Lakers’ West Plans to Wait Before Contemplating Changes

Shocked by Magic Johnson’s retirement, Laker General Manager Jerry West plans no immediate changes.

Sedale Threatt will become the No. 1 point guard. Rookie free agent Demetrius Calip will back him up until Tony Smith comes off the injury list next week.

“To be real, real candid,” West said from Los Angeles Friday, “I even think it would be embarrassing to start to think about (player moves) today.

“There’s been so much emotion in this, we’re all worn out. We’re going to wait until the weekend is over and then talk it over with our coaches.”

Coach Mike Dunleavy said before Friday night’s game that the team will take it one game at a time.

“It changes a lot of things we do,” Dunleavy said. “ . . . It’s a good question.

“It’s going to be one of those things you have to figure out on the job. It’s like on-the-job training. It’s not like you have a summer or a training camp to get ready for it.”

Perhaps most difficult, the Lakers will have to stop looking toward Johnson.

“He’s still with us,” Dunleavy said. “He’s still one of us. We want him to be around us all the time, to feel welcome, to feel loved. Because that’s how we feel about him.

“But from a standpoint of playing, we can’t look back.”