Jim Buss Opens Up About the Future of the Lakers

Tyler Lopez

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) – Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Buss is back everyone! Buss, part-owner and executive vice president of basketball operations, is infamous for interviews in which he puts his foot in his mouth and has become something of a lightning rod for Los Angeles Lakers fans.

More from Lakers News

Whether fairly or unfairly, Buss has become a scapegoat in the Lakers front office, and he’s back in an interview with Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

In the interview, Buss revealed what he believes to be the definition of success for him and what he thinks about Kobe Bryant‘s contract and future. Once again, Buss didn’t back down from his three-year timeline.

Buss is part of a front office that has taken a lot of heat for the last contract they gave to an aging “Black Mamba.” Bryant’s two-year contract, worth $48 million, made him the highest paid player in the NBA fresh from a left Achilles tear.

Laker fans questioned the move because it limited the team’s options in free agency moving forward. Buss defended the move, “the man has done so much for the Lakers and Lakers nation, he deserves the money.”

This stance furthers the company line that the Lakers are a team that will reward their franchise players with large contracts past their prime.

“[Kobe] has done so much for the Lakers…he deserves the money.” – Jim Buss

The money given to Bryant was never about his current condition and what he could provide on the floor. It was about what he had given the organization the last 15 years.

The deal was made to impress the players who aren’t in a Lakers uniform that this franchise takes care of their own.

Next: Kobe Won't be Forced Out

Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (6) – Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban asked Dirk Nowitzki to take less money in an effort to build a stronger team, and so far the Mavericks have struggled to do so.

They are now mired in a rebuild along with the Lakers but Nowitzki, who deserves a heck of a lot more, is not getting paid like the franchise’s best player.

More importantly, Buss spoke about Bryant’s future role with the team. Buss was both welcoming and cautious when talking about Bryant’s future.

Buss made it clear that he wouldn’t force Bryant out and that it was his decision on when he would retire. However, the Lakers would treat this upcoming season as if it was Bryant’s last.

Dr. Jerry Buss’ son echoed a sentiment that the good doctor would say, “my arms are [wide open for a return].”

That said, Buss pointed out that Bryant, “has to know, at that age, and that many miles on you, what is your role? We’ll explain the role, and if that’s how he wants to do that and that’s how he wants to go out, that’s fine with me.”

The subtext there is clear as day. The Lakers are moving forward with the young guys, specifically Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and Julius Randle. If Bryant wants to stick around with the team, he’ll have to come back as the tutor instead of the star.

This is sad, great and impressive all at the same time from Buss. It’s always tough to see the end of the road from a Hall of Fame player like Bryant, but the team definitely needs a fresh start.

Next: Plenty of Youth

Center Roy Hibbert (55) – Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers have an extremely young core, and they need their own opportunity to carve a spot in Lakers history.

For Buss to say something like that shows that the organization is committed to moving forward with their rebuild whether that includes Bryant or not. It would be tremendous if Bryant came back next season to teach these guys what it takes to be great.

Buss also covered exactly what success means to him in regards to this new team. He defined success for this season as having, “eight core players that are going to be Lakers for the next five years.”

That core group includes Russell, Clarkson, Randle, and even Roy Hibbert, according to Buss. He was complimentary of all of those players.

Randle is a “beast,” a nickname that Randle is becoming all too familiar with. Russell “can be anything in the league,” and Clarkson is following the same path that earned him a spot on the All-Rookie First Team last season.

Laker fans know this team’s future is tied intimately to the futures of Clarkson, Russell and Randle, but including Hibbert among that group is interesting. The Lakers traded for Hibbert this summer, but his contract expires at the end of this year.

For the last two seasons, the Lakers have mostly shuffled one-year deals, and there’s been a carousel of players on the roster. Stability is key to development and success. It’s exciting to hear that the organization is committed to moving in that direction.

The other point of interest is the other four players that will join Hibbert, Randle, Russell, and Clarkson in Buss’ group of eight core players in the next five years.

Are they on the team right now? Are the Lakers thinking of making some moves this season?

Lou Williams is under contract for three years now, is he included as a core member?

Are Brandon Bass, Larry Nance Jr., Anthony Brown or Jabari Brown included? What about Tarik Black?

Next: The Three-Year Plan

Mar 12, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers injured player Kobe Bryant (middle) in the first half during the game against the New York Knicks at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Lastly, Buss was asked about his now notorious “three-year plan” in which the Lakers would have to be considered competitive within that time frame or he would quit.

That line is something Laker fans have latched on to and, just in case one would like to keep track, the organization is one year into that deadline. To his credit, Buss has never backed down from that statement.

In fact, he repeated in the interview that, “if we’re not back contending in two years from now, then really I haven’t done my job.”

Buss went on to say that if the team can’t get back to being competitive in the next two years, then he shouldn’t be “a core player” either.

Laker fans have made no bones about how much they dislike Buss, but the man has stuck to his guns even though his sister, part-owner of the Lakers and the team’s president and governor, Jeanie Buss has held him to the timeline so publicly.

It puts an incredible amount of pressure on him, but it seems as though he’s embracing that pressure and trying to live up to it.

It’s hard to imagine a world where Laker fans embrace Buss, but he said all the right things in this interview. It’s encouraging to see the team with a cohesive plan for the present in order to reach the lofty goals they have set for themselves in the future.

Bryant has been the face of the franchise for 20 years and the sole face of the franchise for the last ten. Moving on from “Vino” is going to be a difficult transition, but the Lakers are intent on moving in a new direction with the roster they’re currently building.

Fans might not be excited about Buss right now. Hopefully, they come around and start to get enthusiastic about what he’s helping build for the next five years to come.

Next: Is Robert Upshaw the Lakers' Next Hassan Whiteside?

More from Lake Show Life

Tyler Lopez