Mar 24, 2015; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss at the press conference at the Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
3. Get Rid of Jim Buss
Honestly, I am even a little hesitant about this one. After this terrible season, it is easy to say, “Give this man a chance! It’s not his fault.” And it wasn’t. But Buss greatly contributed to the Lakers’ downfall since the 2010 championship season. Let’s take a look at his blunders.
- Buss overpassed Brian Shaw to hire Mike Brown, even though Shaw was openly supported by Lakers staff. Brown heavily relied on the Princeton offense that never clicked with his players. His teams were great defensively, but at times they had trouble scoring without LeBron James leading the offense.
- Buss pulled off a sign-and-trade for aging point guard Steve Nash. Nash never panned out, but more importantly, Buss traded way too much to get him. He traded two Lakers first round picks (2013 and 2015) and two second round picks (2013 and 2014). These picks could have provided the Lakers young pieces needed now to help with the rebuilding. The only pick that matters now from this deal is the 2015 first rounder, which is top-5 protected. If the Lakers end up losing the pick, Lakers fans can turn and thank Jim Buss for once again hurting this franchise.
- Instead of hiring Zen-master Phil Jackson after Mike Brown’s firing, Buss decided to hire run-and-gun coach Mike D’Antoni instead. D’Antoni had success with Nash back Phoenix but did not have the same type of players this time around that would succeed in his system. Often there were clashes between D’Antoni and his players, which eventually led to his firing after the 2013-2014 season. Let me add a hypothetical question. If Jackson was the coach, would Dwight Howard still be a Laker? Could Jackson get inside the head of Howard and make him a star in his system? I think he could.
- Last but not least: the Kobe contract. In 2013, Buss re-signed Bryant to a two year extension worth a whopping $48.5 million, even before Bryant recovered from tearing his Achilles. Although Bryant’s contract may be well deserving due his accomplishments as a Laker, his large contract has prevented the Lakers from signing younger, max-level free agents who can be built around. Luckily, the Lakers only have one more year of this terrible contract.
In an interview with Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times in 2014, Buss went out on a limb and said he would step down if the Lakers weren’t back on top within 3 to 4 years. Buss’ definition of being back on top is to be a contender in the Western Conference, and contending for a championship. He then told Bresnahan, “There’s no question in my mind we will accomplish success. I’m not worried about putting myself on the line.” This upcoming season is year two for Buss, and nothing has happened yet. We’re all waiting for you to win us over, Jim.