The Los Angeles Lakers are in an absolute free fall.
Magic Johnson, beloved Lakers legend and now-former president of basketball operations, resigned abruptly and without warning, leaving owner Jeanie Buss and the Lakers organization reeling and in chaos.
Should Jeanie Buss continue to look toward the Lakers family tree for a steady hand in a time of existential crisis, there are only two names that make sense: Jerry West and Pat Riley.
While there are competent and available candidates to replace Johnson outside of former Laker greats, such as former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, Jeanie Buss and the Lakers have shown to base some important hiring decisions on familiarity and trust rather than practicality and experience.