Even though we at FB&G try to focus our attention on the “on-court” happenings with the Lakers, you’d have to live in a cave to not at least be aware of the off-court family drama which persists among the team’s owners. After Jeanie Buss relieved Jim Buss of his duties as VP of Basketball Operations and installed Magic Johnson as the top basketball decision maker, the fallout has been very real.
The inherent drama of these moves and resulting aftershocks is the stuff of tabloids and soap operas. If you would prefer to not even consider these things, I don’t blame you. All of it reeks, a continuation of the dysfunction and in-fighting which plagued the franchise in the immediate aftermath of Dr. Buss’ death through current day. That said, if these things do interest you, Ramon Shelburne of ESPN has a long and worthwhile story up on the behind the scenes activity which got Jim (and the front office) and Jeanie (along with Magic Johnson) to the point they are now.
A few of the more meaningful excerpts — it starts with Jeanie’s decision to bring on Magic as a consultant and how that didn’t have the intended consequence of bridging the communication gap between herself and the basketball ops:
Three weeks before, Buss had installed Magic Johnson, a Lakers legend and one of her oldest friends, as a special adviser — an act she had hoped would be a wake-up call to everyone in the front office. Now, she found out, he wasn’t being integrated or even informed of what Kupchak and Jim Buss were planning.
One day, she found out the team had worked out center Larry Sanders and hadn’t bothered to invite Johnson to watch. Then there were the trade calls Johnson had to inquire about; he was never informed of the prospects — let alone asked his opinion.
So much for working together.
This lack of communication — especially related to Magic in his new role — is a steady theme of Shelburne’s reporting:
From the moment he was hired, Johnson was in the office nearly every day. Kupchak met with him. So did the younger Buss children, Joey and Jesse. Magic started doing corporate events and speaking regularly to head coach Luke Walton.
But he was never invited into the decision-making sanctum, which was picking up in advance of the Feb. 23 trade deadline. Johnson would call Kupchak to ask about trades or strategies that were being considered, but he was always the one reaching out for information. When the Lakers worked out Larry Sanders, a free-agent big man with a history of depression and substance-abuse issues, Johnson wasn’t informed or consulted…
…At one point, he fielded a call from Kings general manager Vlade Divac inquiring about the Lakers’ interest in All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins. Johnson told his former teammate that, as a consultant, he wasn’t empowered to answer that kind of question, and he referred Divac to Kupchak. But Johnson never heard another word from the front office, even when the Lakers engaged in discussions with the Kings on Feb. 19.
Divac, who sources say believed he had a very narrow window to trade Cousins before ownership changed its mind, wanted to act quickly and knew he had ownership approval for trades involving the Pelicans’ Buddy Hield and the Lakers’ Brandon Ingram.
By the time the Lakers got involved, Divac and Pelicans general manager Dell Demps, both in New Orleans for the All-Star Game, had met four or five times in person to discuss a deal, sources told ESPN’s Marc Stein. He was negotiating over the phone with Jim Buss and Kupchak — despite the fact that Johnson was in New Orleans that weekend for ESPN.
Jeanie Buss had previously instructed Kupchak and her brother that she was to be consulted if they discussed trades involving any of the Lakers’ three recent lottery picks. The only word she got of the Lakers discussions with the Kings –which involved two of those three lottery picks — came after Jim Buss called Jesse Buss and pressed him for a recommendation on an offer he said would quickly expire. Jesse Buss tried to text Jeanie Buss, but the deadline was fast approaching. Not long after, before Jeanie Buss or Johnson even knew about the Lakers’ attempts, the Kings finalized the deal with the Pelicans.
The above is portrayed as the final straw for Jim and Mitch, but more as an example of what she could no longer tolerate rather than something out of the blue. Jim and Mitch could not be trusted to communicate clearly and bring items to the table which Jeanie felt she should have information on (even if it’s not clear what role she would take in the final decision making process).
There’s much more in the piece — and I suggest you read it all, but I prefer to focus on these areas because I think they illustrate best what matters now.
While some of Jim and Mitch’s more impactfully negative decisions cannot be ignored (the Mozgov and Deng contracts, for example), the biggest issues cited for their removal wasn’t those mistakes, but rather the process in which those decisions were made and how that impacted relationships between the front office and Jeanie. And while Magic and Rob Pelinka will need to dig themselves out from underneath the rubble some of those decisions have created, the bigger point here is that there are no longer any broken relationships at the top of the organization to sift through in order for everyone to feel comfortable with how the team moves forward.
I said this when Jim and Kupchak were ousted, but it bears repeating: using Jim Buss as a shield is no longer an option. The people Jeanie wants to be in charge are now actually in charge. She hired them. She feels comfortable with this group, knows they will keep her apprised of what she needs to be apprised of, and there is no bad blood from the past to cloud what needs to be a strong working relationship between the basketball and business sides of the house. These are positives.
However, if things go wrong now, it will be on the people who remain in power, not those who were removed. This doesn’t mean we can’t (or shouldn’t) give context to the current environment by citing how present day conditions have been impacted by past decisions. When judging Jim/Mitch, I often went back to how “the veto” (among other things) impacted their landscape, so it would be hypocritical to not lend the same courtesy to Magic/Pelinka when talking about some of the bad contracts which now burden them.
That said, all decisions they make now will have their names on them. From the Lou trade to what happens in the draft and free agency this summer, to what trades are or are not made, the prism through which we evaluate those will be on them.
I, for one, believe a change needed to be made even if I didn’t agree with how it happened. And while I sympathize with Jim and Mitch for those reasons, and can still roll my eyes about the aggressive media ground game which persists against them even now that they are gone, history is written by the winners. Jim and Mitch are on the wrong side of that now and whether you view it as petty, cunning, truthful, smart, somewhere in the middle, or all of the above, the framing of them matters less than the work which lies ahead.
This is something Jeanie must own, now and moving forward. Because if she fails, the history others write about her might end up being just as unkind as what’s being written about her dispatched brother.
Fern says
This is even more important than the on court happenings. There is a lot more at stake here than another blowout loss. So the Buss brothers wanted to cash out. And Jim and Mitch brought this up on themselves. Im convinced that if the old regime didn’t change they wouldn’t had traded Lou. They had a better offer from Utah and they dragged their feet. We could had gotten a middle-early 20 first rounder. What they expected? More? I think that was more than Lou’s value. They dragged their feet again. In the new NBA Mitch’s approach don’t work anymore he is a fossil apreciate what he did in the past but he had to go. And Jimbo basically want to cash out because he don’t run the team anymore. And his grand coup attempt was a half assed moronic play that Jeannie who i don’t think is a genius saw a mile away. They can’t sell unless it’s unanimous. What he achieved? Solidified Jeannie’s position, got the NBA went out of his way to come out and say they supported her, what does that say about what the NBA thinks of him?and earned the eternal unforgiving hatred of the fanbase. If he had half a brain he should’ve laid low and let Jeannie and Magic crash and burn ( which i hope they don’t) and then made his move to cash out and he could even come out looking good because the fanbase would be demanding for the team to be sold . Jim and Johnny are spoiled middle aged children. This level of ineptitude is a new “milestone” for him.
Joshua says
Maybe they did want to cash out. But since they weren’t available for comment, let’s not forget that it’s people from Jeanie’s camp who created this narrative.
Either way, the story clearly shows how dysfunctional the relationship between the older brothers and the other siblings is.
Lakers Future says
What stops them from speaking up for themselves? Its Jeanie’s narrative because she’s the only Buss family member who regularly talks to the media.
wishwash says
I have little sympathy for Jim, but it is hard to believe that Jeanie did not make a calculated and long thought out move to remove Jim, especially with how quick the Magic (3week) and Rob (3day) turnaround and decision was. It is impressive, how she let Jim take all the hits, build up the draft picks and when his approval was its lowest, SWIPE!!! Jeanie had to have known this was the only way to take total control of the Team.
I can also empathize with Jim, that must have hurt even with his timeline. Because he was completely embarrassed and he will never get credit for future Laker success and I am sure out of bitterness and insecurity of holding onto a large portion of the Laker wealth which seems by reports will be given to the last surviving Buss, he is making his power play to redeem his pride and or cash out more significantly than he may ever will.
Anonymous says
This was quite enlightening in terms of how it all went down. As a corporate turnaround exec, I see the Mitch/Jim-type reactionaries more often than not. Kudos to Jeanie, they both had to go, then and there. Sure she’s now accountable, but that’s as it should be in a good organization, real leaders don’t shirk.
I will repeat a question I posted at their firing – how long before Magic leads a team of investors to pick up the available team shares? If the trust dissolution requires Jeanie’s approval, this could be quite a fire sale.
fern says
The trust dissolution requires an unanimous vote of the siblings. That is not going to happen in the forseabable future. And i don’t think Magic would be part of such a betrayal of Dr Buss. And even if they decided to sell, they would ask for a lot of coin. Even in the state of disarray the Lakers are they are still the second most valuable franchise in the league and in sports in general and still generate a huge profit.
Alexander says
@fern I see this differently. If unanimous agreement is needed to break the trust, Jeanie will not let that happen. Each sibling’s share is of enormous value indeed, but it’s also illiquid and effectively without voting rights. Hence, Jeanie’s support will be needed to sell. This will cause two things: a discount on the market value of the share, and new owners who must be willing to contractually support Jeanie’s position. Who is better positioned to win on both than Magic? I also don’t see it as betrayal whatsoever to Dr. Buss. In fact, it is his adopted son (Magic) who would step in to maintain the Buss family hold on the Lakers as his older sons choose to leave and surrender their (collective) majority stake.
fern says
What was the Clippers price when they got rid of the old racist fool? Two billion!!! And he was basically kicked out amid a scandal. The Lakers have a lot of more pedigree than the Clippers ever will, the biggest fanbase of the NBA “the flagship”and one of the most famous franchises in the entire world and hugely profitable despite being a mediocre on court product. This isn’t some money pit organization. They been raking a ton of money all this time with a team that is losing sixty games. If the Lakers ever go on sale the people that can will be more than willing to pay thru the nose. This isnt the Kings or the Bucks or some of those other franchises. The Buss family can sit back and let the potential buyers get into a bid war and the victor would pay more than i dare to suggest. The Lakers would never be a “fire sale” are you kiddin?
Alexander says
Darius – I posted this, forgot to input my name, and then the post disappeared entirely when I went back to find it, but it’s back today. Not sure if bug or user error, just FYI to you.
Mike says
Ingram was mentioned along with Buddy Hield as guys Vivek was enamored with? If we could have got Cousins for Ingram and some crap like a pick that wasn’t likely to transfer this season plus a second round pick like the Pels did, then it’s inexcusable to not have pulled the trigger. I love Ingram and think he’ll be good, but Cousins is too much talent to pass on for Ingram, the Houston pick, and maybe something else, even with his history as a head case.
Anonymous says
Cousins timeline is different from the rest of the Lakers, luke is a young coach . The fa cap and the tank would have been affected.
It is not an automatic
Fern says
If we traded for Cousins, im certain we would lose him in free agency, why? Because the Lakers would still stink and it would take 2 of our three top lottery picks in any combination to pull off that trade. Then what you’re left with? Cousins with a skeleton crew. They didn’t wanted Ingram alone. Cousins wants to win, he have enough of the losing…
Wilche Danko says
@Mike^
I get you – but why toss Ingram when you can have Boogie in roughly 18 months for nothing?
And not only that – but with Cousins, the Lakers likely improve. Then we risk losing an excellent shot of drafting the likes of Lonzo Ball.
In this scenario, we have great odds of losing two potential superstars. Therefore, my vote is two hold and wait.
And btw – Magic would likely not have pulled the trigger on this trade for these very reasons.
drrayeye says
Ramona gives us a great story that includes excellent background and detail. I think I understand better, that she made the only choice she could when she finally fired Jim and Mitch, but it still seems inevitable that the Buss family will sell–maybe sooner rather than later.
I have no sympathy at all for Jim, and almost none for Mitch. This needed to have happened years ago–but I can now clearly see why it didn’t.
The very fact that I’m posting indicates renewed optimism for our Laker future.
Anonymous says
Absolutely crazy not to have traded for Cousins. The fact is you probably have sent Randle and JC to Sac for him. Then kept the picks. Jim Buss should have never been in charge.
Joshua says
I think most of us would have traded Randle and JC for Cousins in a heartbeat. But IMO that makes it unlikely that this was the package the Kings were looking for.
Vasheed says
When I read Shelburne’s article it said that the Lakers offered 2 of the Lakers last 3 picks and we heard that the Lakers refused to include Ingram. So it sounded like the Lakers offered Russell and Randle for Cousins.
What I have found unlikable about Jeanie is the inability to keep quiet. I’m of the opinion the franchise and fans might be better off if the rest of the Buss family were purged as well. Hopefully, this will all be settled before the draft.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I agree that Jim/Mitch had to go because the Lakers management structure had become irretrievably dysfunctional.
Where I have significant disagreements with (some) Laker fans is where the culpability for the situation lies.
There is a tendency among some to treat Jerry Buss and Jeanie Buss as blameless actors who couldn’t possibly have foreseen what incompetent dopes Jim/Mitch would be. That’s unfair.
It was Jerry Buss who insisted upon the family trust/management structure which underpins the Lakers: Game of Thrones drama of the past several years. Meanwhile, if things were dysfunctional between Jeanie and the basketball operations side, she (so far as I can tell) did little to ameliorate the situation. Praising her for her decisiveness now smacks a bit of praising someone for being “decisive” by removing a gangrenous limb when that person could have avoided the situation by taking some antibiotics months/years earlier.
Maybe Johnson/Pelinka/et al will turn things around soon (I hope they do). On the other hand, the Lakers fortunes may turn around simply because Randle/DAR/Ingram/Clarkson mature and Paul George decides he wants to be Laker. If that happens, I predict much of the media and many fans will praise Magic/Pelinka/et. al. when they, in fact, had very little to do with it.
History is written by the victors because people like “winners” and conveniently forget the complexities and contingencies which produced the “winners” and “losers.”
Marco says
No one is forgetting the Dengov deal, you can be sure.
Vasheed says
I definitely don’t hold Jeanie blameless. If we remember the disastrous free agencies pitches to Anthony and Aldridge, were heavy on the business side and light on basketball. In part this was because the introverted Jim brought in his sister Jeanie to give the pitch. It is absurd to conclude that she wasn’t in the loop.
Craig W. says
Just like ‘the Veto’ impacted almost everything Jim & Mitch did, the Moz/Deng contracts will hang over Magic/Rob. This is not as onerous as ‘the Veto’, but it certainly does mean we will lose some valuable assets if we manage to trade one of them and the stretch provision will have an impact on us far into the future if we let the other go this summer.
We humans – and I consider fans to be somewhat human – do want ‘Perry Mason’ answers and don’t seem to be able to handle much nuance in our thought processes. There is nothing simple about human emotions or interactions. This may be one reason why Magic & Rob were a good choice to lead the Lakers at this time.
RR says
Here is the July 2 thread talking about Dengov:
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2016/07/02/deng-mozgov-and-the-timeline-of-the-lakers-young-core/#more-20454
RR says
It was Jerry who set things up the way they are, with Jim getting his run as EVP and Jeanie having the power to change things if the franchise went south. To what extent he should be blamed for that…most parents find it hard to be objective about their kids. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, two of Joe Lacob’s sons have high-level jobs in Golden State FO. We will see how that goes when the current core in GS gets old.
As to the Jim and Jeanie, yes, it is now Jeanie’s show. Magic and Pelinka are her guys. The KBros put that succinctly a couple of weeks ago, when they said that we are now in the Jeanie Buss Era. That said, the idea that she was using Jim as a “shield” is misguided. Jerry put Jim in charge, and Jim didn’t get the job done. Any guy with Jim’s track record would have been taking serious heat at this point. Jeanie’s media activity is tiresome, but none of it would have mattered if the team were good.
The only mitigating factor worth remembering, even now, is the veto of the Paul deal. That is one of the worst breaks any NBA exec team has ever gotten, and Jim and Mitch were unable to recover. The main thing that they deserve credit for is the late picks. Clarkson, Nance and Zubac were all nice snags late even if I do not see the former two as difference-makers. The three lottery picks, however, are not some huge coup. All were safe, reasonable options the Lakers had because the team was bad.
As to Jeanie, the key word with her is insularity. Even though she canned her brother and Mitch, she did not go outside the Lakers Family, bringing in Magic Johnson and Kobe’s agent without going through a traditional job search. If It doesn’t work, there will loud calls for the Busses to sell and/or vacate Lakers operations entirely.
Alexander says
Clearly the Cousins ask was very high, two of the lottery pics plus salaries to round out for cap purposes, with BI being included. This could have been BI, DAR, LWill and TBlack. No way I make that trade for Boogie. The remaining stars -JR, Boogie and JC would make us Sacramento light, not the Cavs. We’ll have the room to sign him in 2018 if he wants to come. What I don’t understand is how the Pelican offer was better than JR, DAR plus plus.
mattal says
Regarding the ownership fiasco. Family and business don’t mix. Jeanie likely knew that Jim was a disaster/bad choice from the outset. Many of us felt it in our guts as well. The rumors of his work ethic, the fact that he lived in South Orange County and didn’t like to go to the office and his comments on how ‘hard could this really be?’ were huge warning signs.
The revelations about how ultra-cautious Mitch was were news to me. But the thing that concerned me about Mitch was that its so much easier to fill out a roster built around an ‘in his prime’ Kobe than it is to develop a roster from scratch. And the need to develop a roster from the bottom up was the result of Jim/Mitch’s many missteps. The Jim and Mitch show never seemed up to the task which is why many of us wanted change a long long time ago.
Jeanie respected her dad. Since Dr. Buss wanted Jim to run the personnel side of things she was going to honor her dad’s wishes. Yes, she should have acted much sooner but as I said at the opening: family and business don’t mix well.
I saw a post, below, commenting about Jeanie taking Jim to task in the press — I’m not giving her a pass but knowing what we now know it was obvious she was building her case in the court of public opinion. Clearly, communicating about the impending ‘promise’ and it’s deadline helped her conscious rest easier. However, the flip side of that coin is that, as a leader and team president, she had the responsibility to act much sooner since she was privy to all of the dysfunction from the beginning.
Regarding Cousins: Acquiring Boogie is a 50/50 gamble. He could implode your franchise (ala Sacramento) or grow up and be as strong a player in the locker room as he is on the floor. Because of the great variability of the outcome I would not overpay to get him.
I don’t think acquiring him at the trade deadline was a good idea. Clearly job one for the Lakers is losing enough to get the best chance at keeping the pick. Acquiring Cousins would put that task in jeopardy.
Far better to see how this plays out in NOLA — where the early returns are not good. It could be that the Pelicans want to dump him this off season for pennies on the dollar or that the parties agree to split up next summer making Cousins an unrestricted free agent.
Again, I’m not saying yes or no on Cousins. But the Lakers did right by waiting. A big plus is that a Magic Johnson/Rob Pelinka run FO has a better chance of providing the strong no BS environment for Cousins to succeed in than Jim/Mitch.
FredP says
Thanks for putting this topic on the table. The Lakers FO has really lacked direction since Jerry Buss’s cancer became terminal. The major moves seemed as much about establishing Jim Buss’s abilities as they did about making the Lakers a great team. The background stories have been contradictory (like Kevin Dings two opposing articles about the failed CP3 trade) and now Shelburne seems to be trying to set the record straight. I have never bought into Jeanie being ignorant about basketball. She has been to more games than most people and even sat opposite Phil on the sidelines and signaled to him when the Lakers were not playing his triangle offense. Jeanie should have been more involved on the basketball side from the start and established closer ties to what was going on with the team. It would have made it easier when she had to make the inevitable transition to someone other that Jimmy running the team.
Going forward, this was the move that had to be made and will help the team refocus on developing the young core.
R says
So you are telling us Jeannie had to tell PJ when the team wasn’t running the Triangle?
That’s about the funniest thing I’ve ever read on this site.
May we assume you are joking ?
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression: extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof.
In that spirit, if you are truly serious how about an attribution?
No I take it back, who cares? the whole subject of the Triangle is a total bore at this point …
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
Re: Yes, she should have acted much sooner but as I said at the opening: family and business don’t mix well.
Yes, I agree. Which is why Jeanie should…
..NOT have kept her relationship with Phil Jackson (which loomed over Lakers management for years).
…NOT have insisted that post-Achilles-tear Kobe Bryant be given a three-year 1.5 x NBA Max Contract when his on-court production was that of an average (and injury-prone) player.
…NOT have let the communications issues between her and the basketball operations side fester for years before bringing in Magic to allegedly “improve communications” (which Mitch/Jim correctly saw as bringing in the hatchetman who was going to fire them).
…NOT have let Evil Emperor Stern and the NBA off the hook for their blatant conflict of interest in quashing the Chris Paul trade.Yes, the Lakers probably couldn’t have won the suit, but putting up a fight might have gained them some compensation (extra draft picks? relief from the onerous Big City Tax?).
…NOT have insisted upon enforcing Jim’s timeline (which I think led to the panicky Mozdeng signings) when, really, the Lakers rebuilding effort didn’t actually start until THIS season, once the Kobe Bryant Endless Bad Shot Chucking Retirement Tour was over.
But apparently Jeanie was too butthurt over PhilJax not being brought back as coach, too scared to let the market set Kobe’s real value, and too reluctant to confront Evil Emperor Stern on his machinations, so Mitch/Jim have to take the blame for situations she helped create.
But, Jeanie is a hot woman, and “everyone” says she’s brilliant, so she doesn’t get called out for her part in the Lakers’ recent woes.
RR says
Jerry put Jim in charge of basketball ops. Jim didn’t get the job done. Jerry put Jeanie in charge of the organization. Jim’s gone.
Spin-doctoring, personal issues you have about Kobe and Jeanie, and using all caps won’t change those basic facts.
Lakers Future says
I hope they get this all sorted out. I’m sure there was always drama behind the scenes with the Lakers. But Dr. Jerry Buss was the umbrella everyone came together under. Now the good doctor is gone those old wounds and divisions have taken center stage. And the damage seems to be irreversible.
As a fan I don’t care who runs the Lakers as long as the product on the floor is moving in the right direction. This is a far cry from the days of arguing over Kobe’s shot selection while the team was en route to another 50+ win season. I knew as fans we had it good then. Its only now that I realize just how good. The Buss family is doing everything they can to push me as a fan away.
Fern says
Despite all the blame that can be placed on “THE VETO” the information that has come up in recent weeks turned me completely against the old regime. The VETO shouldn’t had happened at all. The then Hornets were at least listening for a potential Bynum-CP swap. But Jimbo didn’t wanted to part ways with his boy toy. They made that trade and the Lakers would look very good with a Kobe,Pau,CP and Lamar Odom core. But nooo Jimbo was in loveee. so they made that trade that got vetoed that consisted of breaking up a championship core. Sent Lamar Odon in a personal downward spiral and disgruntled Pau for the rest of his Lakers stay. Even after “THE VETO” happened, Dr Buss told Jim to get it done no matter what and he basically blew him off. Then they get Dwight and immediately proceed to piss him off by hiring MDA over Phil, who was taylor made to coach that team. Why? Because Phil was dating his sister and he didn’t liked him. And then we endured 3 seasons of Robert beeping Sacre over Hassan Whiteside because Jimbo had another man crush on another big man. We could had Isaiah Thomas and this one was on Mitch or Kyle Lowry, both wanted to be Lakers.And they were going to ket this trade deadline pass without making a trade, im sure of it. Everything was stagnated. They hired Luke because even a damn monkey would made that call because it was too obvious. THE VETO is for me the main reason the Lakers are were they are but what really get under my skin is that it could’ve been avoided. All these bad decisions are entirely at the feet of Jimbo and Mitch. I do sincerely hope that when the Lakers go back to where they belong, and they will, some of the best decisions they made ( in the Draft, Luke) could give them a small measure of redemption. But after what Jim tried to pull off last week i don’t think that be enough.
A Horse With No Name says
Out of all this, the best thing is that Jeanie made a potentially great hire in Pelinka as GM. He checks all the boxes with a track record as a very savvy agent and people person, a high level of education, and who is according to multiple sources, a shrewd judge of talent (being a former D1 point guard). As long as Magic listens to Pelinka, Luke and the scouting department, (builds consensus), I think he’s going to be great.
Mitch was a good and loyal guy, who was compromised by the family infighting, who in the end, secured his last contract (through ’18) by insisting on it–good for him. The firing of John Black, another loyal soldier, showed the ruthless side of Jeanie. Shame on her.
Chearn says
Well, well, well, it’s quite fascinating that Scott’s assessment on the team and players was spot on. When the Lakers then-coach Byron called the team soft, he was accused of throwing the team under the bus. This team is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, eerily similar to last season’s ascent into the abyss of the NBA. Coach Walton echoes that sentiment after the players have one year and an offseason of development to lean on. The team being comprised of less than seasoned players does not give them a pass on competing. When I watch the current crop of draft picks play, I can’t help but wonder WWKD “what would Kobe do”? As a rookie, if Kobe were given the future of the organization in his hands, is there any doubt that the last year and this year would be different?
Darius Soriano says
Funny, what I recall about Byron and fans being upset with him about how he dealt with the young players was that his critiques were so vocal and recurring to the media as frequently as they did. That publicly shaming them after essentially every game wasn’t the best way to build good relationships with them and get the most out of them as players.
R says
“The Lakers ownership drama which will not go away” until the (current) ownership goes away.
Hope I live to see the day.