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Saturday 25 February 2017
Column: Lakers can’t count on celebrity to bring back glory

TIM DAHLBERG pick to clean out the front
AP Sports Columnist office. Remember, too, that
Chasing celebrity isn’t men- Jeanie Buss didn’t speak
tioned anywhere in the first up last year when the Lak-
chapter of the playbook to ers basically gave away a
NBA relevance. season — and a season’s
It hasn’t worked in New worth of growth for their
York, where Phil Jackson’s young players — by allow-
11 rings haven’t helped ing Bryant to enjoy a year-
turn around a franchise. long going away tour that
There’s not much evidence did nothing to prepare the
it will work in Los Angeles, team for the future.
either, where Magic John- At least give the new ad-
son is now in charge of ministration credit for at
leading the Lakers back to least moving fast. The day
wasn’t over before the Lak-
the promised land. ers traded leading scorer
One of the greatest Lakers Lou Williams to the Houston
will try his hand at restor- Rockets for Corey Brewer
ing the franchise to great- and a draft pick, a sign that
ness, likely with an assist it wouldn’t be business as
from Kobe Bryant’s former usual at Staples Center.
agent. Hard to see how It wasn’t exactly the equiv-
Magic has time for it, con- alent of landing DeMarcus
sidering he is also the titular In a Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016 file photo, former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson speaks at Cousins, a failure that may
head of the Dodgers and is a groundbreaking ceremony for a stadium which will be home to the Los Angeles Football Club have ultimately cost Kup-
part of a group that owns in Los Angeles. chak his job. But there’s
the Los Angeles Sparks of nothing sexy about stand-
the WNBA. just one of them. But this “It’s about building the win- come close to a winning ing pat, even though the
But Johnson will give it a isn’t 1988, and they’re not ning culture again, that’s season the last four years, Lakers have a nice core of
try, and for that Lakers fans going to come running what it’s about now,” John- and had the third-worst re- young talent that on any
have to be happy. LA is a to LA just because Magic son said on the Lakers’ tele- cord in the NBA when Buss given night seems capable
city of stars, and the Lakers Johnson is asking them to. vision network, with Buss made a power move to of winning some games.
are in desperate need of Johnson seemed to ac- sitting next him nodding replace her brother and That a housecleaning was
some star power to rekindle knowledge that himself and smiling in agreement. longtime general manager needed in La La Land isn’t
memories of champion- when given the reins of one “Once we get that then I Mitch Kupchak. up for debate. Jim Buss
ships of the past. of the NBA’s most presti- can make the moves nec- The decision to bring Magic himself said in 2014 that he
Unfortunately, the Lakers gious franchises. He asked essary to put us in the place in — even with his lack of would step down from run-
have been stuck in the past for time, perhaps forget- we used to be.” NBA management experi- ning the team if the Lakers
way too long. And no mat- ting that the reason Jeanie That place was once pe- ence — wasn’t all that sur- weren’t in contention in
ter how glorious that past Buss pulled off a palace rennially at the top of the prising, though the timing three years. But he proba-
was, it has little to do with coup that ousted her own standings, which has made was. Two days before the bly didn’t imagine his sister
winning in the NBA today. brother was that LA fans the recent hard times even trade deadline in a season would take him at his word
To do that, you need cur- were tired of waiting for a more difficult for fans to already given up for lost and oust him before he
rent stars — and more than winner. swallow. The Lakers haven’t isn’t the time teams usually could quit. q

Svitolina beats Kerber and will

face Wozniacki in the final

SANDRA HARWITT caused the injury. lier this month for a fifth ca-
Associated Press “I don’t know what’s with reer title.
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- my knee now, but I feel Wozniacki, a losing finalist
ates (AP) — Top-seeded pain a little bit,” the Ger- at the Doha tournament
Angelique Kerber struggled man player said. “At the last week, is seeking her
with a knee injury during a end, I tried my best. This is 26th career title.
6-3, 7-6 (3) loss to seventh how I am.” “Very happy how I have
seed Elina Svitolina in the Svitolina beat Kerber for the managed to get through
semifinals of the Dubai Ten- third straight match and these two weeks, because
nis Championships on Fri- advances to play 10th- it’s been very tiring mental-
day. seeded Caroline Wozniacki ly,” she said.
Kerber would have re- of Denmark, who earlier “The fact that I have just Elina Svitolina of Ukraine reacts after she got a point against
claimed No. 1 ranking if reached her second con- been staying in there and Angelique Kerber of Germany during a semi final match of the
she won the Dubai title, but secutive final of the sea- keep grinding, I’m kind of Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Fri-
that seemed of secondary son with a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal proud of that.” day, Feb. 24, 2017.
importance after her loss. win over Latvian Anastasija The last time she reached Associated Press
“I’m not thinking about Sevastova. back-to-back finals was at
this,” Kerber said. “For me Svitolina’s victory increased the 2014 U.S. Open and To- title in 2011 and has compiling a 22-5 record.
it’s really important to be her winning streak to 11 kyo tournaments, but lost reached at least the semifi- “I love playing here,” she
healthy.” matches. The Ukrainian both. nals in six of the seven years said. “To have a finals here
Kerber was not sure what won the Taiwan Open ear- Wozniacki won the Dubai she’s played at the event, again, it just feels good.”q