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A22     SPORTS
             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
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