Magic Johnson says it may take two or three years to rebuild the Lakers

When Magic Johnson was announced publicly as an advisor to both the basketball and business operations of the Los Angeles Lakers, people started connecting dots. What might this mean for Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak? How might the kids be handled now? Will the rebuild look the same with Magic involved compared to what fans have seen over the last few years?

There are no answers to those questions as of right now, but the general consensus was Jim is on his way out, and the rebuild might be sped up. Well, thanks to a recent interview with Josh Peter of USA Today, we might get a little clarity on where everyone stands in regards to the route the Lakers might take.

Most eyes will focus on him saying how he’d like to call shots as his role with the Lakers evolves, but further down the article, he did mentions something that should calm fans down who liked the direction this rebuild is going in.

Johnson, who spoke while at Pauley Pavilion for the UCLA-Oregon men's basketball game, said it will take two to three years to rebuild the Lakers into one of the top teams in the Western Conference.

“It’s going to take time and we know that,’’ said Johnson, the Hall-of-Famer who played for the Lakers from 1979-91 and played 32 games during the 1995-96 season. “I’m not going to fool nobody and I don’t want the fan base to think, ‘Oh, I’m back, so it’s going to turn around tomorrow.’ It doesn’t work like that.

“You have to make some good decisions, you have to make sure we use the money wisely when we have it for free agents and then we’re going to draft well.’’

On its face, one wouldn’t think a combination of Magic Johnson and a long-term rebuild makes much sense. He tends to represent the desires of most casual fans, who haven’t been through a rebuild like this in the history of the Lakers, especially since moving to Los Angeles.

But, as many found out on themagicipod.com , many combinations you might never have considered sometimes come together to make music you can’t help but love (DMX and Vanessa Carlton absolutely have to go on tour as soon as they possibly can).

The key here is to be patient. We simply can’t know what Magic’s role in all this might be until at least the end of the season. Continuously speculating on it is a fool’s errand, as those directly involved don’t seem to know quite yet.

So in the meantime, let’s see what, say, Ludacris and Vanessa Carlton sound like together.