Nick Young keeps the mood loose in the Lakers’ locker room, an underrated asset for a losing team.
Young probably bought into his own importance a little too much when the Lakers won his first two games back from injury after starting the season 1-9 without him. They’ve gone 3-7 since, and Young hasn’t always maintained his carefree demeanor during the tough times.
But if it means Magic Johnson – the Dodgers owner and former Laker who said the Lakers should tank – stays away, Young says he’ll bring enough positive energy for the both of them.
Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
Nick Young: "Tell Magic to stay at Dodger Stadium for a while. He don’t need to bring that smile around here. I’ll do all the smiling."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 10, 2014
Here’s the craziest part of this division between Young and Johnson: Some Lakers fans are on Young’s side. Johnson is probably getting more support because he’s a franchise icon. But on substance, Lakers fans generally don’t want to tank, and that puts some into Young’s corner.
Whoever thought Nick Young would have a fighting chance of getting Lakers fans behind him in a disagreement with Magic Johnson? These are truly crazy days in Los Angeles.