Lakers Rumors: Magic Johnson's Comments Should Terrify Fans

Magic Johnson's recent comments about the Lakers' situation should send chills down the spines of Lakers fans.

It's been a season of diminishing expectations for this fanbase, and the hits are piling up quickly now. This recent wave started when Kobe delivered this tirade over the state of limbo that teammate Pau Gasol has been left in with regards to his trade rumors. 

And the latest blow was delivered by Laker legend Magic Johnson. 

ESPN's Dave McMenamin quoted Magic's comments on the fact that he felt Kobe was criticizing the wrong person. 

"

We have to remember now, it's not Mitch's situation anymore. [Kupchak is] not running the team. Jim Buss is running the team. So, Mitch has to follow the direction of Jim Buss and what he wants. I wouldn't say Mitch is the problem or anything. He's going to do his job.

"

Now, those comments in and of themselves are nothing to burn the house down over, but given that they come on the heels of a recent scathing assessment of the Lakers' current state of front office affairs, they are alarming. Ken Berger of CBS Sports recently took Jim Buss to task in report, that started off with the passage. 

"

The Lakers' front office is an uncommunicative, rudderless fiasco, and the unrest and paranoia that have been festering for years threaten to derail the team's plans to ride Bryant to his sixth NBA title while they still can. And much of it can be traced to the growing influence of executive vice president Jim Buss, the owner's bon vivant son, who has helped transform a great franchise into a steaming pool of nepotism and nincompoops.

"

And he went on to back up these accounts with quotes from various sources and assorted facts. While this report was damaging enough, there was the thought that he may be blowing it all out of proportion, and perhaps Jim Buss wasn't exuding as much control over the team as was alluded to. 

Well, Magic just backed up that assessment and he certainly has enough connections within the Lakers that he does not have to lay out claims like this on whim. 

He is in a position to have a feel for how the power structure is working there and he made it clear exactly who is running the show. And that is a person that every Lakers fan should dread being in charge.