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Magic Johnson says Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol must step up for Lakers

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Of all the indignities that befell the Lakers in their exhibition opener, one stood out.

Magic Johnson acknowledged the other team in town.

“For the first time I’m going to be watching Clippers games,” he said Tuesday.

Who could blame him?

The Clippers looked young and fun in a 114-95 dismantling Monday of the Lakers, causing Johnson to point out what the Lakers needed to improve.

Hint: Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol.

“Those two guys have got to have banner years,” Johnson said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. “At 16 years now ... we can’t expect Kobe [Bryant] to carry the load the way he used to. Night in and night out, he can’t [guard] the best player on the other team and then expect to go out and still get 25 to 30 points.”

Bynum didn’t look efficient Monday, making five of 11 shots and five of 11 free-throw attempts before declaring he felt “heavily winded” six minutes into the game.

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Gasol had his own Chris to bear, declining to speak to the player for whom he was supposed to be traded. Chris Paul blitzed the Lakers for 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 24 minutes Monday.

“I really have nothing to say to him,” Gasol said without a hint of irritation. “We just played.”

Johnson also had advice for Bryant, who must do extra work in the compressed 66-game season.

“I think he’s going to have to be more of an emotional leader,” Johnson said. “He’s going to have to really pick guys up and probably do stuff he’s never really done before, and that’s really in practice get these guys going, in the locker room get these guys going because the one guy that did that is now gone, and that’s Lamar Odom. You’re going to miss him in the practices and in the locker room and on the airplane and on the buses. Who’s going to replace him being that leader? The way I see it, it has to be Kobe.”

Johnson’s views will be heard more often this season on ESPN and ABC. It was announced Tuesday he would have an expanded role in pregame shows for both networks.

He said the Lakers should be motivated by, yep, the Clippers, calling them and Miami the two most exciting teams in the NBA.

“If I’m looking across town, that’s got to be driving Kobe. That should drive Gasol and Bynum and those guys and Derek Fisher to say hey, ‘No way I’m going to let them take over Los Angeles and this city,’ ” Johnson said.

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In his mind, Oklahoma City wins the Western Conference, followed by the Lakers or Dallas and then the Clippers.

He loved the Clippers’ getting Paul but didn’t fault the Lakers, whose trade for the former New Orleans guard was rejected by the NBA.

“It wasn’t like they didn’t go to work,” Johnson said. “They targeted Chris Paul, they targeted Dwight Howard.

“They have to wait and see what happens at the trade deadline [March 15] and they have to wait and see what happens after the season. I would have been upset if they hadn’t tried to trade for one of the superstars who were available, but they did try.”

They obviously are what they are, which isn’t a team with Paul or Howard.

It will come down to Gasol and Bynum.

“If they don’t dominate, it’s going to be a long season for not only the Lakers but Lakers fans as well,” Johnson said.

Injuries

Forward Devin Ebanks did not practice Tuesday because of a sore right foot. If he feels better Wednesday, he will start in an exhibition finale against the Clippers.

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Bryant (sprained right wrist) and Steve Blake (sore right foot) practiced Tuesday.

Bresnahan is a Times staff writer. Medina is a Times correspondent.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan
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