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“(If) I would have taken credit for all the moves we won championships for, then I would have a resume; I don’t have a resume,” said Buss, who has been on board for five Lakers titles since he first joined and whose bio in the team's media guide is approximately one quarter the size of Kupchak's. “So my resume is just me all of a sudden taking over, which isn’t true. It’s not true at all. The thing that most people don’t understand is that I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I worked with Jerry West. I’ve done this, and I’ve said these things. But it doesn’t have any teeth, doesn’t have any legs. I was very much part of the final decisions on all of the championships that we’ve won in the last 20 years.

“I was extremely involved on both the basketball and the financial side, but there was no point for me to go out and wave my flag. It didn’t make sense to me. Now I understand that I should have, to a certain degree.”

“If Jerry West said ‘Jim Buss doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing’ … that would hurt; I don’t know what I would do then,” Buss explains. “If (former Lakers coach and current Miami Heat president) Pat Riley came out and said…‘Jim Buss doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s leading the Lakers down the wrong path.’ I’d be like, ‘(Expletive), I have to look in the mirror.’ If it’s coming from someone who knows, and someone I respect, then I’ve got to look at myself. But that has never happened. All I do is get fantastic feedback from these guys.”

Jim doesn’t mention the pointed words that have come from Bryant, but it’s clear that he hasn’t forgotten about the other Laker great who has repeatedly called him out: Magic Johnson. From Johnson's angry tweets about the D’Antoni decision to the television tour eight months ago when he raised serious questions about Buss’ ability as an executive, Johnson has made his feelings known. Buss, who has chosen to avoid discussing the situation with Johnson personally, is clearly bothered by this recurring matter.

“Magic Johnson going nuts on me?” he says witha laugh. “It’s like, ‘Really, dude? My Dad made you a billionaire almost. Really? Where are you coming from?”

Johnson – who sold his share of the Lakers in 2010 and two years later led the ownership group that paid $2 billion for the Los Angeles Dodgers – earned approximately $43 million during his playing days and has been wildly successful in the business sector ever since (a 2011 Forbes report estimated his net worth at $525 million). In the grander sense, though, it's well-chronicled that Jerry Buss' impact on Johnson went well beyond basketball.

"Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic," Johnson told the Los Angeles Times in Feb. 2013 after Jerry's death. "He gave me the knowledge to be Magic."

When asked about Buss’ comment, Johnson issued a statement to USA TODAY Sports in response.

“It’s all about winning, Jim,” Johnson said.

On that, if little else, they can agree.

“I (shared the timeline publicly to the Los Angeles Times in April of 2014) because I basically wanted people to know what timeframe I’m working on,” Buss said. “It became news, but I don’t want to be here if I can’t turn this around. And it’s not turning it around – it’s just your normal progression of teams in the NBA.

“We’re ahead of (the schedule), so I’m fine with it. I think we’ve turned the corner, exactly like we have (planned). Get a free agent next (summer), and then I think we compete.”

“If you watched (Russell) worked out, if you heard what our scouts said about him and what they said about Okafor and other players, it got to the point where we could not pass on him,” Buss said. “He’s that special in a lot of people’s books.”

“We’ve gone through this (rebuilding) before. We went through, what 10 years without winning a championship or anything? Sedale Threatt, and those days – Smush Parker and Chris Mihm. You have to do it, until you make the right move. And I think we might have made the right move with D’Angelo Russell. I think he might be something special. And if he is, then that’s what I’m talking about. Somebody special is going to want to play with someone special, and then the dominoes fall. So yeah, I’m extremely confident…You hear what Vegas says, that we’re not supposed to make it (to the playoffs this season). We’ll prove them wrong. If this team plays as a team, with dedication and a purpose, which I think we’ve instilled in them, that there’s a purpose because you guys are a core, you are moving forward together, (playing) together and having each other’s back, I think we’ll surprise a lot of people. I really do.”

West truly is an advocate of Buss, in part because he considers him very bright but also because he sees an imbalance of blame that he believes has grown worse through the years. And while he declined to share many specifics of the letter, it’s clear that it was supportive in tone and that, chronologically speaking, it took place before Jerry’s passing.

There was an unexpected twist in it all, too, as West encouraged Jim to follow his passion for number-crunching as a way to analyze players that Jerry had resisted. Even with recent changes to their analytics wing, the Lakers are considered to be behind the times in the age of advanced statistics. Yet Buss, who has an individualized "impact value" system to evaluate players on his iPad that he updates almost every night before going to bed, has been pushing for change for quite some time.

“I told him to follow his instincts,” said West, whose son, Ryan, has worked for the Lakers since 2009 and was recently promoted to director of player personnel.
“He would have a lot of analytical people (around), and a lot of people think that I can’t stand analytical people, and that’s not the case at all. The thing that I told him was that you need all kinds of tools.
He’s really smart … but he’s the easiest target there is. And I will tell you, it’s grossly unfair sometimes. Grossly unfair. It’s almost like they want him to be a reincarnation of his dad, but he can’t.”

Kings2013 wrote:He's trying to re-form that self imposed deadline

Makaveli2 wrote:Are you guys kidding me, this is a terrible interview and he shouldn't ever do it again. Especially what he says about Magic, which makes him sound like a entitled brat who feels Magic owes him something because of who his dad is. First of all I hate those kids and this is someone of age already. Second the reason buss sr helped Magic was because Magic was a very talented and special basketball player. Magic earned what he got on his own due to his skills, work and talent. Very different to Jim getting his billions because of his father. I'm not trying to discredit Jerry, Magic himself talked about Jerrys influence on his success. But just because that guy respects and believes in your father doesn't mean he has to do the same for you. Got to gain that respect yourself.

Bill Lightbeer wrote:Magic Johnson made the Lakers into the most recognisable basketball brand in the world.

Jerry Buss did not make Magic Johnson into a near-billionaire. Magic Johnson's talent made him into-billionaire, and he brought the Buss family along for the ride. Jim Buss is hanging out at seedy strip-clubs right now if not for Magic Johnson.

Jim Buss is a clown. The Lakers will never contend for a title with this guy calling the shots.

Johnson's voice thickened when telling that story Monday, just hours after Buss had died at age 80.

"I'm crying right now," said Johnson. "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic."

"Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic," Johnson said. "He gave me the knowledge to be Magic."

"He said, 'Earvin, let me teach you the business,'" Johnson recalled. "He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A."

Slava wrote:

Makaveli2 wrote:Are you guys kidding me, this is a terrible interview and he shouldn't ever do it again. Especially what he says about Magic, which makes him sound like a entitled brat who feels Magic owes him something because of who his dad is. First of all I hate those kids and this is someone of age already. Second the reason buss sr helped Magic was because Magic was a very talented and special basketball player. Magic earned what he got on his own due to his skills, work and talent. Very different to Jim getting his billions because of his father. I'm not trying to discredit Jerry, Magic himself talked about Jerrys influence on his success. But just because that guy respects and believes in your father doesn't mean he has to do the same for you. Got to gain that respect yourself.

Bill Lightbeer wrote:Magic Johnson made the Lakers into the most recognisable basketball brand in the world.

Jerry Buss did not make Magic Johnson into a near-billionaire. Magic Johnson's talent made him into-billionaire, and he brought the Buss family along for the ride. Jim Buss is hanging out at seedy strip-clubs right now if not for Magic Johnson.

Jim Buss is a clown. The Lakers will never contend for a title with this guy calling the shots.

Johnson's voice thickened when telling that story Monday, just hours after Buss had died at age 80.

"I'm crying right now," said Johnson. "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic."

"Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic," Johnson said. "He gave me the knowledge to be Magic."

"He said, 'Earvin, let me teach you the business,'" Johnson recalled. "He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A."

LA Times

You two air heads have no clue what you are talking about.

Makaveli2 wrote:I already wrote "I'm not trying to discredit Jerry, Magic himself talked about Jerrys influence on his success. But just because that guy respects and believes in your father doesn't mean he has to do the same for you. Got to gain that respect yourself."
My point is not if Magic owes Jerry, my point is if Magic owes Jim, which Jim seems to feel entitled to due to his dad.
Maybe you still don't understand.
You don't deserve respect due to your parents, you deserve respect because of who you are and what you have done yourself.

Spoiler:

Slava wrote:

Makaveli2 wrote:Are you guys kidding me, this is a terrible interview and he shouldn't ever do it again. Especially what he says about Magic, which makes him sound like a entitled brat who feels Magic owes him something because of who his dad is. First of all I hate those kids and this is someone of age already. Second the reason buss sr helped Magic was because Magic was a very talented and special basketball player. Magic earned what he got on his own due to his skills, work and talent. Very different to Jim getting his billions because of his father. I'm not trying to discredit Jerry, Magic himself talked about Jerrys influence on his success. But just because that guy respects and believes in your father doesn't mean he has to do the same for you. Got to gain that respect yourself.

Bill Lightbeer wrote:Magic Johnson made the Lakers into the most recognisable basketball brand in the world.

Jerry Buss did not make Magic Johnson into a near-billionaire. Magic Johnson's talent made him into-billionaire, and he brought the Buss family along for the ride. Jim Buss is hanging out at seedy strip-clubs right now if not for Magic Johnson.

Jim Buss is a clown. The Lakers will never contend for a title with this guy calling the shots.

Johnson's voice thickened when telling that story Monday, just hours after Buss had died at age 80.

"I'm crying right now," said Johnson. "Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic."

"Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic," Johnson said. "He gave me the knowledge to be Magic."

"He said, 'Earvin, let me teach you the business,'" Johnson recalled. "He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A."

LA Times

You two air heads have no clue what you are talking about.

Slava wrote:

Makaveli2 wrote:I already wrote "I'm not trying to discredit Jerry, Magic himself talked about Jerrys influence on his success. But just because that guy respects and believes in your father doesn't mean he has to do the same for you. Got to gain that respect yourself."
My point is not if Magic owes Jerry, my point is if Magic owes Jim, which Jim seems to feel entitled to due to his dad.
Maybe you still don't understand.
You don't deserve respect due to your parents, you deserve respect because of who you are and what you have done yourself.

Spoiler:

Slava wrote:








LA Times

You two air heads have no clue what you are talking about.

Yes I do understand, Magic's criticism of the Lakers has been one big jumbled mess devoid of any logic. He was one of the first ones to predict great glory when we traded for Howard and Nash, then when it failed he was the first one to call it a substantial risk and short term move. I respect the man for his basketball skills but he has the worst case of diarrhea of the mouth.

Jimmy is telling him to support the franchise through the thin times like he did when he was supporting us during the championship runs after all the Lakers gave him and there is nothing wrong about that.