After parting ways with Byron Scott on Sunday, the Lakers are already moving forward in their search for a new head coach. While they are expected to look at a long list of candidates, it is a fair assumption they have a short list of top choices they would like to interview and gauge interest in soon.
Mitch Kupchak noted on Monday he does not envision the hiring process being strung out, explaining a hire could be made as quickly as within two weeks. In order to get the ball rolling, then, they must start to reach out to potential candidates and line them up for interviews. Well, that process has begun.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Lakers have received permission from the San Antonio Spurs to interview their lead assistant coach, Ettore Messina, as a possible replacement for the recently departed Byron Scott.
Messina spent the 2011-12 season as a Lakers’ assistant coach under Mike Brown, so the front office should be quite familiar with him. A European coaching legend, Messina is a two time Euroleague coach of the year who has four Euroleague Championships under his belt. After departing the Lakers, Messina returned to Europe to coach CSKA Moscow for a season and then returned to the NBA to the Spurs to coach under Gregg Popovich.
Cutting your teeth and familiarizing yourself with the NBA under Pop typically puts you on the fast-track to an NBA coaching gig. But as noted above, that would be selling Messina short on his own career accomplishments. Messina has long been considered one of the best coaches in the world. Refining his approach and adding nuance from NBA observations should only add to his rep.
This combination of experience, then, creates a fantastic candidate. When Messina first came to the NBA to join Mike Brown’s staff, we spoke with friend of FB&G Xavier Sánchez about Messina’s time in Spain and his philosophies on both sides of the floor. There’s lots of great information in that post, but these observations about Messina’s success with guards stands out — especially when thinking about the attributes of D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson:
Messina has always relied on “big” playmakers. Antoine Rigaudeau, Marko Jaric, Manu Ginobili or Theo Papaloukas are just the kind of guys he wanted to give the ball to, all of them over 6-6 feet. Neither of those have been great shooters (Ginobili being the best of them) but incredible ball handlers, with good penetration and playmaking skills.
He’s also used a lot 2 american guards during his stint in CSKA Moscow, JR Holden and former Duke (Blue Devil) Trajan Langdon, both under 6-3 but with great shooting stroke that could compensate the lack of shooting touch its big PG had…
…In his four Euroleague titles, 3 of the MVPs where guards (Ginobili, Papaloukas and Langdon) but saying his system is “guard friendly” would be taking it too far. I like Messina when he says that a good coach has the ability to detect the player strengths and draws a system to work for them.
That last sentence should be music to Lakers’ fans ears and dovetails nicely with this video of Messina discussing some of the principles the Spurs use while teaching drills at a coaching clinic.
The concepts expressed in that clip — the “point-five” second rule, reading the floor in advance of the catch, teaching the fundamentals and stressing the importance of shooting, filling open spaces offensively to keep a spaced and balanced floor — are all key elements incorporated into the schemes of the most successful offensive team’s in today’s NBA.
The fact that Messina is not only open to these concepts, but seemingly adapting them into his own philosophy is meaningful.
Of course, we do not know if Messina will be the hire. He hasn’t even been interviewed yet. But with the Lakers seeking and receiving permission to talk with him, they have their eyes on a very desirable target and a candidate I would fully support were he the hire. Time will tell, but these are steps in the right direction.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
It sounds like Messina could be a very good coach for the Lakers.
The downsides to a possible Messina hire are he’s not well-known (which may cause some negative public/media reactions) and he most likely doesn’t have influential personal relationships with big-name free agents. I don’t know if hiring Kevin Ollie would make KD and/or Westbrook more likely to come to the Lakers, but if it is true of Ollie (or any other coach), the front office does have to consider that factor.
I still believe the roster makeup will be far more influential on the Lakers’ success than who they hire as a head coach.
Borracho says
I like this. I really do. But there is a rumor that he has already been flagged as Pop’s successor. Still, does not hurt to go after him.
My only concern with respect to coaching selection is player maturity. Swaggy P, D’Angelo and Clarkson all seem to be enamored with the “Hollywood” spotlight. That’s a very different environment than what Pop has built in San Antonio. Would these 3 young Laker players, central to our young core, be open to toning things down on and off the court? If so, would Messina have enough gravitas to get them to buy into this philosophy? If not, Messina, then who (please don’t mention Phil, he is never coaching again)???
We all assume that, not being “superstars”, Swaggy P, D’Angelo and Clarkson will all blindly follow whatever coach we put in place post-Kobe… However, the B Scott tenure indicates these young players do not respond well to “old school” discipline. Does anyone know if Messina has this same “old school” philosophy? How about Luke, Blatt or Ollie?
harold says
Intriguing balance of Laker ties, experience, and trend (Spurs experience). No way telling how that translates to buy-in from the players, but with Kobe gone, the ownership has a chance to empower the head coach in a way that will help keep players in line. Have a feeling that Thibs wanted some FO power to help deal with players tuning him out (not that it will prevent it, as with Sloan and Williams, but will help) and wonder if Messina is smart enough to inquire about such backing (and Lakers smart enough to do so).
Him having a Spurs pedigree may be better suited to luring KD (doubt this will happen, but) than the other candidates. The West will likely be even crazier next year with everyone taking a shot at KD and with Marc Gasol telling his brother to join the Spurs… wonder if Messina will have similar pull on FAs…
Vasheed says
The problem I had with Scott wasn’t his “tough love”. You can pull a player aside and tell him he is screwing up. I don’t appreciate a coach going in front of the camera after every loss and berating his players on camera. That is just embarrassing.
Anonymous says
First of all Im writting from Spain. Reading all your post or comments abaout Messina the only thing that come to me is if you ever watch him coach
R says
Borracho, the Swaggy issue can be readily resolved by paying him to stay away. He had a lousy season and was in the middle of two problematic episodes involving Clarkson and DAR. Sure, sure he was the “wronged” party in the DAR incident, but he was in the mix twice in a negative way, while adding little to nothing on the court.
T. Rogers says
“But there is a rumor that he has already been flagged as Pop’s successor.”
—
I’ve seen this as well. Both him and Luke are in situations where if they hold out they can take over in organizations that are already up and running. I honestly would be surprised if either of them leave their current teams.
The international pipeline the San Antonio works through is perfect for Messina.
Mid-Wilshire says
This is an excellent start.
First of all, Ettore Messina is a world-class candidate. If the Lakers were to offer him the position of Head Coach, he should not be considered as a mere consolation prize. The intelligent Lakers fan should be very pleased if Messina were to be the Lakers’ next Head Coach.
Messina has coached 4 teams in Europe, leading three (3) of them to championships. He had two tenures with Virtus Bologna, a powerhouse in the Italian League thanks largely to Messina’s efforts. In the 1989-1990 season he won the Italian Cup and the FIBA Cup Winners’ Cup against Real Madrid in the Florence final and the national championship in 1993. During his second stint at Virtus, he coached the team to Euroleague trophies in both the 1997–98 and 2000–01 seasons. He also added two Italian League championships to his trophy case in 1998 and 2001, as well as three Italian Cup titles in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
He then served as the head coach of the Italian League club Benetton Treviso, where he succeeded Mike D’Antoni as head coach in 2002, and stayed there for 3 seasons. He won the Italian League championship in 2003, and also the Italian Cup championship three times.
Messina then joined CSKA Moscow in 2005, and led the team to the Euroleague 2005–06 season title in his first season there. On 4 May 2008, CSKA won the Euroleague championship again under Messina – the club gained its sixth Euroleague title by downing Maccabi Tel Aviv at the 2007–08 Madrid Euroleague Final Four. He led them to a Russian SuperLeague title and the Euroleague Final during the 2008–09 season.
He also served as the Head Coach with Real Madrid briefly but had less success with them, resigning in 2011.
As Darius has noted above, Messina has spent time recently (3 out of the last 4 years) in the NBA, one year as a “consultant” with the Lakers under Mike Brown and the last two years as the lead Assistant Coach under Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs (presumably being groomed as Popovich’s heir apparent).
As such, Messina has a resume that perhaps no one else can match. He’s coached three different teams to multiple championships in Europe, a remarkable feat to say the least. And for the last two years he has been taking mental notes while sitting beside Gregg Popovich on the sidelines in San Antonio.
The Spurs, understandably, are very high on him. The Lakers should be, too. He is an astute student of the game. He relates well with players of all ages and nationalities. He is perfectly fluent in at least 3 languages and is gentlemanly, sophisticated, and intellectually insightful in ways, frankly, that Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks will never be.
He is 56 years old, the same age as David Blatt, and may have the best 6-10 years ahead of him. (I am older that he, so I speak from experience on that subject.)
I am glad that the Lakers are meeting with Ettore Messina. This demonstrates that they are doing the right thing.
But, of course, it’s still early. The selection process has only just begun.
Mid-Wilshire says
I disagree (respectfully) that Luke Walton and Ettore Messina will stay with their current teams even if offered a Head Coaching position with the Lakers. I say this for several reasons.
Number 1, money talks. Any offer from the Lakers (or any other team) would surely trump whatever they are making as Assistant Coaches. It’s very difficult to ignore the prospect of making millions of dollars over multiple years.
Secondly, in Messina’s case, he is 56 years old. Time is flying. He probably cannot afford to postpone many opportunities to become a Head Coach while waiting for Popovich to retire.
Finally, in Walton’s case, this could be the perfect opportunity for him to return “home” to Southern California. His ties mean a great deal to him. He has a beautiful home in So Cal (which he has never sold). An opportunity of this sort may not come his way again.
I think either Walton or Messina would jump at the chance to become the Head Coach of the Lakers, even if they are in a development phase (which they are).
bluehill says
If Messina is being flagged as Pops successor that’s all the more reason to go after him. Also, the Spurs granted Messina permission to speak to other teams, so that means a succession plan has not been formalized if there is one.
My concern if I were Messina is how stable the ownership/FO is. If Jim or Jeanie are expecting the WCFs next year, I would view that as unreasonable target given the roster. More importantly, it reflects a short term mentality that, in my view, doesn’t mix well with a rebuild. Messina would probably like to work with together with the FO to get players that fit with his system.
T says
“But there is a rumor that he has already been flagged as Pop’s successor.”
Wait three years until Popovich maybe retires or take a head coaching job in one of the biggest markets in the league now. What a no brainer. Who would want to follow Popovich anyway?
LT Mitchell says
“detect a players strengths and draws a system to work for them”
Sweet music indeed. The music would be even sweeter if Jimbo had this mysterious ability as well. It’s amazing to think that the past three coaches tried to implement the worst possible offensive systems possible based on their respective rosters. People love to blame the coach, but a smart front office would never allow these basic mistakes to happen… let alone three times consecutively.
R says
LT Mitchell: yes, what you refer to is but one reason many of us are uneasy about our very favorite sports team.
R says
What is Pop’s retirement horizon? If it’s three years (say), it might leave the door open for Messina to return to SA after three years at Cirque de L.A.
rr says
I said in the other thread that I would probably go with Walton, but Messina would also be fine. He might help the Lakers add international talent.
Robert says
bluehill makes a great point. How is this “deadline” going to play in an interview?
Messina (or anyone else): “So if I am hired how is this deadline going to impact my coaching environment?”
Mitch: “Jim – you want to take this one”
Jim: “Well Ettore – I fully expect for us to be competitive next year”
Messina: “What exactly does that mean – your sister seems to think well into the second round – although the target is moving”
Jim: “Well Ettore – I fully expect for us to be competitive next year”
Messina: “How many years are guaranteed again?”
This is a factor for any discussions going forward. Like it or not.
rr says
What is Pop’s retirement horizon?
—
I am guessing it’s the same as whatever Duncan’s is, but of course I don’t know.
T. Rogers says
I agree with Robert on the deadline. Luke seems to be in good favor across the board. I doubt he cares because he would probably survive a front office shake up. But Messina, Ollie, and others don’t have his connections or favor up top. Surely, this is a factor that agents are bringing up to their clients who are considering the Lakers job.
Anon#1 says
He also served as the Head Coach with Real Madrid briefly but had less success with them, resigning in 2011.
__
Messina hasn’t actually coached in 5 years. 5 years! He’s been a ‘consultant’ to the Lakers and the Spurs. I’d hire the guy as a top assistant or as a ‘consultant’ but he would not be my choice to ‘coach’ the Lakers.
I would go all in on Walton. I think youth needs to be served here from multiple perspectives. First, our core is young and I think there’s an opportunity to form a bond between the players and the coach of ‘achieving this together’. Heck there aren’t championship coaches that are available so why hire an older guy who hasn’t figured in out in 20 years. I’m fine with a young guy.
Secondly, we are years away from being competitive. I don’t want an older coach who will make demands on the FO to get this so/so FA or that average FA because it will speed up the rebuild. Even with the cap rising you can still make the mistake of getting too many Al Horford’s (15/7 is average and not worth 25 mil/year in my book) and kill your flexibility with a bunch of 30+ year olds that aren’t on the same time horizon as your core.
Thirdly, a younger coach comes in with a more open mind. They may have a system philosophy but they won’t square peg/round hole it. Byron could have jump started his career by becoming known for developing young talent, like the core of the Lakers. Instead he was a old school hard ass that killed his career by being closed minded. The NBA is constantly evolving. Case in point, on how far behind the curve we are: to date, the Lakers have essentially missed the small ball and 3pt eras completely. And people wonder why we finished 56 games out of 1st place.
Walton is the #1 choice in my mind. Go ahead and have your cake and eat it too by bringing in Messina as his top assistant or a consultant.
Kbj says
If Jim and Mitch fail to reach the second round (most likely), then Jeanie will fire them and possibly bring in Phil Jackson. Any of the coaches who want the Lakers job will be wondering how secure their job will be if the people who hired them are gone. Will Phil Jackson want to bring in his own guys? If I am a coach, why should I come to a team if I have a high chance of losing my job after one season?
Imo, Jeanie needs to set the record straight. Will she or will she not hold Jim accountable to his deadline? If she will hold him accountable , then there needs to be assurances that no coach will lose their job in a F.O change.
rr says
Deadline: Indeed. This is why I (and others) have suggested that Jeanie either just can Jim now (if she can) or give the FO two years or an indefinite window.
Fern says
My favorite is Luke but i would be perfectly fine with Messina. On other news the Clippers season went to the crapper in a hurry huh?
Fern says
Non #1 he coached CSKA Moscow after his Lakers stint. It’s right there in Darius article. And being under Pop , watching and learning and being mentioned as a possible successor to Pop add some gravitas to his coaching credibility. And I don’t but that “years away from competition” reasoning. The Lakers can return to respectability as soon as next season if the Draft and the FA process pans out. Not a contender yet but is possible to fight for a playoff spot if the FO play their cards right.
Borracho says
Holy smokes! The discussion here is awesome. Just thought I’d say that
Todd says
The Jim promise is the elephant in the room and it has been since he made it. While it makes sense to either remove Jim now or give him more time I don’t get the feeling that Jeanie is going to do either.
Her promise is to her dad — that Jim run basketball operations. By opening his mouth, Jim gave Jeanie an out, next April — when the season ends and the Lakers are once again watching the post season on TV. She’ll ask him to step down — per his promise.
Yet another reason why Walton is the front runner. Hard to think of any future FO executive not being pleased that Luke is already in place.
Assuming that Jeanie knows what works and what doesn’t, she’s had to have known for some time that Jim isn’t a good fit. But out of respect for her dad she couldn’t be the one to remove Jim. The promise is all on him.
Anonymous says
Jeannie knows nothing about basketball operations. She has said this many times. But the thing that is turning a lot of people off on her is her inability to keep her mouth shut on family strife. Now she is all over the radio saying she did it know Byron would be gone and she thinks we will miss out on high profile free agents. That is unforgivable.
Just because Jim Buss has made mistakes doesn’t give her a free pass to be unprofessional at the expense of the franchise. If she doesn’t like her brother’s way of doing things, that’s fine by me, but Laker fans deserve better, and she needs to show a little more decorum. Otherwise, they’re just devaluing the franchise, and shooting themselves in the foot.
Bookmark this comment: unless she learns to keep silent, it will be her who will be leaving her post before her brother.
Anonymous says
As time goes on Jeanie gets less and less cover. However, because she’s not in charge of basketball operations her faults are hidden from the masses and she gets more rope (rightly or wrongly). The line of fire goes 1) Jim; 2) Mitch; 3) Jeanie.
Jim will most certainly be gone before her.
bluehill says
A couple of comments – I think Messina is an assistant coach with the Spurs.
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/7/16/5903679/spurs-assitant-coach-ettore-messina
As for wanting a younger coach, I understand it, but I think it depends on the team and the attitude of the coach. Calipari, for example, is older than Messina and he’s recruiting 17 and 18 year olds all the time, so he seems to be able to clearly relate to teenagers. In personality, Calipari acts younger than Brad Stevens in my view.
Some teams need a players coach and some teams need a disciplinarian. I’m not sure what this team needs, outside of someone that can develop players. From an fan’s outside perspective, I think DLo needs someone that’s firm but not overbearing. Randle needs someone he respects. I think Clarkson goes with the flow and Nance is probably the most coachable.
It’s easier to evaluate Messina because he has a record. Conversely, Walton’s coaching history is pretty limited albeit with an impressive start. It’s harder to know how he would react in different situations because he hasn’t had to coach in different situations. I don’t think he has had to get tough with players on the Warriors or figure out how best to use them. People suggest placing top assistants around him, which makes me wonder what is he bringing to the table. I think his Lakers ties won’t help him if the team isn’t making noticeable progress/winning. Also, I wonder if Luke feels he is ready. All that said, if he’s the one, I think he would still be a huge improvement.
Anonymous says
The Lakers can return to respectability as soon as next season if the Draft and the FA process pans out. Not a contender yet but is possible to fight for a playoff spot if the FO play their cards right.
—–
Wow. And pigs can fly.
To make the playoffs the Lakers would have to improve between 25 and 30 games. That level of improvement is pretty rare in the NBA.
Mid-Wilshire says
To clarify, I am a big Luke Walton fan.
I think either he or Ettore Messina would be excellent choices for the Lakers’ next Head Coach.
Clay Bertrand says
I initially had my preferences as:
1.) Luke
2.) Ollie
3.) Fizdale
4.) Blatt
5.) Messina
But I have begun to rethink this ranking after looking at the FA class and reading the tea leaves.
Unless the Lakers trade a large chunk of their young core for Veterans, (and I do NOT think they will land Cousins or Butler etc.) then the roster is going to skew young to very young (especially if we keep the draft pick). If the roster is going to consist of a number of players who probably still should be in College Programs and/or guys who didn’t spend much time in College Programs (1 and Dones–we will have 3 if we keep our pick), it would seem to me that a College coach coming in might be a better fit short AND long term.
James Worthy’s understandably biased and fairly one sided perspective on TWCSN revealed a valid point when asked about Byron yesterday. Worthy underscored something that is probably very important to keep in mind in the Lakers coaching search:
If a coach expects to NOT have to teach guys fundamentals because he assumes they already have learned them, then he isn’t going to be a very good teacher and he will grow frustrated that he is sorta teaching REMEDIAL SKILLS CLASS 101 instead of installing his NBA sets and practicing defensive scheme, rotations etc.
Now this is not an excuse for Byron Scott. Its just important to realize after mismatching the last three coaches with rosters that didn’t fit their preferences or their temperments, this time, the coaching choice SHOULD BE more perfectly aligned with the roster and the level the players are at.
The coach best qualified to deal with guys who are still learning and skipped 3/4s of their College Basketball eligibility would seem to be a COLLEGE COACH who has pro experience or a really established developmental NBA guy from a strong team.
I realize that Luke did a year of assistant coaching at Memphis and he probably works a lot with the Warriors players to further develop their skills. BUT is Luke too inexperienced of an actual COACH to do this effectively from scratch on a young mostly starless team?!??!?? The guys he has worked under (Phil, Kerr) have NEVER BEEN coaches known for developing young talent. They both took over talent laden teams who needed a fresh voice and pushed different buttons to get them over the top.
David Fizdale (not splashy or sexy I know) has been a college assistant at for 6 years, an NBA assistant for 13 years (w ATL, GSW, and now the Heat). He is currently Associate/Assistant Head Coach of the Miami Heat AND is also their Director of Player Development. He would be a hire very much like the Kenny Atkinson hire in Jersey. Players LOVE Fiz…….
I tend to think that the young roster is really going to need a lot of further DEVELOPMENT. Does Luke have a strong history of player development??? I know, “…everyone loves Luke and he gives everyone his phone number, he won rings here, he’s filled in the the Coach of the Year, Jim Buss thinks Luke actually LIKES HIM etc.”. As a fan, I like Luke Walton. I like his basketball IQ, his demeanor, his team first attitude and his level head. He may be great at team culture and he may really have a lot of what the next generation of coaches will need in the modern NBA from a player friendly philosophical perspective. But is hiring Luke a little premature at this time????? Its a valid concern IMO.
At this point, the more I look at other guys, I fear that Luke is not nearly as seasoned as say a Kevin Ollie who has coached College successfully and worked with College Kids at a good program AND who has played in the NBA. Is Luke as experienced on the pro level as a David Fizdale who has almost 20 YEARS of experience developing players and being an NBA assistant???
Ettore Messina has mainly ALWAYS coached veterans. In EURO basketball, Euros NEVER play young guys the minutes they get in the NBA. NEVER! Half the time, young prospects entering the NBA Draft from EURO teams DON’T EVEN START and they play very limited minutes (look at Porzingis, Bender, Herzonja etc.). The Spurs are a mostly Veteran team that Messina is involved with now.
I do respect his background, his professionalism, his class, and I think he is worthy of being one of those we are looking at. I just wonder if Messina is truly a “COACH’S COACH” and a real teacher that will take the time with a Young Team and not find it beneath him to teach and RETEACH Fundamentals while also implementing modern NBA schemes.
Why developing the youth vs. going hard after the FAs??? Well, we already have the youth for one thing.
Woj says, with a high degree of insider certainty, that the Head Coach WILL NOT be the deciding factor for Kevin Durant or ANY OTHER superstar FA who has the NBA world all bending over backward to sign them in the next couple of years. So I am a little uneasy when I read that the Lakers are seeking a coach who can better pitch to FAs versus a guy who can establish a culture from scratch and develop their young players a la Brad Stevens. After all, IMO, they are FAR more likely to be relying on those young players than on some pipe dream parade of MVP caliber FA(s). Durant for example will likely go to a ready made team because he wants to win a Ring and get that monkey off his legacy.
The ROSTER attracts the FAs. NOT the Head Coach.
This time, hopefully we can match the roster with a Coach who is really fit to maximize it by hiring a guy based on the guys WE HAVE and not who we DREAM to find in our FA stockings July 6.
Either way, the next chapter will be refreshing and I will be stoked on whoever we bring in.
Man Up Mitch and Jimmy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KO says
Clay
I started to read your post but my eyes went crossed and my head started spinning.
Can you summarize in one sentence?
Clay Bertrand says
Anonymous @7:39
Exactly. Can someone PLEASE give Jeanie, the PRESIDENT of the Lakers, a map to the HIGH ROAD so that she can POSSIBLY take it maybe once when talking about her brother???
Can anyone recall Jim lashing out at Jeanie or repeatedly publicly needling her with snide remarks during interviews?? I can’t.
Look & listen to people who know the inside…..Eric Pincus for example…..
He basically breaks it down that, according to the vocal fanbase, ALL bad decisions came from Jim Buss while ALL of the good decisions have come from EVERYONE ELSE. Its total BS!!
Jim pushed to draft Bynum—NO CREDIT. Jim was all in on the Chris Paul trade—NO CREDIT. Jim traded all of our draft picks away for Steve Nash–ALL ON HIM. Jim signed Kobe to a stupid contract (Jeanie was CERTAINLY on board with Kobe’s contract btw) –JIM SUCKS! Jim lost Pau and Howard to free agency for nothing—JIM IS USELESS! Jim gave a bad FA pitch to Aldridge (no that was actually Jeanie) JIM DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING!! Mitch made the great Pau trade…..Mitch found Clarkson (no the scouts West and Buss did). JIM lost out on Hassan Whiteside–JIM DOESN’T KNOW TALENT! Jim hired Mike and Mike and Byron JIM IS AN IDIOT! The pick and choose is an inaccurate depiction and mob mentality distortion to serve the PILE ON JIM narrative.
Honestly, go down the line and see where ANYONE ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME EVER gives even a drop of credit to Jim Buss. I poke fun at the guy namely because he was EXTREMELY naive enough to give himself a public deadline for success. That’s a ballsy but completely ill advised move to publicly CALL ONE’s SHOT in ANY arena. Its just so easy for people to rub a called shot into a person’s face and it’s perhaps some of the darker side of human nature that drives us to enjoy doing so. A guy who calls his shot and doesn’t deliver is arrogant and needs to be knocked down a peg or 5 is the way it seems to play out. But IMO, objectively, the guy has made some decent decisions along with the rest of the FO throughout his tenure.
Further on Jeanie, I feel her public stance of maintaining a FO environment of familial discord is totally unprofessional, out of line, immature and damaging to the franchise. She seems to be unable to resist the urge to rekindle the fire of discontent that burns the feet of her brother.
“I ASKED MY BROTHER IF MY BOYFRIEND WHO IS A GOOD COACH BUT NEVER WORKED IN A FRONT OFFICE COULD HELP MAKE DECISIONS IN OUR FRONT OFFICE BECAUSE IT WOULD MAKE MY JOB EASIER AND I WANT TO WORK WITH MY FIANCE?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” [Paraphrased] WTH?????????!!!!! Did I just HEAR that!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?
How unprofessional is THAT for the leader of an organization!!!!!! This is our leader. This is the person who will be the HIGHEST decision maker.
Please Jeanie, do tell….Which Business Class at USC taught you that you should hire your fiance because it would be cool to work with him and your personal relationship would be less strained?????? Heck, why even consider if he is the man for the job????? He will make your job easier and your boyfriend will be able to be around. Sounds like a Win-Win!! Very sound leadership indeed.
Basically, Jim is the Laker pinata. He clearly brought it on himself with the public pronouncements and deadline declaration. Jeanie leaves him and the team to look bad while the media and the other NBA execs have continued to crucify him over and it all overshadows any objective evaluation of his job performance. Professional People, especially the specialized fraternity of NBA lifer executives, don’t like it when you say, “Hell, I could do YOUR job easy!” They tend to remember that kind of comment. They tend to REALLY hold you to that. They let you twist, they don’t EVER cut you ANY slack and your failure is their ultimate reward and vindication of their status.
Jeanie though is NOT so far above her brother in supremacy in her job performance that she should be casting stones. Everyone STILL remembers all of Jim’s deadline stuff when he is mostly mum. Jeanie is the one who can’t keep her big mouth shut in the best interests of the organization she is SUPPOSED to be PRESIDENT of.
Clay Bertrand says
KO,
Here goes: I like and respect Luke and hes a “popular choice”. I also respect Messina. However, based on their backgrounds, Ollie and Fizdale would appear to be better basketball fits obviously not accounting for fan popularity.
3 is the least I can do brother…….I have diarrhea of the typed word again today…..sorry guys.
rr says
Since Jeanie’s behavior is apparently going to be the new battlefront in the Jim Buss FO Wars, a few points:
1. Jeanie clearly bears some responsibility here, so while I think most attempts to take responsibility off of Jim for where the team is are silly and demonstrably so, this one is in some ways different. It is also an object lesson in the wisdom of all the old sayings about the dangers of mixing business and family.
2. Jim can probably still get Jeanie to back off if the team makes dramatic progress this year, even if they don’t meet his foolish deadline. Presuming that Jim is still the final sign-off on basketball decisions, then he still has that opportunity. Winning changes a lot of things for a sports team.
3. I think it is important to remember that if Jim were breeding race horses and Jerry had fully entrusted the team to Kupchak or to some other guy not named Buss, and the team had gone 27-55, 21-61, and 17-65 under two widely disliked coaches, whoever was in the chair would be under a lot of pressure, and I actually think that one big reason that Jim still has the job is that he is a Buss. Mitch or some other guy might well have been canned along with Byron on Jeanie’s orders after the last two years.
bluehill says
Clay, I agree with what you’re saying, although I thought Messina has some turnaround experience. In any case, we need a coach for the team we’re likely to have not the one we wish we had.
Anonymous says
Rr- the big reasons any of Jerry’s kids have jobs is because they all share the last name Buss’.
we all act like its Jeannie vs Jim. This argument is not accurate as there is one other Laker daughter plus one older brother and two younger sons that are also a party to this argument. No secret that big bro Buss plus Jeannie and Jim control the trust, but I got a sneaky feeling that Jim is being given a chance more by his other siblings than Jeannie. Jim will leave under two scenarios: 1) on his own or 2) his siblings give Jeannie the blessing to fire him. Maybe Jeannie is the passive aggressive voice of he majority of Dr Buss kids. Then again Maybe she is just a little mad that Daddy and Jim left Phil out of the family business. I don’t know which point is right. One thing is for sure: she is hurting the Lakers with her comments. I don’t think anyone can realistically argue otherwise.
Fern says
@anon, rare not unprecedented, the Lakers have a pretty rare chance too, they could improve thru the Draft and thru free agency at the same time, that’s a pretty rare ocurrence too. The Lakers have only 7 players on the books next season a boatload of cap space and the chance to land a top 3 pick. We all know that a good coach can make a world of difference too, like a said before if the FO play their cards right this could be a pretty exciting summer for Lakers fans. And im not talking adding KD level talent but there will be talent available thru both the Draft and free agency that adress the main positional weaknesses on this team. Im not talking a contender but this team can make a pretty significant move foward. All im saying is that is a possibility. About Jeannie i hope that “nowhere to hide” mantra applies to her too. I don’t think anyone here is a fan of Jimbo, but to be fair he has been quiet since the beggining of the season, Jeannie is the one fanning the flames. She went publicy endorsing one more season of BS and i bet she didn’t consult her brother or Mitch, and now she says she didn’t knew, well she has also said that she don’t interfere with the basketball side of things, so what’s the issue? Jim and Mitch made a BASKETBALL decision, something she don’t know jack about. She should kept her mouth shut until a decision was made and then endorse publicy the decision even if she don’t agree privately. All this to bring her boyfriend back. She needs to be quiet and stay out of the way and when the deadline comes do whatever she has to do. All her yapping harms the team.
rr says
Like I have said a few times, we have seen some claims, like the one at 1036 PM, that Jeanie can’t actually get rid of Jim on her own authority, which is why I have been qualifying my statements on the issue. But I have yet to see any clear evidence that such is the case. If the evidence is there, based on how the trust is set up, then fair enough, but I haven’t seen it.
As to the rest, I have seen a couple of people, notably Robert, say that he wants all the Busses gone, wouldn’t mind the team being sold, etc. But the reality is that Lakers fans, ultimately, don’t care about the Busses. They do care about the Lakers. So no one cares much about what Joey Buss or Johnny Buss is up to and no one really cares about what Jeanie says–until she talks about the basketball team. Jim gets the flack and the negative scrutiny because he runs Basketball Ops. and the team is terrible–that’s it.
So, yeah, like I said, Jeanie is part of the problem right now. But at the same time, Byron and Kobe are gone and the cap space is there. As DS said: nowhere to hide.
KO says
Well at least Jim and Joey never posed in Playboy.
But all 3 are posing as basketball owners.
Never mind, I am lossing it.
Jim213 says
Blah blah blah, this one’s a tough call. Favored Messina since Scott’s hiring, but given the demands of the franchise (aside of the media), Ettore may not be suitable to handle the scrutiny that be thrown @ him given the current non-competitive state of the Lakers (which is no fault of his own). Either that or you’d seriously need to surround him with a strong coaching staff to which the same can be said for Luke since it’d be his first official HC gig.
Luke’s familiar with the culture, media and demands that come in being a Laker. Messina’s more the laid back type of coach that need to adjust/endure criticism (as previous predecessor = coach Scott) until the team shows some promise the way FO’s managed to build thus far. Ettore’s the type of coach that players would go to battle for aside of being knowledgeable of the game.
Except in a way, Luke’s more charismatic and familiar with the expectations/demands. Time will tell if Luke’s interested in the position which may eventually leave Ettore as the #1 front runner.
Marco says
I suppose you all know that Ettore Messina is currently under contract with Italian National Basketball Team, do you?
EuropeanLaker says
I agree to the comments demanding a coach that fits the roster. That should be the deciding factor. But I am wondering how realistic this is having in mind the time frame Mitch set (“not to drag this thing out”) and the willingness to land a big name in the offseason. The coach will be there before any trades (maybe involving the pick), FA signings and other roster changes so that it’s all about the young core and therefore a teacher who can bond with young players would be the coach that fits the roster.
At the same time there is the desire to land a couple of marque FA which might lead to trading the young guys away to build an instant contender. So if the Lakers are successful in landing a FA of relevance than a coach that can handle big names, establish a system and has (winning) experience would be the coach that fits the roster.
So having a coach that fits the roster we have at the end of the offseason might be very difficult.
Just one more thing: Why is everybody so much in love with Luke Walton? I would really appreciate it to learn/read more about him. Ettore’s vita is well documented and we kind of know what we (might) get, I don’t know anything about Walton except that he has a past with / connections to the Lakers and was the man at the side line for the Warriors during their fabulous start of the season. That alone doesn’t make hin the ideal choice as Lakers head coach.
matt says
The stars could align here, with a young team eager to learn, a fresh new coach eager to teach. Sounds like a match, but does the fan base and front office have the patience for potential slow starts/bumps in the road, in the positive: remember kobe is not around anymore, and no one is gonna be missing the old coach, so a fresh start would be totally embraced by the players.
Also some of yall are all over this so a question,
Is the the first coach they have sought out?
matt says
Europeanlaker
I feal what your saying, we don’t know the vision of the front office, so whoever they hire would give us a hint at their desired direction.
George Best says
1. Ollie
2. Messina
3. Walton
If they all turn it down then its Jay Wright
PurpleBlood says
I like Ettore –
Although Luke has strong ties with us, it seems to me our young squad could use a coach with the experience Messina has. Having been under the tutelage of Pop in S. A. definitely doesn´t hurt one bit either.
As Mid said, good start FO!
Vasheed says
I do agree with Clay that Jim’s flaws tend to overshadow what he has gotten right too much. It is a far more mixed bag. The only thing that will put that to rest though is winning games.
As to Luke Walton, yeah he only coached part of a year with a very good team. To put that in perspective though he coached a very good team that put out the best record in NBA history. He certainly didn’t hurt his team by coaching it and showed he can win if given a good team.
As for his character I think most of us saw him play enough years to get an idea about that. He is a smart affable guy whom I can’t see those traits working against him either. So in my mind he is the top choice if he is willing to take the job.
As to the coach fitting the team. More than half the team is likely to be replaced this year. So assuming the coach is in place before the offseason gets in gear that is up to the F.O. to make happen. I expect our F.O. to make every effort to get better by all means available. However, having a coach in place would make the criteria for whom to pursue more clear.
Anonymous says
Jim123- If Messina can handle the Madrid press and the Italian press, he can certainly handle the media scrutiny that will come with coaching the Lakers. Keep in mind that this is not a Laker team that just won the championship. Its been quite a long time in the media cycle since we won and, therefore, the media scrutiny is nowhere near as much as he may have faced. He also has the benefit of separation from our last championship coach, Phil, so he will get the kind of benefit of the doubt others did not receive (lets be honest, even Mike Brown would be an improvement over B Scott)..
rr says
Why is everybody so much in love with Luke Walton?
—
1. Fans love him. He is young, likable, familiar, and positive.
2. He works for basketball’s current dominant team and one of the best teams ever.
3. Steve Kerr trusts him.
4. He could probably work with Phil and might be less concerned about the timeline Jim/Jeanie stuff than another coach would be.
5. He is a Laker with SoCal roots.
6. He was a very smart player, as was his dad.
Terrible teams hiring guys off the staffs of awesome teams is of course nothing new. But Walton and Messina both have unusual backgrounds and arcs which, combined with the intense dislike of Scott, have folks excited. There is obviously no guarantee that either Walton or Messina will be a good, much less great, NBA HC. But there is only way to find out.
Nik Kannan says
I’m back petal-ing a little on Luke.
I realize today that a great coach may not be successful coaching the Lakers, much like a great player isn’t necessarily successful with the Lakers.
It takes special people and individuals who can handle the glitz and glamour of our team to be successful.
Look at the past for future success – Pat Riley / Phil Jackson – both with huge personalities and knew how to be stars in their own right.
The Coach has to be a former player – no if and or but’s about it…. the person has to have a large personality and be a star in his own right.
It is Luke or Ollie…..
LT Mitchell says
I hope Luke hires some solid defensive minded assistants because the thought of Luke teaching Russell and Clarkson how to play defense is not a pleasant one.
Alan says
Which coaching candidate has the chance to be a superstar in their profession?
Messina: He’s good but not likely to become elite
Van Gundy: Why are we even considering that guy. Not going to be elite
Jackson: Rumors of how he alienated the FO and players in GS makes me ask why we are looking at him.
Calipari: He’s a personality not a coach.
Ollie: Yes.
Jay Wright: Just won a ‘chip at Villanova. He’s 55. I see him as good not great.
Walton: Yes.
I see it as a two horse race between Ollie and Walton. With Luke’s Lakers ties he’d be my #1 choice. If you like Messina, you can hire him to be on the staff.
A Horse With No Name says
Good discussion here. I like Luke as the best fit to navigate the uncertain waters of the Buss family schism, given that he is universally liked by everyone–including Jeanie and Phil–god I hate saying their names! His youth and laker player pedigree give him a significant edge over the well qualified Messina. As to Ollie, unless there is some evidence that he can possibly lure Durant (there isn’t), he’s a distant third if that. My dark horse is Hornacek, who was undermined by a bad owner and unseasoned GM. He’s a creative and adaptable coach who could become great.
matt says
Interesting stumbled upon sac kings site, they are coach searching too,
Their top canadites are kevin mccale, vinny del negro, sam Mitchell, mike Woodson, mark jackson, nate McMillin, Luke walton, jeff hornacek
matt says
Colen cowherd had jennie buss on
matt says
Jeanie sounded upset that her karma wasn’t powerful enough for her to get her way, she was disturbed that she didn’t know byron was getting fired, she heard about it after it happened
Jim213 says
matt April 27, 2016 at 1:31 pm
Interesting stumbled upon sac kings site, they are coach searching too.
Their own fan-base prefers a coach like Ettore Messina, but not sure many viable candidates may be interested in coaching the Kings.
SBDOC says
Ettore Messina would be my first choice as the Lakers next head coach. There are many good reasons for this: 1) He had a fantastic ability to understand a player’s strengths and weaknesses. 2) He trusts his own abilities but does not have an ego which blinds him. 3) He can (and has) developed young players into top players. 4) He builds loyalty at every level and gives it back as well (look at the fact that Pop trusts him to take over as his successor). 5) He is in a great position to find and add International players to the roster. 6) Perhaps most importantly, is he is fair, firm, and giving of respect to his players and staff. This will make the organization solid, stable and less dysfunctional than it has been. He is a winner in every way!
Jonas says
Has anyone asked the question why Mr. Buss wanted Jim in charge of basketball operations? Probably because he knew his daughter would wreck this team and all it stands for. He was their daddy remember.