Blame Jim Buss Not Mike Brown

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Hiring Mike Brown was a mistake from the jump. I professed that ad nauseam when the Lakers were only rumored to be in talks with Brown. Anyone who watched LeBron James use Brown as a doormat knew there was no way he could handle Kobe Bryant let alone coaching in a city were titles are expected.

Too bad Brown isn’t the biggest problem plaguing the Lakers these days.

The man who hired Brown is the real problem.

Jim Buss has none of the vision, work ethic or commitment of his father. And unfortunately for all of us Jim Buss is here to stay.

It was Young Buss who was so enamored with Brown that he hired him without taking the time to do a proper coaching search. It was Trust Fund Buss who was so butt- hurt over his father’s affinity for Phil Jackson that he sought to sever all ties the Laker organization had with PJ. One of those severed ties was Brian Shaw, a man so respected by the team that his dismissal caused many to question the direction Buss was taking the team. Shaw is also the man that made the most sense to step in after Phil left.

Now nobody is saying Shaw’s presence would have guaranteed a title. But there is no way a team this talented would be playing this badly on his watch. He knows a thing or two about winning championships and he would have demanded much more than the bashful Brown who never held his players accountable.

Here we are just five games into the second season of the Mike Brown era and Buss is finally willing to call it an error. Perhaps if he read LSL a little more often he could have seen this coming.

Brown is a sharp guy that can easily impress in an interview. But he’s not cut out for high profile gigs like running the Lakers. He doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to the alpha dogs of the NBA. He was never going to lead this team to a title and that was more than evident last season.

Why Trust Fund Buss couldn’t see that is puzzling. He might not have liked Phil’s non-conformist approach but I’m sure Young Buss more than enjoyed all the winning that occurred during Jackson’s L.A. tenure.

So, what now, Young Buss? What will your next uninspired move be? Whatever it is you’d better make sure you’re getting counsel from your father. A lot of us knew this was a bad idea from the start. Too bad for all of us the man running the Lake Show couldn’t see that coming.

Jim Buss is the real problem and until he’s gone the Lakers problems will remain.