LOS ANGELES >> Magic Johnson wants the Los Angeles Lakers to lose every game this season for their own good.

Coach Byron Scott thinks they are better off learning how to win.

"I hope the Lakers lose every game," the Hall of Famer and former Lakers point guard said. "Because if you’re going to lose, lose. And I’m serious. If you’re going to lose, you’ve got to lose, because you can’t be in the middle of the pack. You either have to be great, or you’ve got to be bad to get a good pick."

A few hours later, Scott responded to his former Lakers backcourt mate by stressing the importance of establishing a winning climate surrounding Kobe Bryant with the 16-time NBA champion franchise.

Scott says tanking wouldn’t be entertained by the Lakers, whose 6-16 record is tied for second-worst in the Western Conference after Tuesday’s home win over Sacramento.

"That’s easy to say, but when you’re behind the scenes and you’re in the trenches and you’re coaching, that’s not something that you want to do," Scott said. "We’ve got to go out here and win every game possible. I mean, if you lose games, that’s one thing. But to go out and try to lose, that’s a different story. I think that sends a message to those guys in there that it’s going back to that losing mentality. We don’t want to create that here."

Scott mostly laughed off the extemporaneous comments by Johnson, his good friend. Johnson was viciously critical of former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni in the previous two seasons, but has pledged to be supportive to Scott and the current team.