Eight months after Magic Johnson rocked the Lakers and the NBA, the arrow is pointing sharply up in Los Angeles. In April, Johnson stunned fans, colleagues and the entirety of the NBA by abruptly resigning as Los Angeles Lakers president before the final game of the season. The Lakers — during their first, celebrated campaign after landing the whale that is James — fizzled to a 37-45 finish, good for 10th place in the West and an invitation to the NBA draft lottery.