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Jim Buss, owner and head of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t begin with the best of fortunes as he and his sister Jeanie Buss took over the team after his father, the legendary Jerry Buss, passed away years ago.
A few of their moves backfired, like acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to form a star core with Kobe Bryant, and the last three coaching hires have been disasters.
A large contract given to an aging Bryant kept the team in a state of limbo in his last two years in the league. The Lakers also have not signed any major stars, but instead have to build through the draft, because they just haven't been the choice destination for free agents as in the past.
The Lakers failed to recruit three of the top free agents the past two summers. Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, and LaMarcus Aldridge, among others, all chose to sign elsewhere. To make matters worse there was a released report on the growing dissention within the Buss family.
In that same report, it was said that Buss was ‘telling people' of an insane plan, which has already begun unravelling, that included signing Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
Not only did Jim Buss tell people Howard would remain in Los Angeles, but also Durant would come as well as Westbrook in his impending free agency next summer. Buss also said, per Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, that if the team is not in contention within the next couple of years, that he would resign, which many impatient Lakers fans are trying to hold him to.
Article Continues BelowI was laying myself on the line by saying, if this doesn't work in three to four years, if we're not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed. I don't know if you can fire yourself if you own the team … but what I would say is I'd walk away and you guys figure out who's going to run basketball operations because I obviously couldn't do the job.
His plan of course, is insane and failing, if true. The Lakers couldn't even get a meeting with Durant this summer as he eventually signed with the Golden State Warriors. That could possibly be the domino that also leads to a Westbrook trade before next summer’s free agency period.
Since Dr. Buss’ passing the Lakers have been in a total rebuilding stage, but could not really move forward until Bryant retired. They have been fortunate to have three lottery picks, and a rising second rounder, in the draft over the last three summers, and just hired coach Luke Walton from the Warriors' coaching staff. They are not out of the woods yet because they have to continue to improve, not looking for a player to save the franchise as in years past.
The lure of the team’s historical account is no longer an exciting draw, nor is the prestige of being a Laker, especially if the team does not have a plan to win. The landscape of the NBA is changing. The market value of players are going up, players are choosing to team up with each other, and franchises are building on speed, athleticism, and youth. It will take smart drafting, wise trades, and prudent handling of the team's salary cap to get back to being championship contenders.
The idea of selling the old ideas that ‘we are the Lakers' is no longer a viable strategy, and Buss would be wise to adjust because his clock is running short.
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