Magic Says He Is Near a Decision : Pro basketball: He will announce by week’s end whether he will stay on as Laker coach.

Magic Johnson has moved up his timetable on whether he will remain as coach of the Lakers, saying he plans to have an announcement by the end of the week, perhaps as soon as Friday.

Johnson’s original plan was to decide after the end of the season. But he discussed the situation with his wife, Cookie, on Sunday night after returning from his high school all-star game in Michigan and said Monday he expects to meet with owner Jerry Buss and General Manager Jerry West in the next few days.

“I talked to Cookie a little bit last night after I flew in,” he said. “We’re going to continue to talk all week about it. I’ll let you know at the end of the week.

“Either way, I’m in it all the way or I’m out of it all the way. Like I’ve told her, ‘We’ve got to think about our lives. Our life has been great. We’ve settled in to me being retired, we’ve settled in to me being around home. And now we’ve got to give all that up again?’ That’s what we’ve got to talk about because once I’m in, I’m 150%. That’s what we’ve got to discuss, whether she can give that up.”

Apparently, the issue has become much more about lifestyle than money or what percentage of the team Buss would have to sell Johnson for him to remain as coach. The freedom to set his own schedule--whether vacationing, traveling the world with his barnstorming team or working on business deals--without long hours as coach of an NBA team, is why Johnson currently estimates his chances of leaving after eight more game at 70-30.

Johnson made his comments after running practice again following a two-day absence.

And he ran the 1-hour 15-minute scrimmage. He was the point forward for the purple team, playing with the Lakers for the first time since his aborted comeback attempt. He brought the ball upcourt, he delivered trademark no-look passes, he posted up, he came down the lane and put a running spin move on defender Doug Christie to get free for a layup, he made a short shot coming down the left side . . .

“He’d still be an all-star,” Christie said. “He’d still be the best point guard in the game. Nothing’s changed.”

Said Johnson, noting this probably wasn’t a one-time thing for practices, “I’m in shape. I shoot and play every day. I can play. You can see I’m not there missing anything. My timing’s there, I can go to the basket, I can do all the things I used to. It’s nice to get out there. . . . Sometimes, talk is cheap, so now I can show them.”

The Lakers are 5-3 under Johnson heading into tonight’s home game against Golden State and got within 2 1/2 games of Denver for the final playoff spot before falling to four back.