http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketbal ... 8E.twitter
Buss was responsible for the Lakers' ill-fated hiring of coach Rudy Tomjanovich in 2004, but he also helped nudge the team into drafting Andrew Bynum in 2005. It's too early to tell the results of Buss' latest decision, hiring Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson, even though Kupchak and Jerry Buss said they agreed with it.
Kupchak, head of the Lakers' basketball operations for 12 seasons, disputed Earvin "Magic" Johnson's recent comments that Jim Buss was running the team.
"It is inaccurate because there are three of us that are involved in all the basketball decisions," Kupchak said. "Dr. Buss still makes, to my knowledge, all the final decisions in the organization. He's always deferred basketball decisions at some level to his basketball people, and Jimmy is a part of the basketball people.
Kupchak said he still handled the daily chores of the franchise that had won 16 NBA titles, 10 since the elder Buss bought the team in 1979.
"Jimmy doesn't have any contact with the league or other teams or agents — the stuff that's day to day. He leaves that to me. That's what I do," said Kupchak, who added he spoke with Jim Buss almost daily.
"Jimmy and I brainstorm. He'll have an idea or I'll have an idea. I'll call him or he'll call me. We'll play with the numbers — the salary cap, the new rules, all that stuff, and see what makes sense. If we get somewhere, then it would be brought to Dr. Buss for his opinion."
"There was some frustration a few weeks ago, but really, that's the first time he's spoken out. I've sat with [Bryant] and talked to him since then, and our relationship hasn't changed. I'm not any more inclined to tell him what's going on day to day, although I'll ask his opinion from time to time on a player, which is what Jerry [West] would do with Earvin or Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar]. I think that's what most general managers do.
"But you can't keep players in the loop day to day. He doesn't want that. He wants to be remembered as one of the greatest players with the most championships of all time. He doesn't want to be involved in the criticism that may come with being a part of something that runs" a team.
there's more in the article, i just posted some of the quotes i thought were important
