RealGM

Ramona Shelburne: How often do you two talk?
Jeanie: As necessary. I don't think it has to be every day.
Jim: Jeanie's got multiple departments to cover: TV, the sponsors, just to name two. I have one department to cover. We can talk five times a day for three straight days. And then maybe a week or two will go by before we need to talk. If there's something that's big in basketball operations, then I contact Jeanie. A trade, a situation off the court, those kinds of things.

Jim, you've taken a lot of criticism for some of the decisions the Lakers have made over the years. How have you learned to deal with that?
Jim: We knew we were going to have to deal with the economics of the new collective bargaining agreement. By correcting our situation, it was going to be painful. Unfortunately, on top of correcting we had some severe injuries that knocked top players out for a year at a time. So I accept the responsibility for the criticism. I don't think it's correct, but I accept it. I understand the pain of Lakers fans. I feel the pain of losing too. But I have to focus on how we get out of this. And when I look at the flexibility and the position that we're in, we can't be in a better position to move forward.

Your 2015 first-round pick is owed to Phoenix as part of the Steve Nash trade unless it's in the top five. There is already talk that you should tank to try to keep that pick. How do you respond to that?
Jim: It will never happen here, period. The question is insulting. Our fans understand there's a process. They believe in the process -- the coach, Kobe, the draft pick [Julius Randle] and the flexibility we have going forward.
Jeanie: The teams that use tanking as a strategy are doing damage. If you're in tanking mode, that means you've got young players who you're teaching bad habits to. I think that's unforgivable. If you're tanking and you have young players or you keep a short roster, you're playing guys out of their position or too many minutes, you're risking injury. It's irresponsible and I don't think it belongs in any league.

Slava wrote:

So I accept the responsibility for the criticism. I don't think it's correct, but I accept it.

ScHoolBoy B wrote:Why they picked Nash to build around instead of Howard is beyond me...I'll never understand that...ever....

Mamba Venom wrote:

ScHoolBoy B wrote:Why they picked Nash to build around instead of Howard is beyond me...I'll never understand that...ever....

The reasons are:
(a) the 2004 Peyton Malone team
(b) Jimmy not wanting to let fan favorite Phil take over his job (being overpowered if Phil and Jeanie thought Jimmy was the problem w/ Dad not there to balance it)

It was the largest mistake in franchise history. They owed it to Kobe to get Phil. They owed it to Phil to chose him over D'Antonie. They owed it to Dwight who use to focus on DFense to get Phil. Jimmy said it was his Dad's choice but I don't believe it. I think Jimmy has some issues. And I would rather have Phil and D-Fish (as an assistant) be part of the Lakers than the Knicks.

“On top,” Buss told ESPN in a joint interview conducted in October with his sister, owner and President Jeanie Buss.

"I'm looking to him to make it happen, so I'd like to hear about that," Jeanie Buss said in response.

"The pitch is we can go for two max players. And we have room to solidify the team with others," Jim Buss said. "We can't sell who we're going to get because we don't know yet, and it's illegal to do that. We pursued LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony last summer."

"Every free agent is unique and different. I don't think they're going to be in the same position or make the same decisions as those two players did. So I'm excited about free agency coming up in the next two or three years."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/la ... story.html

"I 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."
Jim Buss
April 20, 2014

http://jimbusscountdown.tumblr.com/

Laker_Kid wrote:man. f**k the pick. there, i said it. if we lose every game but we at least competed, fine, at least we have the pick. but i will never wish for it if it meant having to tank and settle for mediocrity. like jeanie said, that sort of losing mentality isn't the way to re/build the team.

Slava wrote:I really don't, I think the family should step away from basketball operations and let the gm handle all of it.

DEEP3CL wrote:

Slava wrote:I really don't, I think the family should step away from basketball operations and let the gm handle all of it.

Or they can give Larry Ellison ($50 B strong ), Eli Broad($7 B) or David Geffen($6.8 B) a call....you know what I'm say'in ?

Slava wrote:

DEEP3CL wrote:

Slava wrote:I really don't, I think the family should step away from basketball operations and let the gm handle all of it.

Or they can give Larry Ellison ($50 B strong ), Eli Broad($7 B) or David Geffen($6.8 B) a call....you know what I'm say'in ?

You can't get better owners than them. They spend as much as you want for a winning team and don't meddle too much with the professional side. If only Jimmy took a break and either let Mitch be the boss or handle the head of basketball operations to someone like Jerry West if Mitch asks for it, we'd be more than fine.

Jeanie: The teams that use tanking as a strategy are doing damage. If you're in tanking mode, that means you've got young players who you're teaching bad habits to. I think that's unforgivable. If you're tanking and you have young players or you keep a short roster, you're playing guys out of their position or too many minutes, you're risking injury. It's irresponsible and I don't think it belongs in any league.