Jim
Buss is the Main Cause of the Laker Struggles Today
Laker
fans mourned the death of arguably the greatest owner in sports history, Jerry
Buss. The man brought Showtime, Magic, Shaq and Kobe, and most importantly,
championships to the city of Los Angeles. He always put winning first and
didn’t accept second place, excuses, much less the state mediocrity the Lakers
are in right now. When he passed, basketball operations were left for his son,
Jim Buss. Jim had been known to be stubborn and had been known to let his ego
and emotions get in the way of his decisions. This has proven true, as the
Lakers have made a series of poor moves that many believe to be orchestrated by
the head of the food chain in the Lakers organization, Jim Buss himself.
Mike
D’antoni or Phil Jackson?
I’ll
give my first point with the most glaring and obvious mistake Jim Buss made as
owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, hiring Mike D’antoni over Phil Jackson. Now,
Jim buss says that it was his father’s final say in getting D’antoni over Phil,
but his sister, Jeanie Buss, will be quick to point out that Dr. Jerry Buss was
sick and wanted to have his son make decisions on the team by passing the
torch. It’s no secret that Phil Jackson is a strong personality and that he and
Jim clashed on many issues. He was dating his sister, Jeanie at the time as
well, another reason to believe Jim’s decision was skewed by emotion. There is
no need to go past the difference between the two coaches, Mike and Phil. Mike
has never been to a NBA Finals, Phil has 11 NBA Championships. Mike’s run and
gun system has been questioned by many as championship material, Phil’s
triangle offense is the most historic and well known offense in the history of
the NBA and has had success with multiple teams. Phil’s system was proven to
work with less speed with aging players while Dantoni’s required a lot of
running up an down the floor for a team that had many players over the age of
30. The results speak for themselves; Mike only made it to the first round of
the playoffs after getting swept with a team that was supposed to be contending
for an NBA Championship.
Kobe’s
Contract and the Steve Nash Trade
Kobe
Bryant is in the Twilight of his career, but that didn’t stop Jim Buss from
offering him 24M/year without negotiation to remain the leagues highest paid
player. This move was looked at as a “thank you Kobe” type contract, but really
it has hindered the Lakers flexibility as a basketball franchise. In addition,
the Nash trade looked decent by many at the time, but it was a high-risk move
that didn’t turn out right. We have the benefit of hindsight today, but that’s
how sports works; if something works you’re a genius, if it doesn’t then you’re
a fool. The Lakers had to give up 4 draft picks in the trade and it has
prolonged the rebuilding process for the Lakers; these decisions are ultimately
made by Jim Buss, who is the Head of Basketball Operations.
What’s
Next?
So
what does the future hold for the Lakers? Jim Buss has promised to step down if
the Lakers are still in turmoil in a couple of years. Jeanie Buss has vowed she
will hold him to that. The Lakers are a bottom feeding team so the turnaround
must be quick. The team can’t afford another empty-handed free agency, as they
did this summer. We’ll see if Jim Buss can put his money where his mouth is and
deliver. So Jim Buss, put up or shut up and if you fail, Laker fans will be
happy to see you shoved out the door.