Los Angeles Lakers vs Cleveland CavaliersSun Feb 8, 3:30 PM EST – ABC Line: CLE -13.0, O/U: 196.0 Quicken Loans Arena – Cleveland, OH Recent Matchups |
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After winning a single game to snap a season long nine losing streak three games ago (hi, Bulls), the Lakers have dropped three in a row including their last two in overtime to the Bucks and the Magic. Both those games saw the Lakers lose double digit leads in the 2nd half with late game collapses leading to the other team being able to force the extra period. These are the pitfalls of a bad (and injury filled) roster, a coach who is not above making suspect decisions, and an allowance of young players who have not played meaningful minutes in this league to play through some of their mistakes.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit this was hard. On Friday night while the Lakers were finding a way to lose to the Magic, the Warriors and Hawks (sporting the two best records in the league) were playing a great game which also coincided with the Thunder and Pelicans playing a down to wire contest where Anthony Davis’ game winner on a double clutch three pointer was a fitting end to an amazing battle. The Lakers, in their current state, may have an exciting game now and then but no longer participate in meaningful games beyond ones that determine draft positioning.
Said another way, fans are more interested in whether the Lakers lose than any of the other things that should matter in a season like this one. Yes, player development is nice, but don’t let a guy play too well lest it lead to wins that threaten the Lakers’ ability to keep their pick. Byron Scott is messing up? That’s great, we need the losses! Who cares if bad habits or a losing culture are being formed with players who the team may actually like and want to be part of the team when they are theoretically turned around. This is what the team’s current status breeds in fans. Again, this sucks something terrible.
Which leads me to the Cavs game. There are few teams hotter than Cleveland right now. Before losing their last game to the Pacers, the Cavs had won 12 in a row with LeBron James re-establishing himself as the player everyone thought he’d be when he returned “home” to Cleveland. Since taking his two-week sabbatical to do…whatever it was he was doing, he is averaging 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists and leading the Cavs in every way imaginable. With Kyrie Irving also playing phenomenally and Kevin Love chipping in with some very good games in that stretch too, the team is resembling the one who most pundits thought could contend for a championship.
The contrast between the Lakers and the Cavs is as stark as you could imagine. Heading into next weekend’s all-star game, one team will continue to ramp up their efforts to climb the standings to best position themselves for a deep playoff run. The other team will likely continue to lose, explore trades that give them even more flexibility to chase players next summer (and get worse this season in the process), and pretty much be frustrating as hell to watch. Again, I’d be lying if I said this was anything but difficult.
And yes, the Cavs offer some semblance of hope for this Lakers’ team. After LeBron left for Miami, our very own Byron Scott stewarded the Cavs to multiple terrible seasons that ended with the draft picks and talent base that helped lure LeBron back to Miami and swing a trade for Kevin Love. If you’d have told Cavs fans at the time that all their suffering would be rewarded with the team they have now they’d do it again 100 times out of 100. Just don’t let them tell you they enjoyed the process. That would be a lie.
The Lakers and their fans are hoping the same can happen to them. Just don’t tell me to like it while being put through the wringer.
Where you can watch: 12:30pm start time on ABC. Also listen on ESPN Radio 710AM Los Angeles.
Aaron says
Darius,
I think it does suck. I think it sucks something more than terrible. You should be angry. We should all be angry. Every NBA fan. We should be all angry at the NBA for putting in a system that rewards losing. What is everyone going to do about it? Nothing. The fans are like the players… We kneel at the (small market) owners feet.
George Best says
The nba lost all its credibility the minute they vetoed the cp3 trade. Managements worst decision was not to sue the league. We are now paying for it and I don’t even enjoy the trading and the dealing that goes on between teams.
That being said, we need to lose the rest of our games.
bleedpurplegold says
@george best:
Agree on your take, and the nba is getting worse by the minute….this new idea silver came up with recently is just stupid….there are conferences for a reason, otherwise we could just break it up and start over….it also bares every logic, lets assume that a division has bad teams from top to bottom, should a team with a record of say 35-47 be in the playoffs because they win their divison?!? i’d say no….
@darius: great post as usual! An example for a team with a turnaround is gsw….they were losing in bunches, adeed talent via the draft (steph, klay, barnes,etc) and picked up some solid free agnets here and there in lee and igi…..this is somewhat of a blueprint for jimmy if he wants to go that route, and they were also able to establish a winning culture over time….
About the game: hope we dont lose by 50, no joke intended here!!! looking forward to see thompson…if i am correct, he is available next summer and he could be a steal…..his per36min numbers are nice, would be a solid singing at the right price….
GO LAKERS!!!
Aaron says
Man.. Pau Gasol can’t catch a break by his hometown fans in LA or Chi. It’s a great and very accurate read. Lakers fans can very much relate.
“Gasol was selected as an All Star starter by the fans. This is, honestly, a joke. Pau Gasol is the Bulls fourth best big man. Yes, fourth best. Behind Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and even rookie Nikola Mirotic. Looking at ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus tells a similar story. Pau is rated worse than Nikola Mirotic and Taj Gibson and he outpaces Joakim Noah only slightly (Pau is +1.04 to Noah’s +.69 per 100 possessions), but Noah has been significantly limited by his health all year. The Noah we’ve seen the last few games as he seems to return to health is a significantly better player than Pau.”
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/1/31/7956711/signing-pau-gasol-was-a-mistake
Chearn says
Games like this I wish….
bleedpurplegold says
Wow we are right in it….lets get this win go lakers!!!
Chearn says
Kobe was supposed to be a problem being such a ball dominant guard that prevented Lin from excelling at his position. He went to the bench (no Kobe) and still can’t find his game. It’s time to realize that he’s a 2nd string pg, he dribbles too much. He had the ball and dribbled until there were 5 seconds on the clock and then passed the ball to the corner for a guarded 3pt shot. A guard in high schools knows that you don’t pass the ball, you shoot!
All that talk, just give me the ball and get out of the way. Swaggy needs to shut his mouth.
LKK says
@Aaron…
I agree with the article about Pau to a large extent. The writer doesn’t depict Pau as useless or a bad player. His main point is that Pau and Noah kind of crowd each other’s space and that Mirotic might be better suited to start alongside Noah. I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of Pau. I feel he quit on the Lakers his last two years here. Some of his struggles were injury related and some can be laid at the feet of MD’A, but Pau kinda left me cold during that time. JOMO ( just one man’s opinion).
LKK says
Lakers closed both quarters very poorly. They allowed Love and Irving to go on big runs to extend Cleveland’s lead. LeBron has all the pieces around him now. He is the NBA’s greatest opportunist of all time, without question.
LKK says
The rout is on now. Lakers in way over their depth.
Chearn says
“He is the NBA’s greatest opportunist of all time, without question.”
LOL
LKK says
On the very dim bright side, Clarkson is playing pretty well. He showed some after burners on that drive between Kyrie & LB.
Ko says
Nick is just done as a player another 1 for 8 can’t even hit the rim. Dump the guy.
rr says
Ko,
Young is under contract through 2018. The last year of his deal is a player option.
LKK says
I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the life of Dean Smith. May he RIP. By all accounts , a greater human being than he was a coach, and as we all know he was a tremendous coach.
Robert says
rr: With regard to Ko’s desire to get rid of Young: Anyone can be jettisoned : ) However as you know the Lakers seem to have a couple of issues with regard to getting rid of anyone. Either the player and his respective contract become completely undesirable to other teams (and Young is a good example of this), or the Lakers simply can’t complete a deal (Pau, Kaman, DH, and Farmar are a few examples). We also have Hill and Lin with less than desirable contract situations. So somehow we end up with terrible contracts and cant trade anyone. This is of course all to be blamed on the commissioner. And whatever is not attributable to the commissioner is all Byron Scott’s fault.
bryan S. says
Clarkson: 20/6/5 on 6-14 shooting. 0 turnovers. The five dimes could have been at least 8 if Sacre would’ve finished with any efficiency. Hubie Brown started out with a modest assessment of Clarkson’s potential (back-up pg), but soon praised Clarkson for his surprisingly good defense on Irving, and then as the game wore on, marveled at his speed bringing the ball up, and appreciated Clarkson’s excellent size for the position. It seemed his estimation grew as he watched him closely for probably the first time.
Someone here already commented that the days of the ball dominant pg are past, and it is the era of the hybrid, scoring/handling guard. (Westbrook, Dragic, being prime examples.) This is the blue print for Clarkson’s game.
karen says
What quality player is going to want to be coached by scott. This is the biggest joke . Seriously tell me what top etchelon free agent would come here as long as scott is coach
Baylor Fan says
The failed CP3 trade did not doom the Lakers. Thinking that they could put together a “Big 3” and win the west is what failed them and continues to fail them. Let’s say the trade did go through and they added Howard. From hindsight, Howard came back too soon from his back surgery and had a wasted year and now has chronic knee problems. Houston’s backup center is putting up the same numbers as Howard which are still good but not pre-injury Howard levels. Kobe’s body has failed him for 3 years now. The will and skill are there but wear and tear on the joints and tendons has reached critical mass. So the big 3 would have been Chris Paul and two question marks. Fortunately, it is possible to make noise in the West without a Big 3 and that may be the better path for the Lakers.
Robert says
Karen: We agree that this is a joke and that we are not exactly an attractive landing spot for free agents. However, exactly how would naming a fourth coach in 4 years solve that?
rr says
Karen–
Scott was hired by Jim Buss; he can be fired at any time by Jim Buss, and given that Buss has more or less publicly announced that he is planning to rebuild the Lakers through free agency, there is pretty much zero chance that Buss would keep Scott around if there were actually a top-level FA who wanted to play here but didn’t want to play for Scott. But if that did happen, it would be the FO’s fault, not Scott’s. Buss was unwilling to get rid of D’Antoni in a last-ditch (and probably futile) attempt to appease Dwight Howard, but that was a very different moment in time for both Buss and the Lakers. I don’t think that Buss will do that again. The main problem the Lakers will have drawing FAs is that they have the worst roster in the NBA–the roster that was put together under Jim Buss.
Finally, you are presuming that NBA players see Scott the same way that you and a large subset of Lakers fans do. That may be the case, but, frankly, I doubt it.
Aaron says
MDA was hired to win. BS was hired to lose. Those are really the facts folks. It’s pretty much black and white obvious. And for good reason. When the Lakers are ready to compete again Scott will be gone. He knows it and we know it. This isn’t a government secret.
As for seducing free agents… All you need is 2 or 3 good too draft picks on rookie contracts and an empty roster. Especially if you are in LA. So although the roster looks bad now it can look really great by the time Kobe comes off the books if Randle becomes the next Anthony Mason and this years pick turns out to be at least a borderline all star type of player. You don’t want anything besides that if you wanna sign the next big three.
rr says
the next big three.
—
Who are? I am ready to be convinced.
T. Rogers says
This team is overmatched every single night against every opponent. They could have Phil Jackson as the head coach with Pop and Riles as assistants and they would still be terrible. It’s a talent league. And the Lakers have very little talent.
Lakafan says
Apparently it’s not one of marc gasol, k love or anyone else besides Durant or Anthony Davis whom we have no shot in hell getting with jimbo & Mitch in charge!!
Robert says
Aaron: “MDA was hired to win. BS was hired to lose. ” Well at least one of them is succeeding in the mission. As I said in the last thread, the line for Scott’s tenure is 2.5 years. Get the roster, then replace him. There is no point getting a new coach now.
Aaron says
Pick your best free agents amoungst the 2016 and 2017 free agency draft classes. You can even pick two and Dream up another one who might be available through trade. Those are some pretty very good and great players.
…and yes Vegas would consider the Lakers the fav to get Davis 🙂
Aaron says
Robert,
And yes. There would def be more coaching options to us if we had a great team. And yes. Even if we think the best coach is someone not famous and available to us now it’s still better to wait. Nobody wants to play for a coach who has one year of experience and who’s record was awful coaching a bad team. But the last thing I’m worried about is the coach.
First we nail three top picks in a row. Then we can start worrying about who we can sign in free agency. Then we can worry about the coach.
Stuart says
Aaron: I hope for all our sakes that Randle is more than Anthony Mason…
I share the concer of rr and many others. I don’t see a pipeline of elites hitting free agency in the next few years. And, if any do I see a lot of competition with other teams that have been working the CBA far better that Jim. Many teams have young emerging talent, draft picks and cap space. Plus their management is prepared to sell a vision that is already developed. The Lakers not so much…
rr says
Some Notable UFAs who are still in their 20s in 2015:
Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap, Wesley Matthews, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love if he opts out
Some Notable UFAs who are still in their 20s in 2016:
Kevin Durant, Mike Conley, Nicholas Batum
As to Anthony Davis: I presume that Aaron’s (and maybe Jim Buss’) plan here is that Davis will do the Greg Monroe thing–not re-up, sign a QO with NO in 2016 when he is a RFA, and then try to cash in as a UFA, based on the idea that there will be a huge jump in the cap with the advent of a new TV deal/CBA. If that happens, that will be the most intense bidding war on a FA in NBA history.
rr says
Dragic can be an UFA in 2015 too.
Aaron says
The idea rr is that players are now aware they have become indentured servants to the team that drafts them for seven years unless they opt out. Guys are now going to be leaving places like Detroit and New Orleans if they don’t have top end talent around them. New Orleans is capped out and done. This is there team. Davis is most likley gone in 2017. The team in the biggest market with big names to play with will be the winner. If the Lakers hit on their picks and tank properly… And get two other star players… Davis isn’t turning down the Lakers. At that point getting Davis is easy. The hard part are the draft picks.
I hope you don’t think I think the Lakers should even think for a second on Dragic. That would be under thinking it. Ya think?
Robert says
rr: “in their 20s ” I know why you restricted your list to this – however, will the front office?
Stuart: “working the CBA” No the CBA can;t be worked – it is designed to specifically harm the Lakers and there is nothing we can do : )
T. Rogers: There you go being accurate again. Stop stating facts : )
LKK says
@T. Rogers….
Well said. Our Lakers have a terrible roster and if that isn’t bad enough they are injury ravaged to boot.
Anonymous says
Yes this is the way we should be playing. Develop future role players and tank for a potential franchise big (Okafor or Towns)…..There’s a good chance now Minny and Philly are grabbing some wins…Sign a star or get some solid players to fill our weaknesses while getting rid of some excess baggage. Then next year we will at least be a competitive team maybe a fringe playoff team. With all the competition, current Cba, and Kobe’s inflated contract, this is probably the way to go. Laker fans endure.
Renato Afonso says
The problem with all this is that all tradeable assets we had are now gone and we don’t even have enough draft picks to trade. I really wanted to talk more about this, but this is really depressing so I’ll just go watch some other sport.
George says
Aaron: …If the Lakers hit on their picks and tank properly… And get two other star players… Davis isn’t turning down the Lakers. At that point getting Davis is easy…
___
If, if, if…
I’m beginning to think that you must be a friend of Jim’s. Only the two of you could think that with absolutely zero planning and preparation could the stars magically align for the Lakers.
I believe the road out of this mess is going to be rougher than you think.
Baylor Fan says
I think the forest is being blocked by all the trees. The Lakers have a bunch of players thrown together mostly to create salary cap space for the next two seasons. They do not play as a team on offense and defense simply because they have never played together before. It is too soon to evaluate the younger players since they still have time to develop the missing parts of their games. Clarkson has clearly improved since he was made a starter but that just means he can make the first pass and cut on offense. The rest of the team is still figuring out what to do if that breaks down. Same thing on defense, the Lakers are getting better at stopping the first play and fall apart as they have to scramble to cover the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th options. They will improve after the all-star break as they get more playing time together.
Terri says
If the Buss kids intend to keep the Lakers, and I think they do, there is only one way that this will work. Jeanie Buss is going to have to take control of the franchise and put in place a management team that reports directly to her. The Lakers lack a unifying vision and that stems from the fact that Jim is misplaced in his role. Her deferring to Jim on the Operation side has handicapped the franchise. If she would truly take charge she would elevate Mitch and allow him to bring in the help he needed to turn this thing around.
I know that out of respect for her dad she is giving Jim his opportunity. She states that she in charge, yet no CEO would allow the chaos we see to continue. If Jim wasn’t her brother he would have been gone long ago. So my sense is that we will continue to flounder until Jeanie assumes her role as the head of the Lakers organization.
Todd says
The Lakers should consider themselves lucky. They clearly went into this year thinking that they had enough to compete. I believe the FO was willing to let their top 5 pick go in an effort to finish 10th in the conference.
It wasn’t until Kobe had to miss games due to fatigue and soreness that they realized what we all knew from the beginning – this year was lost. Fortunately, the Lakers were playing so poorly that all it has taken is a little player rotation manipulation to virtually assure that we keep our pick.
Vasheed says
@Bryan S.
From earlier thread, my “memory” was spot on. Typically when I speak in those terms it is not the facts that are in question that I am referencing but perhaps there is more information I am not at the moment thinking of.
http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles-lakers/post/_/id/40948/would-more-milk-do-nba-players-good
The article does in fact quote Lakers nutritionist Dr. Cate Shanahan as refering to Randle not getting sufficient calcium while growing up. It was referenced also about soda but that was a secondary issue that you referenced.
As for the Cavs game I caught the 2nd quarter. Liked some things I saw from Black. But otherwise just painful to watch.
bryan S. says
Vasheed: We read two different articles. That’s why. Sorry! (You’re gonna love Randle next season! 🙂
R says
Aaron mentions “tanking properly.”
Well, they are executing that aspect of the season to perfection.
Mid-Wilshire says
Renato,
Hang in there. We’ll get back up there. It may take a while…but we’ll get back.
Keith says
Terri – I agree with you. From my experience in the corporate world it simply does not work if there is not a direct line of authority or if the one in charge does not hold leadership accountable for their actions. The Lakers are becoming a business school case study. All of the problems inherent to the successors of a family businesses are bubbling to the surface.
I know many of you will point out that the Lakers still made more money that any team in the league. I doubt that will be the case if the team experiences continued mediocrity. Or, another way to view this is to look at the revenues lost by not being more competitive – lower ratings, less sponsor dollars, missed playoff games, etc. — losing is bad for business both on and off the court.
The bottom line is you either run it like a business or not. Right now Jeanie is running the Lakers with one hand tied behind her back due to her brother. She has the authority but no power over Jim – that is a recipe for disaster.
Robert says
Terri: Please keep posting. I have been saying this for more than 2 years. However, the longer this goes on Jeanie’s watch, we need to question her too. And she should set the timetable – not her brother.
Tanking Properly: It does appear we will keep the pick now and maybe a very high pick. We somewhat lucked into this in a warped way due to the KB injury etc.. Can you imagine there were people on this very board that said we would be better off without KB? Incredible but it is true : )
George: “If if” yes – and we keep mortgaging years just to take the chances. So 15 is done and 16 is already on the table for another tank. That will be year 6 out of the Finals for those counting.
History: 62 years and we make the Finals 50% of the time and win 25% of the time, and people wonder why I am questioning this current performance? Why is this different than any company that made money for 62 years, then a new CEO comes in and the losses mount. And I am supposed to give Jim credit for being a mid-level manager when the company was successful?
Anonymous says
The new CBA was directed right at big market teams like the Lakers. Was it fair? Not really, as the league’s popularity and the value of NBA franchises are directly attributable to the Lakers success over the years. The Lakers were a tide that rose all ships. And yes, it was a little hypocritical of Stern to cave so readily to the smaller market teams — it was very akin to biting the hand that fed you.
With that said the new CBA changed the game considerably. Young controllable talent and draft picks became gold — the most valuable currency in the game. The changes in CBA came right at the time that the Lakers were trying to milk the last few years of Kobe’s greatness. Face it – the Lakers didn’t play their cards very well and here we are years later paying the price for it.
Todd says
So it looks like we’re back to Jim Buss. Funny, how predictable that was. Well, I got news for you – he’s not leaving for another three years — at least. If we’re not turning this thing around until he’s gone then we’re essentially kissing off the rest of the decade. Yikes!
J C says
Todd,
I think Jim Buss will cave to pressure much sooner than your estimate.
I think the team gives itself one final pass for this year due to Kobe’s injury, Randle, and Nash.
Next year is the year there will be heavy expectation to improve.
Management must:
1. Nail at least one good draft pick this summer that contributes immediately,
2. Sign at least one FA this summer that contributes immediately, and
3. Randle must return and contribute immediately,
4. The team must improve and compete next season to the tune of 41-41 or better, and maybe even make the playoffs.
Failing ANY of these, I believe the Buss family will consider selling the team.
Jeannie may stay on as marketing president or to keep a consistent face of the franchise as NBA team representative and because she is the only Buss that seems to have kept a solid reputation.
J C says
If anyone is interested in 2 tickets for tmrw’s game let me know.
Sec 113 row 12, good seats.
I paid face value, I’ll take a loss.
heyjc@yahoo.com
Craig W. says
Let me know how soon Donald Sterling let go control?
The Buss’s are not going anywhere – why should they? Should we fans be allowed to run the franchise?
All this thought that we can pressure the Laker owners is laughable. Talking heads always feel they have all the facts and know all the answers – fortunately they don’t run the respective clubs. I am not saying everything is ok-doky, or that some attention isn’t paid to the fans, but we sure don’t come close to forcing any ownership actions.
Let’s talk about what the Lakers can do from here on out and stop the carping about management – it ain’t gonna change.
rr says
Failing ANY of these, I believe the Buss family will consider selling the team.
—
I am obviously just speculating, but I would disagree with this. I think the Busses want to hoist the O’Brien Trophy again and say, “This one is for our Dad!” and will run the Lakers for the foreseeable future.
As to Jim and the timetable, I believe two things, which are, I can admit, probably contradictory:
1. There is IMO now substantially more evidence that Jim Buss is in over his head than there is that he knows what he’s doing.
2. But the Veto was a blow that was crippling enough such that I have not totally written Jim off. I want to see what the roster looks like on Opening Night of the 2016-17 season.
Also, I may be naive about it, but I actually believe the timetable thing. I think Jeanie noted and remembers it, and the media and fanbase will as well. But like I said, the issue with it it will be if the Lakers are, say, 45-37 when the clock strikes midnight. My guess is if that happens Jeanie will announce that Jim is staying on to “finish what he started.”
Darius Soriano says
The Lakers are the Buss’ family business. So, like RR, I do not see them selling anytime soon. For better or worse, the Buss children grew up with the Lakers forming a key part of their identities. This was stengthened by Dr. Buss grooming them for key roles as executives within the organization. I don’t envision them just doing away with that because some might want them to or because they can get a boatload of money.
As for building a winner, I’m most skeptical of the front office’s ability to choose a good coach. The Riley & Phil Jackson’s of the world don’t come around often & in some ways Dr. Buss lucked into both (Riley via West handing him the reins after a series of events that were quite improbable & Phil after the dismantling of the Bulls left him without a job while the Lakers had a very talented roster worth taking over). I do believe the front office knows talented players & has shown an ability to acquire them. Whether *that* continues remains to be seen but at least there is a history there that has been recent. The coaching hires leave much more to be desired.
rr says
The Lakers’ game at home tomorrow against Denver is on TNT. That has to be one of the worst matchups TNT has ever had for a Tuesday night game.
LKK says
….The Lakers’ game at home tomorrow against Denver is on TNT. That has to be one of the worst matchups TNT has ever had for a Tuesday night game…..
So true. It’s a shame that even in a matchup like this, the Lakers are the weaker team.
always a triangle fan says
It’s now quite clear there was extremely poor planning by all in the buss family that had a say. Dr. Buss failed to recognize the deep fissures within the family or foolishly thought they could be solved without his involvement. So much for grooming. Junior’s complete lack of common sense to clear out key staff (from ronnie lester down) the moment he was given the reins is probably equal in ineptitude to the way he handles the press and selects coaches. Jeannie isn’t looking much better in how she responded to the Abbot article – which could have easily been written by Zach Lowe. It doesn’t look like a unified front, and that doesn’t look like a possibility for a while. That’s not exactly inspiring players/agents to come here.
Any reasonable fan would expect the Lakers to slowly slide from the top, but this feels like a rush to the bottom.
Byron Scott deserves some credit for attempting to build a winning culture with so few assets. But at least he know what defense is. He probably even spends time on it in practice.
teamn says
always a triangle fan,
You may be right about poor planning, but I would add that the new CBA definitely complicated things as well. It seems that teams are still adjusting to the intricacies and what the CBA means for team building — a few different approaches that are different than the old ways. Add to that the next complication from the new TV contract and it isn’t clear to me that most teams know what are the best steps to take.
Additionally, the players themselves seem to be adjusting to the CBA and factoring in things like contract length, etc. Its a dynamic environment and, as you point out, poor planning (or worse) definitely puts the Lakers at a disadvantage.
lil pau says
No one’s selling the team. Let’s say the Buss family could get 3B for selling it. Even at 8% per year that’s a 240M a year return on that money. The Lakers made far, far more than that in profit/appreciation the last year and the family still owns the team.
Fans who put any stock in the three year plan are going to be sorely disappointed. Sure, Jim Buss could ‘step aside’ and everyone could get a different title, but he’s still going to be the owner and undoubtedly all trades will be approved by him in concert with Mitch, just as they were approved by Jerry in concert with Mitch when he was ‘the good owner’. Suddenly elevating Mitch to president and putting, say, Janie’s name on the letterhead wouldn’t change a damn thing. Other than firing Mitch, which I personally do NOT want (although I think he should be targeted more by the Buss is Satan crowd around here), nothing’s going to change.
I personally feel the organization is in good hands, I know others (strongly) do not, but either way, the Buss family is going to be owning the Lakers for a very, very long time. The TWC deal only solidifies the future profitability of the team (unless you think they could get, say 8B for it, but no one of any repute is suggesting that).
Robert says
CBA: There have been significant changes before For example, prior to 1984 there was no salary cap at all. A rich guy like Jerry Buss could just go out and buy players at will. You could add a guy like Bob McAdoo to win a couple championships (we literally bought McAdoo for a second round pick and cash – think about that).. The salary cap was directed at teams like the Lakers to make things more fair and balanced The Lakers adjusted and made the Finals 5 of the next 7 years, winning 3 titles. Bottom line – our Front Office adjusted and became successful under the new rules. And while the current CBA is tough, large market teams still have a significant advantage They can exceed the cap and pay taxes, which small market teams simply can’t afford. Our current FO has been unable to adjust.
Ko says
Lil Pau
If anyone here you should know better. Jim Busd does not own the Lakers. He is part if a trust that has 66% of the team. 3 others own the remaining 33% as individuals. None of us know what percent of the trust Jim has but there are 4 others family members and simple math tells us it is 15% to 20%.
That being said it is possible that the other 3 share holders aling with the trust could terminate Jim while he would still remain a member if the trust.
rr says
Here again are Jim’s words:
“I was laying myself on the line by saying, if this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed,” he told The Times about the meeting. “I don’t know if you can fire yourself if you own the team … but what I would say is I’d walk away and you guys figure out who’s going to run basketball operations because I obviously couldn’t do the job.”
Was he just BSing? Sure, maybe. But this is the internet era; I found this in 10 seconds. It is on his Wikipedia page. If the Lakers are still bad in February of 2017 or 2018, this quote won’t be hard to find, and Jeanie’s already mentioned it in public herself.
Those talking about Jeanie’s actual power will note that Jim seems to disregard the idea that Jeanie can do anything to him or replace him.
As to the idea that people hammering on Jim should also be after Mitch, that is answered easily enough:
1. Jim’s title is essentially the same one that Jerry West had from 1995-2000. His dad never had that title.
2. Jim and Jeanie have stated publicly that Basketball Ops are Jim’s purview–that he is in charge.
3. Mitch has a long track record and is an old-school basketball man, who actually played the game.
Chearn says
teamn, et.al. Do you accept as true the parameters of the CBA were carefully guarded, and no one had an inkling as to its construct prior to ratification? Or, was the tenets of the contract leaked, and intelligent owners immediately went to work forging plans that maximized benefits for a particular team’s situation? If the former then the White House needs to implement that system. If the latter then the Lakers are in mid-stream of their near-term and long-term planning, right?