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Magic in 'for the long haul' with Lakers; will make final trade, draft decisions

Mark D. Smith / USA TODAY Sports

Magic Johnson sounded confident as ever during his first day on the job as Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations, but the Hall of Fame point guard admitted he isn't naive about the long road to restore the franchise to glory.

"I understand what I'm up against, but I'm here, and I'm here for the long haul, and eventually we will turn it around," Johnson told a group of Lakers reporters Tuesday, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

"If I didn't think I could turn this thing around, you think I'd be sitting in this seat? I think that we can do it. It may take us some years to do it, but I'm here."

Related - Report: Lakers finalizing deal to make Rob Pelinka new GM

Johnson's long-term outlook - and his admissions that he needs to improve his understanding of the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, salary cap, and analytics - should reassure Lakers fans worried about his approach to running the organization, but Johnson added that while he'll empower his general manager, he'll still have final say.

"Anything to do with trades, (the) draft, is, of course, going to end with me," Johnson said, before labeling himself a control freak.

That statement falls in line with Johnson's comments earlier in February - when he was brought on merely as an advisor - about wanting to eventually "call the shots" for the Lakers.

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