Lakers’ statement puts them at arm’s length from Magic
The Lakers released a statement Saturday that was anything but magical.
The Lakers were obviously irritated that Magic Johnson weighed in so heavily on Coach Mike Brown’s job security, calling it his “personal opinion” as an ESPN analyst.
“His words were not made on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in no way do they reflect the feelings or position of team ownership or management,” said the team statement, which was released four hours before the Lakers were scheduled to play Denver in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. “We are fully committed to and supportive of Mike Brown as head coach of the Lakers.”
Brown has two more guaranteed years on his contract and a third year that is a team option. He is in his first year as the Lakers coach and makes an average of about $4.5 million annually.
Johnson said Friday that Brown needed to beat Denver to keep his job.
“Mike Brown will not be coaching the Lakers if they lose this game,” Johnson said. “There would be so much pressure on [team executive] Jim Buss and the Laker organization to get rid of him.”
If the third-seeded Lakers beat sixth-seeded Denver, they play second-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals. Game 1 would be Monday in Oklahoma City.
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