Over the last few years a vocal set of Lakers’ observers — be it fans or media — consistently called Kobe Bryant the elephant in the room. Kobe was holding the team back, they said. His contract, his dominant persona, his power and sway from two decades of successful NBA summit climbing giving him carte blanche over one of the marquee brands in all of sports. This was the popular narrative for many.
I’d argue, though, that the real elephant in the room was the Buss Family dynamic. The whispers of discord were always present, like the hum from the a/c unit on a hot summer day. After Dr. Jerry Buss passed away, his children were to lead the organization forward and, it seemed, they just couldn’t get on the same page. The hiring and firing of coaches was an especially touchy subject, one tied to personal relationships that fed into reported mistrust which only escalated pre-existing hard feelings.
The last few seasons have tested whatever resolve remains. The Lakers’ poor on court performance led to a self-imposed timeline for contention with Jim Buss promising to step down if goals were not met. However positively or negatively this act has been framed, it was always something which made little sense to make public.
There simply isn’t much, if any, positive traction to be gained from it. Either you succeed in your goal which would have led to the accolades which come with winning anyway, or you fail and now critics not only have the losses to sink their teeth into, but also the circus of you being on the record you would go away because of it.
People will hold you to this. And I don’t mean fans or media. I mean the people who actually can.
This is exactly what, among other things, Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report is reporting today. In a hard-hitting column on the Buss Family dynamic, Ding says the other Buss siblings are looking for results or Jim Buss will be out, one way or another:
That might be enough improvement for the siblings to give Jim more time and not hold him to the strict definition of being “in contention.”
But they aren’t going to overlook anything else just out of a father’s love.
Jim, now 56, needs positive results to prove to them that he deserves this job he was given…
…Jeanie still doesn’t want to take Jim’s job away, but as she said in 2014, she wants him to be held accountable.
Although it appears the five siblings are ready to move on from him in his job at this time next year, even if he doesn’t step down, Jeanie will be left to make the call if there is chaos instead of consensus in what promises to be a must-see sequel to that original family meeting in 2014.
Well, then.
Before getting into the meat of Ding’s reports, two things struck me immediately.
First, what horrible timing for a report like this come out. Free agency begins in three days. The Lakers are looking to make a major impact by signing multiple players. It’s hard to know how much ownership discord matters to potential free agents. Maybe not at all. But if it does, even if just a little, a report like this hurts.
(*Update: I spoke with someone who made what I consider a good point about the timing of Ding’s column. This person noted that agents/player advisers are typically well versed in team dynamics around the league. The point is that if players/agents have any concerns about the Lakers’ front office or ownership, they have had them for sometime and this column doesn’t really impact that. There is an argument to be made that bringing it to light now is still bad timing and it only intensifies the spotlight on these issues at a key time, but, as I wrote, it’s not entirely clear how much this matters to free agents to begin with.)
Further, the Lakers really seemed to be building momentum in the last few weeks. They’d made a coaching change which has been universally well received. Then they kept their draft pick in the lottery, ultimately selecting Duke’s Brandon Ingram. There has been real excitement around the team recently, but this report takes a pin to the balloon.
Second, Ding’s column puts Jim and Mitch Kupchak squarely in the cross-hairs while portraying Jeanie and the other Buss siblings much more favorably. I have no clue who Ding’s sources are, but it’s not hard to see that they are people who are pretty sympathetic to Jeanie. I’m not going to point a finger at her directly, but I always look at unnamed sourced reports from the perspective of “who benefits from this?”. In this case, it is pretty clear that Jeanie and the other Buss siblings come out looking very good while Jim got buried.
One could even argue that with a column framed how this one is, Jeanie is now pretty well positioned to optimize her power within the organization and proceed however she best sees fit. Even though Ding reports any feelings about Jim (and/or Mitch) are only about wanting to succeed and not about a power grab, if one of the main repercussions from Jim being removed (whether that’s his decision or not) is consolidation of power in Jeanie’s hands and all the benefits of that…
It’s not hard to connect the dots here.
As far as the reporting goes, Ding lays out several things that have been hinted at in the past, but never really laid out in a way which was so all-encompassing. Jim is portrayed as aloof, over confident in his abilities, not very hard working, and awkward socially. Mitch is portrayed as a GM who is good at his job, but not personable or very open in ways which inspire a family atmosphere. According to Ding, this plays itself out in multiple ways ranging from him asking for a contract extension in the wake of Dr. Buss’ death to doubts of him being able to serve as a closer in meetings with potential free agents. None of this is good.
In other words, confidence in the abilities of the two top executives on the basketball side is being chipped away at in this column. Whether any given individual wants to buy into this or not is a personal decision, but you better believe many will.
The drama is never too far away with these Lakers, is it?
During this past season even Kobe said, and I’m paraphrasing, that organizational culture starts at the ownership level and that it is up to Jeanie and Jim to work out their differences in order to lead this franchise forward. The implication being, until it happens this franchise will falter. Kobe was right. And, as this report lays out, the Lakers seem to have a long way to go.
Gus says
Can we believe Ding’s report? I don’t dismiss that there is discord in the Buss family but he states a whole lot of stuff without any verification whatsoever. Just because he says it I should believe it? No, I don’t care how long you’ve been around the team. That’s just poor journalism. What is honestly to stop him just making it up? The Buss’s won’t comment on it unless it’s blatantly defamatory and it’s not. Bleacher report produces plenty of click bait stories.
Corey says
Kevin Ding just pulled a written drive by on Mitch and Jim. He spoke of Jeanie wanting a consensus to move, well maybe this is her consolidating support on all levels? Friday just got a lot more fun in you like train wrecks for us that cheer for the purp and gold.
A Horse With No Name says
Good grief. Not now.
Anonymous says
Terrible timing. Thanks ding
John Citizen says
I am one of those people that think Jim Buss is not the best person to lead the organisation. But in all honesty, the Lakers are suffering from two major issues that brought upon us (emotionally i feel i am part of the Lakers 😉 ) by the NBA. The new CAP system and the “basketball related decision” that the previous commissioner made. I dont think anyone could ve saved the Lakers from this.
In all honesty, the Lakers made the most of bad hand, so far.
Lakers & Law says
Infuriating. There is absolutely no “breaking” news to this story that requires it be published right now. This could have been put out 2 months ago or in September. The only thing I can take from that is either Ding himself or his “sources” have a bone to pick with the Lakers, were not happy that the team has only had good news since the season ended, and wanted free agents to question what they are getting into if they sign with the Lakers. Why put this out three days before free agency otherwise? Someone who does not want Whiteside to sign with the Lakers?
Very disappointing work by Ding.
Clay Bertrand says
Ding sucks. Total rehashed crap. Beat writer gone “NATIONAL” with that Bleacher Report RAG!!! Bleacher Report is a glorified MASHUP of other media anyway. Then they get little turds like Ding to come and snipe at the team they used to beat write for and the “journalist” exhibits this zealous independence in “telling all”. Nice job Ding. That was your shot. When your familiarization with the Lakers fades, you will be irrelevant.
RIGHT ON CUE, while writing this post, I just get a text from a buddy showing me a BLEACHER REPORT TEAM ALERT about this very story. The ALERT is this very article. Interestingly, THEY ARE EVEN LATE to report their OWN BS CRAP!!!!
Maybe Magic is doing the TEAM ALERTS now……
SMH.
Fern says
This seems to me like an attack on Mitch and Jim and making Jeanie the good guy on all this. I absolutely hate the timing and i wonder what the agenda is. I like Ding articles for the most part but this seems like click bait. Very disappointed…
Sly Bly says
Ding should be banned from all things Lakers. He is an idiot. Why would he put this out right before free agency? That is complete BS. Who knows if this is all true, and even if it is, why did he need to bring it up now. Everyone already knows what is going on with the Buss family, so why even write about it, unless he is trying to stick it to the Lakers for some reason. He should be blacklisted….that POS!
Anonymous says
Unbelievable. Basically sabotaging your own team.
matt says
So what, it’s media garbage.
rr says
The Jim Buss Defense Team that runs SSR is already on the job, and, surprisingly, they actually are calmer about it than some people here seem to be. But it’s early.
One interesting thing: Ding states flatly that Jeanie has the authority to can Jim if she wants to. Doesn’t support it with specifics, though.
As to the timing, simple: more people will read it now. No draft news, FA has not started.
R says
Whatever; sounds like a “dog bites man” story to me.
Jeanie has done far more damage to the Lakers reputation with her ill-advised pressers than this re hash by Ding will ever do.
rr says
Jeanie has done far more damage to the Lakers reputation
—
That depends. The most important question here is whether agents, people in the game, other execs etc. think badly of Jim, based on their own interactions with him, and whether that will affect FA recruitment.
Keith says
It’s bad timing only because the truth hurts. Reporters don’t owe allegiance to the Buss family so news is whatever sells and the Buss family mess does just that.
The article had an edge and was possibly encouraged by Jeanie, who comes out as the hard working daughter who just wants to honor her dad by helping the Lakers win.
Jim comes across like we have all envisioned him: putting in a minimal amount of work, believing that the ‘Lakers exceptionalism’ would make his job easy and holding onto the mirage that Kobe had the power to attract other elite talent.
Mitch comes across like we thought he would as well. A capable executive caught in the cross hairs of bickering siblings. He reported to Jim so its not a surprise that most of Mitch’s actions mirrored the tone set down by Jim.
The kicker for me is that seeing so many Buss kids involved in the Lakers how would any executive, such as Troy Weaver, ever want to come here (when Jim finally is asked to honor his promise)?
R says
rr, you’re right of course; I’m just tossing off my opinion about the matter.
It does depend on who’s been paying attention to the Buss family comedy and what conclusions are being drawn.
William Wallace says
It’s very clear that Ding’s source is either Jeanie herself or someone on her team. I’m not sure why they’d want to put this out there right now but it’s definitely not a good look. I’m sure this isn’t a made up story but it’s definitely one-sided. I’m not the biggest Jim Buss fan but things are looking up for the franchise for the first time in years so why put this out now, or maybe that is exactly the reason. I still feel it’s likely that Jeanie eventually pushes her brother out and brings back Phil…although my hope would be to bring in someone outside the organization.
Darius Soriano says
I spoke with someone behind the scenes with the Lakers and this person made an interesting point: the timing of this doesn’t much matter within the context of shaping free agent views. This person’s reasoning was that agents and those who advise players are usually very well versed on situations around the league and would already have a sense of discord within the Lakers’ ownership. I thought this was a salient point and worth mentioning. This person didn’t discount already known issues might impact free agency, just that this type of report wasn’t likely to tilt things in any given direction.
As I wrote above, it’s hard to know how much something like this would even matter to a free agent. But, as I said, if it matters at all, a report like this doesn’t help, even if it doesn’t “hurt” within the context of these things being sort of known around the league already.
KevTheBold says
As far as free agents go, if the article scares off the 100 million dollar paycheck seekers, I’m good with it.
The type which fit our current circumstance and needs, probably wouldn’t care.
Speaking of 100 million dollar mistakes, I really found this article on Whiteside illuminating:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2648613-the-los-angeles-lakers-should-stay-away-from-hassan-whiteside-at-all-costs
smokedaddy says
Don’t just shoot the messenger. Someone not named Kevin Ding is responsible for this story. Someone who hates actual, real confrontation and decision making and is into being passive aggressive. Jim is problematic as the head of basketball operations. What is more problematic is Jeanie being this emotionally needy source of crap that is poison to any organization. I’m not sure she’s wrong about Jim & Mitch, but putting this crap out ther in the public is really bad and very discouraging.
Vasheed says
It is an elaborate plan by Dan Gilbert to prevent LeBron from leaving! Really I dunno… Just kinda seems like someone is trying to suck the wind from the sails. It has been a marvelous summer so far with the Lakers getting Walton, getting Ingram, and having a nice 2nd round pick fall to them to boot. So I’m just going to hope the good fortune keeps rolling. 😉
John Citizen says
Thanks Darius for the update. Of course Free agents are not waiting for Ding to tell them about the situation with the Lakers organisation.
The progress with the Lakers lately can be viewed depending if a person or agent is a cup half-full or half-empty personality. Who knows what happens behind doors exactly. Ding will not win the pulitzer prize for this badly written fictional piece while on the other hand making an enemy of every Lakers fan ( and they are a plenty) because most of us feeling the cup is half full and its filling quickly.
R says
I retract my previous statement somehow contrasting this Ding article with Jeanie’s pressers. This crap is just more of the same – from Jeanie. Pathetic.
I did find the characterization of “things” being “quietly awkward” amusing. Missing the “quiet” part – would welcome that!
Chibi says
Ding was smart not to put the death of Kupchak’s daughter and the death of Jeanie’s pet in the same sentence, but not smart enough to leave it out altogether.
macster says
It’s sad what people will do to other people, this smacks to me of “no class journalism,” akin to the tabloid stuff. If the writer is unable to identify the source, then that says a lot about the credibility of the author’s information. Jimmy and Mitch aren’t perfect and …., but I’ll be damn if I could have done better, and I’m wondering if Ding or his sources could have. It’s easy to be a critic. Right now things are looking good and they (Jim and Mitch) seem to be on a roll, so leave them alone. Like Clark Kellogg (sp) said you can’t just stick things in a microwave and then they are done. These things take time. Can Ding even play basketball?
Ryan Connors says
Hi folks first time long time here… anyhow being a long time Lakers fan I dont think it would hurt to get some fresh blood in there in terms of a GM or executive vp of operations… I love what Sam Presti is doing with OKC… Granted they havent won a chip yet and you can argue look at Riley, Popovich/Buford, etc.. However I for one am tired of the Buss/Kupchak partnership.. Maybe bring up West? I just want some fresh blood/fresh ideas… Thoughts anyone?? Yes we got Luke… yes we got DAR.. .yes we got Ingram.. But those were easy moves… Look at what else happened… Swung and missed on numerous free agents.. Hiring Byron Scott/Brown/Dantoni… The downfall started with the sweep to the Mavericks.. After that its been patchwork fixes…
Anonymous says
I know that the timing on this is terrible. But the facts remain none the less. As a die hard Lakers fan, ever since Jim ”The Idiot”” Buss has been in place of basketball ops it has been a sheer hellacious, nightmare, disaster, and Mitch”Toe The Co. Line” Kupchak is just as much to blame for this too because he backed Jim on all of his dumb BONEHEAD moves since 2012. I have no sympathy for these 2 morons after what they have done to this franchise over the past 5 years.
Jerry says
Bleacher Report Sucks
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I think the criticisms in Ding’s article consist largely of hindsight bias. In other words, because the current Lakers family/ownership/management structure hasn’t produced results lately, it MUST be flawed.
Yet the same management structure was largely in place during the Lakers successes in the 2008-2010 time frame, and there were similar tensions during the 2000-2004 run when Jerry West left the Lakers largely because of Phil Jackson being the “favorite son.” But winning cures everything, so reports of Lakers dysfunction then were largely overlooked.
Things can change quickly. A couple of years ago, the Golden State Warriors were criticized for firing successful well-liked coach Mark Jackson and bringing in never-been-a-head-coach Steve Kerr. There were all kinds of reports of palace intrigue and dysfuction. Now, does anyone remember anything about that?
Or how about Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert of Comic Sans letter fame, and one of the leading owners who pushed Evil Emperor Stern to quash the Chris Paul to the Lakers trade (because his Cavs couldn’t possibly compete against the Lakers’ big money)? Now, his team is the reigning NBA champion and the largest luxury tax payer in the league. Are people still criticizing him for his past gaffes. Not really.
Maybe Jim (and Mitch?) really need to step down, or maybe they just need a more dynamic “salesperson” on the staff to help them close deals. But I don’t think the Lakers ownership/management structure is necessarily the source of their recent woes.
Dom says
This is old news first off. Secondly Jim and Mitch put themselves in this position. Every Laker icon, Kobe, Magic, Logo, all share the same opinion regarding JimB. Deliver and all this goes away. Kobe was a convenient scapegoat to try and mask JimB and Mitch’s ineptitude. The disastrous Nash D’Antoni experiment crippled this franchise. That lays firmly at the feet of JimB and Mitch. Trading for D12 then ignoring his desire to have Phil come coach is just another example of how clueless Jim is. Free agent dont come to disfunctional franchises, see Sacramento New Orleans Lakers. This story is old news to agents and those in the know in the league. Jim is a clown even his call on drafting Bynum turned out to be a mess. His claim that Durant is coming to the Lakers then Durant not even granting an interview is telling. JimB is delusional. Now Jeanie doesnt want to pull the trigger on her brother. And yes this is designed to put his business in the street and ostensibly hasten his departure. So what. We werent getting a top tier free agent this year. We arent making the playoffs. We are clearly 2-3 years out lets cut our losses and clear the deck. As a lifelong Laker fan I ould love to seePhil, Magic, Jeannie, Logo, Kobe and Kareem as the new face of the Laker front office. That would bring the swagger back and FA’s along with it.
As an aside i think Whiteside is toxic as hell and as i have posted i prefer Biyombo, who is younger more mature and coachable
Harris says
But I don’t think the Lakers ownership/management structure is necessarily the source of their recent woes.
___
It doesn’t take a genius to plot a course that says let’s bottom out and get lottery picks to rebuild. Genius is being able to rebuild while still being relevant — this is not what Jim and Mitch have done.
Giving Jim and Mitch credit, now for making wrong decisions over and over again, these last 4 years is ridiculous. Although, we should be grateful that neither of them (Jim or Mitch) have sufficient gravitas to close any of the free agent deals they pursued (Carmelo and Aldridge) which would have sealed the Lakers fate for the balance of the decade.
Christopher Del Pozo says
I want to be General Manager. I told Jeanie but I havn’t got an email. Can you talk to someone in the Lakers Organization to talk to me about the position?
A Horse With No Name says
Sorry, I was too choked up to type . . . . The little dog . . . . and poor Jeanie, with Phil so far away . . . .
Harris says
Jeanie would never fire Jim. That would be contradictory to the wishes of her dad. She will however, make sure that there is sufficient public awareness of Jim’s promise so that when the time comes Jim will not be able to hide from it nor be able to tack on another year for old time’s sake. No, Jeanie will make sure that Jim’s only course of action is to resign.
Come this April, Jeanie’s conscience will be clear and Jim will be gone.
Pboras says
I’ve always felt that when it comes to the Buss family, there’s a little bit of narrative bias going on. Everything that goes well, it must be Jeanie. Everything that fails, it must be Jim. We can’t pick and choose because ultimately we don’t know what happens behind the scenes.
This article seems to be of the same cloth, and our perception of Jim is “aha, I knew it!”. There isn’t really anything “new” here and it’s not substantiated with credibility.
I remember Jeanie singing Byron Scott’s praises and talking about how he will return them to glory and teach them to play “the right way, err, the Lakers way”. She’s also making me nervous about bringing Phil back and trying to re-live past glory. Everything she says always seems to alluding to past glory and entitlement of the “Lakers brand”.
All I know is that I’m excited about the recent coach and draft choices. There seems to be a plan in place that we can trust. Why don’t we give credit to Jim for this?
Anonymous says
“As a lifelong Laker fan I ould love to seePhil, Magic, Jeannie, Logo, Kobe and Kareem as the new face of the Laker front office”
And this is why fans should not be running the front office. Exactly why. You don’t like Jim and Mitch? Great. Cannot fault you. But please be rational and advocate for real change. Bring in some new blood that will incorporate new visions and a fresh mind set. Not the silliness you advocate here.
Phil? He’s doing OK in NY, but not OK enough to say he merits a promotion to the Lakers – plus, there’s the whole issue with him being engaged to Jeannie. If Jeannie is so thoughtful and caring, etc that she wants to give her “big bro” chance after chance, what makes you think she wont do the same for Phil – who she actually cares for? Oh, and how in the world will she hold Phil accountable when she can’t even hold her brother (whom she can hardly stand) accountable based on this fluff piece?
Magic? Time and again he has shown he has zero brains to run basketball operations in the NBA. Zero. There’s a reason why no NBA franchise has ever opened their doors to him and handed him the keys like they did for Bird, Isiah and MJ: the guy lacks the smarts to run a Front Office.
Logo? Dude. HE WORKS FOR GOLDEN STATE!!!! HE HATES PHIL (and by extension Jeannie). That ship has sailed!!! What rock have you been hiding under the last 16 years?
Kareem? Smart man. Unfortunately, he has has a palpable inability bordering on condescension to relate to others. Sounds a bit like Jim Buss, no?
Kobe? Really? Do I even need to address how much of a mess this would be?
Look, you want Jim gone, OK. He had his shot. No issue there. BUT, if this article is accurate, Jeannie was also largely culpable for enabling the situation and by being too damn passive aggressive. I’m all for change. But let’s get rid of all of them.
ENOUGH OF THIS CRAPPY NEPOTISM. TURN OVER OPERATIONS TO A NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM. A TEAM THAT CAN BE HIRED AND FIRED BASED ON RESULTS.
david h says
darius: I think it’s perfect timing. the underlying issue is whether the front office can go after a whiteside, a biyombo, a horford, etc and be successful in obtaining a legitimate laker center for the forseeable future. based on recent track record; does not seem likely and all hope goes out the window when someone outside your top five center picks become your foreseeable center future.
that, in part is what ding’s article is all about. it’s a sad reality. hopefully, it’s not the reality. we shall soon see. :
Go lakers
Anonymous says
Guys: A lot of us, even those of us who think Jim is not as bad as Kevin Ding says, would be OK if he leaves. With that said, it would be a HUGE mistake to let Mitch Kupchak go. HUGE. Second only to choosing the Logo over Phil Jackson.
On a side note, there’s an air of personal vendetta in this article that I cannot let go. Honestly, it makes me lose respect for this Ding character in such a way, that I will never, ever, read another one of his written words.
What really has my blood boiling in this article is Kevin Ding’s attempt to use the death of Mitch’s daughter last year as an example of a Mitch’s lack of openness with Jeannie and others in the Laker organization. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the lowest of the low. To imply that it is a man’s duty to share intimate details of his family’s struggles with his employer is absurd. That somehow, not keeping the Lakers in the loop of personal drama is a bad thing. If Mitch chose to keep the struggle he and his family were facing privately, I do not – I CANNOT – hold that against him. Only a truly evil person would do so. What a scum. Seriously, what a scum. My goodness. Kevin, why include that in this piece? Why? How is Mitch’s family tragedy adding to this story? What business is that of Kevin Ding? What business is that to any of us?
And yet, in the same piece, ladies and gentlemen, Kevin Ding wants to draw a negative contrast between Mitch’s dealing with the death of his daughter versus how Jeannie dealt with the death of her pet dog. Yes. In a nutshell, this is the type of trash this lowlife is selling.
I’m so mad I can’t even write anymore. How can anyone defend Kevin Ding on this point. Anyone?
Baylor Fan says
Ding is just telling it like it is. Go back a year and agents were saying the same basic message. Until Jim and Mitch are replaced, the Lakers will be treading water or worse. I take Jim at his word that he truly thought the Lakers would be competitive for the last three years. The more autonomy Jim and Mitch have had, the worse the Lakers have become. It scares me that they could undo much of the goodwill this off-season has engendered by making a foolish free agent signing. In his comments, Mitch does not sound like he fully supports growth of the young players and a belief that Walton can turn things around. His interest in signing a big name free agent is remarkably short-sighted and would undermine the coaching staff’s ability to get all the players to make the sacrifices needed for team play.
T. Rogers says
How about letting the Lakers lock up a free agent or two before reminding everyone that the front office has issues? Ding has no shame.
Anonymous says
This part alone is pathetic on Ding’s side
His 15-year-old daughter, Alina, died in January 2015 after a lengthy illness. Few Lakers people had any idea in advance.For what is a family business, Jim Buss and Kupchak aren’t the sort to foster a family feeling in the office, which is part of Jeanie’s complaint.
Shame on you ding. Sorry he didn’t post about it on his twitter like Jeanie did about her poor dog. No longer respect Ding as a journalist. This is pathetic.
Brett Biggs says
If I were the Lakers, I would fire Jim Buss and hire Sam Hinkie. Hinkie is a proven winner and helped the sixers draft all stars Embiid, Okafor, Noel, and Simmons. He has fresh ideas and his process works. With him in the fold we can also get rid of Walton and bring back Byron who was fired without cause. In case anyone forgot Byron led the Nets to back to back Eastern Conf Championships and won Coach of the Year in 2007-2008. Plus he drafted CP3. I think Hinkie and Scott would be a formidable duo. Thoughts anyone?
Bern says
The Buss kids have played this about as poorly as possible. Jim made the mistake of sharing it with the media. Since then Jeanie has used it at key times against Jim.
If you recall, last year she did an interview during the 1st week of free agency on ESPN. Of course the promise came up and she mentioned that she wouldn’t have to enforce it because Jim would honor his words and step down if he wasn’t successful.
Ding’s comments about Mitch’s daughter was despicable. However, once Jeanie and Jim decided to play this out in public it was only a matter of time before there was collateral damage — shame on both of them.
A Horse With No Name says
As others have noted, Ding bringing up Mitch’s daughter’s illness and death to criticize Mitch’s disengagement from the Buss family is beyond the pale. I will never click on that scumbag’s articles again. What a sorry little man Ding has become.
allaninla says
Rich people problems. Why do we care? Our only concern as fans should only center around happens on the court. This is all hearsay, sources or not… all of which should not matter to 99% of the fanbase, and being privy to this soap opera is pointless, because it is not up to us. What should matter is that the team is charging 5-star prices for fast-food product, be it on TV or at the arena.
smokedaddy says
The way I see it, Ding has done us all a favor, showing us all just what an emotionally needy joke of an executive Jeannie Buss really is. Should he have just left out the petulant crap Jeannie was spewing to him on Mitch’s tragedy and little Cujo? Naw, its better to let the world see who the real Jeannie is. I’m starting to see why she wasn’t really Jerry’s favorite. As for Jim, yes, he’s made mistakes, mainly in running his mouth about all these FAs he’s going to sign. But with a sister like Jeannie, just maybe we’ve all been castigating the wrong Buss kid.
Robert says
Wow – just wow. Love all the comments. I think my views on the subject are well known. And I thought “KD” did not have the Lakers on his schedule : )
Robert says
allaninla: “Our only concern as fans should only center around happens on the court.” That is exactly what we are concerned about. And recent performance has not been good.
Baylor Fan: “Ding is just telling it like it is.” Indeed. The timing and the motives might be self serving, but the issue is the underlying facts and situation.
Ano: “it would be a HUGE mistake to let Mitch Kupchak go.” The problem with Mitch occurs if Jim stays around in any capacity. If Jim actually leaves the team entirely (of course he would still be a beneficiary), then Mitch could stay. However if Jim resigns yet still retains another Laker ceremonial position and office, then Mitch would need to go.
Ano: “But let’s get rid of all of them” Been saying this for years. I am unclear why some advocates for Jim use Jeanie hate as a defense for Jim. They both need to go ideally, but if it is a proxy fight, then I just want no Buss children in B’ball Ops. So that is why Jeanie is less culpable than Jim. She does not trade, draft, hire coaches, and sign FA.
Harris: “Come this April, Jeanie’s conscience will be clear and Jim will be gone.” I have had that date circled on the calendar for quite some time.
minorthreatt says
Remember that Ding isn’t making up this stuff about Mitch’s daughter…he is getting it from somewhere. Presumably, someone in the Lakers front office. Jeanie? That would be truly unfortunate.
Ding, of course, could choose not to use this info. He could also have chosen to present it in a way that shows he feels the comments are in questionable taste; he did not. This suggests he is being used, as many journalists are, to help grind someone’s axe publicly. Journalists make this trade all the time in exchange for access, and it doesn’t engender much confidence in the profession. But I’m pretty sure these words are not Ding’s, but someone highly placed on the org. That, as Darius suggested in his post, is disappointing.
Mid-Wilshire says
Out of curiosity, does Kevin Ding read Forum Blue & Gold?
minorthreatt says
Smokedaddy, missed your post above, but I see we appear to be on the same page.
R says
Jeanie either wrote this stuff or dictated it virtually word for word I’d hazard. It reads like total special pleading.
Tim A. says
Not too much new here. Although a bit more detailed than some previous reports. Especially the bits about Buss siblings not named Jim or Jeannie.
What really jumped out to me is the matter of accountability. Jim talks it, but seems to have no interest in walking it. Maybe that makes a long-time beat writer sick? Maybe the journalist wanted to put a spotlight on something when no one else seemed able or willing? I concede some bias in favor of Kevin Ding. I generally admire his work. Frankly, I don’t find this as objectionable as others do.
I still feel optimistic about the next Lakers era. And I remain hopeful they won’t spend too much money on the wrong player(s) this summer. Because 2018 is the moment when these young players should begin to ripen on the court. And the Lakers will need to spend plenty money thereafter keeping the new generation together. (Assuming this group is the right group.)
Fern says
@Bret Biggs, my head almost exploded. That must be a joke not a funny one either. This article has all the trappings of Jeannie in it. Did Ding really compared Mitch’s daughter passing away to Jeannie’s stupid dog?Really?Nobody here is satisfied with the FO i have called for the firing of all of them before. In Jimbo’s defense he has been out of the spotlight for a long while. Jeannie is the one that keep stirring the flames of discord everytime she open her mouth. Does anybody here has any doubt that it was Jeannie pushing the PJ’s return rumor behind the scenes. This is her way of reminding her brother he is on the clock. So Mitch isn’t “personable” i guess that didn’t mean squat when the Lakers were winning. These are salvos fired by Jeannie at the worst of times. I don’t doubt she secretly wants the Lakers to fail. It’s all about power, she don’t give a crap about the Lakers…
Anonymous says
Sorry Robert. Jim may be incompetent, but this Jeannie Driven fluff peace hits well below the belt. She has lost the support of a lot of people today. I’m just sorry that you are too busy trying to be proven right on Jim to see the piece of human garbage you are defending as having done no wrong.
rubenowski says
All this talk about Jim Buss and accountability. How about Jeanie being held accountable as well? She’s not as PR savvy as she thinks.
R says
Fern, I’m missing the “secret” part of Jeanie’s yearnings. Looks pretty transparent to me.
Robert says
Ano: From my post – “They both need to go” That is hardly defending her. “I just want no Buss children in B’ball Ops.” However that happens (politically) is fine. In this case the end will justify the means.
DJ says
The article of Ding like a wake up call for Jim, it’s time to give up Lakers job. From the failure of trading for Nash, Howard, Hibbert, is it enough ? the important thing is that Lakers FO did not do their homework, they had prove to us they don’t know NBA players and don’t have any idea to built a team. Because of Ding’s article, i know why Lakers FO signed Luke because Jim is used to party with Luke. If Lakers think Brian Shaw is not the right coach, why they hire him to be lead assistant of Luke now ? yeah, because Luke doesn’t have experience with players ? if it is true so why GS winning a lot of games under Luke while Steve Kerr was sick? a lot of things did not make sense, so Jeannie Buss please do whatever you have to do to save Lakers.
Chris J says
The Ding article… I couldn’t read through it. There was no news in it, and it felt like a bad attempt at filling copy with nothing good to write.
dxmanners says
Whoever signed off on the Steve Nash trade should have stepped down years ago. Still hoping for Batum.
Clay Bertrand says
Darius,
“…agents and those who advise players are usually very well versed on situations around the league and would already have a sense of discord within the Lakers’ ownership.”
_______________________________________________________
I would argue the “SENSE OF DISCORD WITHIN THE LAKERS’ OWNERSHIP” is public knowledge. All of which begs the question: What was new in this article that it needed to A). Be Written at ALL or B.) Be Written NOW????????? He waits until things look rosy and are trending upward to rehash items seen MULTIPLE times in other articles and even sprinkles in THE PRINCESS CUJO passing!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!
Even if the agents are not affected WHAT WAS THE INTENT HERE???!?!??!?!?!?!!? What is Ding’s motive???? The timing smacks of media manipulation and Ding honestly just lost all credibility.
I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who thinks Ding is airing dirty Laker laundry and seeing the obvious bias in his POS article.
Honestly, when Joel Meyer was let go, when Matt Money Smith was no longer Laker affiliated, when Ding went off the Laker beat, and even to a much much lesser degree, when Mark Heisler was no longer a Laker writer, they ALL seemed to have this slightly retaliatory tone to their mocking of the Lakers or their snarky remarks about the team.
The same way Doug Collins always sort of bad mouthed Phil Jackson teams when he was a commentator. Its a weird sort of sour grapes thing.
Talking crap once you are out the door and sniping from a distance is totally cowardly.
Do I favor the guy who kept the illness of his teenage daughter within his own family or the poor Soul who didn’t get enough sympathy cards for the loss of HER DOG?????? Well Ding thinks the privacy of a dying daughter is everyone’s business while the death of a loyal dog should be something people take considerate notice of.
Clay Bertrand says
Maybe Jeannie can throw her new lap dog Princess Ding an Integrity life preserver as he circles the drain on his way to writing for TMZ Sports??
Mid-Wilshire says
For that matter, I wonder if Jeannie Buss reads FB&G.
Craig W says
An even more cynical view of the timing by Ding… He said he has been working on this story for over six months, so why publish it now?
Why, because if he spent six months on it and published it in two weeks – and the Lakers had good free-agent signings – nobody would be interested in his story, that’s why.
I have liked Kevin Ding previously, but really think his integrity has been compromised by this article.
Clay Bertrand says
Mid-Wilshire,
Jeannie reads DOG FANCY magazine. I don’t see how though with ALL of the LABORIOUS tasks she slaves to perform on a daily basis as per Ding. She’s such a workaholic!! I mean, just imagine all of the things she has to do on a daily basis just to keep that whole organization afloat. If Jeannie wasn’t there, they’d be totally lost. SMH.
You’d think Jeannie was doing the Staples Center floor changes between Clipper and Laker games as much of a “WORKER” as she is painted to be. Apparently, in the Buss family, just arriving at your place of business every once in a while and even….GASP….sitting at a desk is considered a WORK ETHIC.
Jim has NONE. Jeanie has 1% more than him so she gets to be the boss. The more attention Jeannie draws to the whole mess, the more she draws to her own failures as well. You don’t go to court with dirty hands……not even the court of Public Opinion.
rr says
Kamenetzky Brothers ?@KamBrothers 3h3 hours ago
The willingness within the Lakers to actively undermine Jim Buss may ultimately be the most compelling reason for him to step down. AK
rr says
An even more cynical view of the timing by Ding… He said he has been working on this story for over six months, so why publish it now?
—
Ding may not have been the decision-maker on the date it was put on-line. In any case, it was probably put up today because it was a good day to get clicks for it and to get people talking about it.
Kbj says
“I am unclear why some advocates for Jim use Jeanie hate as a defense for Jim. They both need to go ideally, but if it is a proxy fight, then I just want no Buss children in B’ball Ops. So that is why Jeanie is less culpable than Jim. She does not trade, draft, hire coaches, and sign FA.”
Good post, Robert. This perfectly encapsulates my feelings on this debate.
The biggest mistake Jerry Buss made was giving his children important and powerful positions within the organization. As if being an owner wasn’t enough. Nepotism at its finest.
Clay Bertrand says
rr,
I was going to post that K Bros post because it was so insightful if somewhat abstract. The K Bros are pretty level headed IMO.
If they all are trying to trip him up and no one believes in the guy, forget people wanting Jim gone—WHY would HE want to stay around???? What’s the ego boost with getting constantly lampooned in the press??
If nothing else the guy has thick skin. I’ll give him that.
Jeannie is certainly less to blame for the product on the floor. But when it comes to perpetuating the disharmony in the FO, she is just as culpable IMO and perhaps even more so. None of them should be where they are though ideally.
rr says
An even more cynical view of the timing by Ding… He said he has been working on this story for over six months, so why publish it now?
—
Ding may not have been the decision-maker on the publication date.
In any case, it was published today because it was a good day to get clicks for it and to get people talking about it.
Dom says
Dear Anonymous, The Laker greats have a lot more gravitas than Jim and Mitch. They have cache all through LA. As an entertainment business what makes LA the market that it is is the star power and opportunities that can be presented by the Magic, Kobe’s etc. through personal invitation and introduction. The Logo hated the fact that Dr. Buss went back on a promise. My suggestion was theoretical but at least i have the courage of my conviction to put my name with my opinion. Maybe you should consider cojones before you bash anyone’s opinion in anonymity.
smokedaddy says
Nice podcast discussing this Ding piece over at SSR http://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2016/6/28/12055462/la-lakers-podcast-jim-buss-mitch-kupchak
However they seem to harbor some doubt as to whether Jeannie was definitely the source. Reread the article boys, I’ve heard Jeannie in interviews and the bits about no one appreciating that CUJO died or the calculated positive references to the youngest Buss kids, or stuff like this…
“But it was still frustrating enough to Jeanie that she formally requested last season to have semi-regular meetings with Kupchak and her brother to get updates on the state of basketball operations. Not secret-sauce kind of stuff. Just a sense of what they’re thinking.”
No, this was not an ex coach or League sources or even close associates of Jeannie, this was Jeannie. Pathetic.
William Wallace says
Every time I get upset thinking about all this drama in the front office I start thinking about how bad this summer COULD have been. We could still have Byron Scott as our coach. We could have lost our first round pick all together. We could have fallen out of the top two. Instead we have Luke Walton and Brandon Ingram and a ton of cap space. Jeanie and Jim need to figure their crap out, or at least keep it out of the press, and we’ll be fine.
A Horse With No Name says
This shrill hit piece by Princess Ding/Jeanie only strengthens my belief that Jeanie doesn’t have the power to remove Jim without Johnnie’s vote. Reportedly the three executors are Jeanie, Johnnie and Jim. My guess is that she needs a majority of the executors to remove Jim.
Otherwise she is a passive aggressive kook who’s becoming unhinged by the prospect of firing her dear brother. I’ll go with the former.
Anonymous says
Horse: There are a lot, a lot of inaccuracies in Ding’s report from a trust management point of view. First, you are correct that certain decisions likely require a majority of the three trustees to make. One of those is likely the removal of a Buss kid from the operation of the franchise. Given the distaste Dr Buss had for Phil dating his daughter, one can see how this simple check and balances provisions would work to avert a take over of the Lakers by one of the kids. Second, i highly doubt that the trust provides that all beneficiaries have to approve a sale of the team. That type of control is reserved for the trustees and not the beneficiaries. The only way that would work is in the event the beneficiaries unanimously vote to dissolve the trust and, as part of dissolution of the trust, the team is sold. The fact he fails to mention this nuance tells me he is writing stuff that is being spoon fed to him without actually understanding what he is writing.
incredible says
some of the comments here are incredible. the fact that someone worries about “timing” is fall-off-the-chair funny. these issues have been around for years. This is just most detailed version of it. you don’t think players and agents talk about this regularly? do any of you ever read roland lazenby’s twitter feed? he has not been a fan of buss and has made similar points. what about season ticket holders? big time adverstisers? how about time warner? Do you think they’re happy after signing that billion dollar contract? you don’t think these folks talk?
it’s just jeannie buss that’s unhappy and is feeding ding. Man that guy ding is a sucker.
maybe there are lot of unhappy folks there. is that possible? could ding actually be right? do any of you actually read what he writes about the lakers since he’s worked at the oc register? how many times has he screwed up?
if you just looked at the public comments made by jim buss over the years, you would certainly see that his analysis has not been right, just once.
somehow this is always missed here. i wonder why? who benefits?