Lakers could be fleeting.

Of the 12 players who could be under contract by Wednesday, the first day teams may sign player contracts, seven -- including Kobe Bryant, Payton, Malone and Derek Fisher -- could be free agents next July.

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(Begin Text of Infobox)

Projected 2003-04 Laker Roster

STARTERS

*--* P Player Pts Reb Ast Status G Kobe Bryant 30.0 6.9 5.9 Signed through 2004-05. $13.5 million in 2003-04, $14.63 in 2004-05. Can opt out after next season G Gary Payton 20.4 4.2 8.3 Pending. Can sign for mid-level exception as early as Wednesday F Devean George 6.9 4.0 1.3 Signed through 2005-06. $4.5 million in 2003-04, $4.5 million in 2004-05, $5 million in 2005-06. Player option after 2004-05 F Karl Malone 20.6 7.8 4.7 Pending. Can sign for the veteran’s minimum as early as Wednesday C Shaquille O’Neal 27.5 11.1 3.1 Signed through 2005-06. $26.5 million in 2003-04, $29.5 million in 2004-05, $32.4 million in 2005-06. Can opt out after 2004-05

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RESERVES

*--* P Player Pts Reb Ast Status G Derek Fisher 10.5 2.9 3.6 Signed through 2005-06. $3 million per year. Can opt out after next season G Kareem Rush 3.0 1.2 0.9 Signed through 2005-06. $1.1 million in 2003-04, $1.2 million in 2004-05, $1.8 million in 2005-06. Team option after 2004-05 season G Jannero Pargo 2.5 1.1 1.1 Signed through 2003-04. $563,679 in 2003-04 F Rick Fox 9.0 4.3 3.3 Signed through 2004-05. $4.7 million in 2003-04, $5.1 million in 2004-05 F Slava Medvedenko 4.4 2.4 0.3 Signed through 2003-04. $1.5 million in 2003-04 F Brian Cook rookie Signed through 2006-07. $752,800 in 2003-04, $809,300 in 2004-05, $865,800 in 2005-06, $1.5 million in 2006-07. Team option after 2005-06 F Luke Walton rookie Signed through 2003-04. $350,000 in 2003-04

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Statistics are from the 2002-03 regular season