但是在漫不经心的摆烂之外，库普切克和小巴斯某种程度上确实帮到了湖人。他们没有搞砸选秀，选到了布兰登·英格拉姆和朱利叶斯·兰德尔。他们放弃奥卡福选择了德安吉罗·拉塞尔，尽管马后炮地看，波尔津吉斯比前面两人都强。即便如此，他们还是在27顺位，32顺位和46顺位抢到了小拉里·南斯，伊维察·祖巴茨和乔丹·克拉克森。尽管这些球员能否成为基石有待讨论，但他们都是年轻的轮换球员，尚未打出能力上限，也是令人羡慕的交易资产，理智的竞争对手都会询问他们的价格。

　　The timing of this move is questionable, and not only because of the looming deadline. President of Basketball Operations for the Lakers is still a highly attractive post, and if Jeanie had waited, she could have chosen from a handful of decorated candidates. The list of executives willing to work as a general manager, under Johnson, is not the same. The team is reportedly finalizing a multi-year deal with agent Rob Pelinka.

　　这个举动的时机却有待商榷，不止因为交易截止日即将到来。湖人的篮球事务总裁仍然是一个非常有吸引力的职位，如果珍妮愿意等待，她本可以从很多有经验的候选人中挑选。愿意在约翰逊手下做总经理的管理人员，和想做总裁的不是一回事。有消息称球队正在和经纪人罗伯·佩林卡签订多年的合同。

　　"It's not about what I did when I played, what Kobe did when he played," Johnson said. "It's about the new Lakers." That's a start, and during Tuesday's coup, the Lakers did purge 76 years of history between Kupchack, Black and Jim Buss. But Johnson goes back farther than any of them and Pelinka happens to be Bryant's agent. During an interview with Jeanie and Magic on Spectrum SportsNet, they said they would distance themselves from Showtime and all the old stories—but then they started talking about Showtime and all the old stories.

　　“这和我以及科比的球员时期没有关系。”约翰逊表示，“重要的是新湖人。”这是个开始，在周二的“政变”中，湖人放弃了库普切克，布莱克和小巴斯加在一起的76年工作经验。但约翰逊的尝试更加深入，而佩林卡恰好是科比的经纪人。在Spectrum SportsNet(湖人官方电视台)对珍妮和魔术师的采访中，他们都说会和“表演时刻”以及曾经的历史保持距离——但他们随后就开始讲“表演时刻”和历史上的那些故事。

　　Maybe those memories hold value. Riley famously recruited LeBron by dumping his championship rings on a table during a free-agent meeting in Akron. But shiny jewelry has not had the same effect for Phil Jackson during his tenure as Knicks president. Many of the brightest execs in the league (including Bob Myers, who lured Durant) never played in the pros.

　　也许这些记忆还有价值。传说中莱利就在阿克伦招募勒布朗的会议上把自己的冠军戒指扔在了桌上。但闪亮的总冠军戒指在菲尔·杰克逊担任尼克斯总裁时却没能起到同样的作用。联盟中很多优秀的管理人员(包括成功说服了杜兰特的鲍勃·迈尔斯)从未打过职业联赛。

　　Johnson acknowledged that he requires a lieutenant who is "super duper smart," specifically in regard to the Collective Bargaining Agreement. After Byron Scott was introduced four years ago, Johnson declared, "If I don’t see another three-pointer from a Laker team, I’ll be happy." In the so-called new NBA, that may not be such a sound strategy.

　　约翰逊承认，他需要一个“极端聪明”的人，特别是对劳资协议非常了解。四年前拜伦·斯科特成为主教练后，约翰逊曾经宣称：“如果湖人不再投三分，我会很高兴。”在所谓新NBA环境下，这听起来不是什么好的策略。

　　When Johnson was brought on as a consultant earlier this month, the role sounded ornamental, as if he were just going to provide cover for Jeanie when she inevitably dismissed her brother. Jeanie admitted Tuesday that she waited too long, a lapse that likely allowed Mitch and Jim to go on that mindless spending spree last summer. But Johnson is no figurehead, after all. He is already talking about accompanying the Lakers on the road and reportedly pulled off his first move by sending Lou Williams to the Rockets on Tuesday night. "I'm a guy who understands what this team needs," Johnson said.

　　本月早些时候约翰逊成为球队顾问时，那看上去更像是一个虚职，为珍妮最终解雇哥哥时打的幌子。珍妮在周二承认，她等得太久，她的疏忽可能导致了米奇和吉姆去年夏天对工资帽毫无意义的挥霍。不管怎么说，约翰逊不是傀儡。他已经提到和湖人一起去客场，并且在周二晚做出了第一笔操作，将路·威廉姆斯交易到了火箭。“我是一个了解球队需求的人。”约翰逊说。

　　To his credit, he promised no quick fixes, no three-year plans. No magic. What's ahead for the Lakers can't be accomplished with a big smile or a blank check. Rebuilding in the NBA is slow, arduous work. Johnson has watched, and critiqued, from afar. Now he will experience it himself.