It's a hard dollar sometimes, being a presumptive savior. You're either Theo Epstein and get elevated to heights at which no mortal can survive for long, or you're Phil Jackson and track mud all over your legacy by picking petty fights with your star players and otherwise failing to save the day.
And so, out there on the opposite coast from Phil, we come to Magic Johnson, whose status as the Los Angeles Lakers icon of icons now hangs in the balance. His arrival in shining armor to save a Lakers franchise fallen on hard times carries with it the usual perils for those of his stature.
Which is to say, this goes one of two ways.
One, Magic displays razor-sharp business acumen and a deft understanding of the complexities of the modern NBA, and therefore does indeed turn the Lakers right-side up, becoming even more an icon than he already is.
Two, his disastrous stint as Lakers' coach presages what happens to him in the front office -- i.e., he fails utterly to get the complexities of the modern NBA, and finds himself unable to connect with today's players (or evaluate them) on any meaningful or effective level.
The Blob isn't betting one way or the other right now. Wait-and-see mode is now locked and loaded.
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