What do my fellow Laker fans think *Jim Buss*

[Kirito]

ill just copy and paste from the trade forums about if Jim Buss would put his own meaning office title over the Lakers

Ok lets set the record straight here. He has been real bad with HC Hires. That has been his biggest weakness. Mike No D. Well rumor has it that his father wanted a show time Lakers style that was as close as he was going to get if true then for Jerry i could live with that. The other 2 hires was nightmares.
We are as bad as we are because of him true. Yet what people always over look is we are this bad because
A CP3 Veto
he traded for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in 1 off season.
If your telling me your team would of not made those same trades he did then i call BS.
Kobe's Contract and that was on Jeanie
Now Proof he is putting the team first.
He puts all blame on himself.
He has gone with a youth movement there is a saying in sports Prospects get you fired.
He hired Luke Walton as HC meaning he is banking his last year on a Rookie HC. Would a person who's job in the line really do that with so many other candidates who have been to the play off's still on the market? We all know rookies are going to have growing pains.
Now he can prove me wrong and do the stupid stuff people keep telling Laker fans to do yet i dont see it.

[indilakeshow]

I think the question you're asking is, "Would Jim Buss sacrifice long term gains for potential short term (or short sighted) gains to save his job?" I think the fundamental misunderstanding among Laker fans is that this is a job for Jim Buss. He's doing this because 1) his dad wanted him to 2) he thinks he can do a good job. He doesn't need this job. He's a co-owner of the team. Why tank a team you have a stake in?

[gts1]

The answer has already been demonstrated... he's put the long term interest of the franchise before his self imposed deadline... they could have gone out and tried to build a team of veterans along with Kobe that would get the team into the playoffs but they didn't... they played out a course and have stuck to it... the time to change direction has come and gone

[Lakerglory1]

The answer has already been demonstrated... he's put the long term interest of the franchise before his self imposed deadline... they could have gone out and tried to build a team of veterans along with Kobe that would get the team into the playoffs but they didn't... they played out a course and have stuck to it... the time to change direction has come and gone

This!

[Pointgod]

He's completely clueless about how to operate in the new NBA and he needs to step down from the Lakers. He seems to be under the same delusions as fans that superstars are going to pine for the Lakers regardless of how good of a team we are.

[gts1]

He's completely clueless about how to operate in the new NBA and he needs to step down from the Lakers. He seems to be under the same delusions as fans that superstars are going to pine for the Lakers regardless of how good of a team we are.

you say this while completely ignoring the path the team has set for it's future...

You do realize it's possible to actually build through the draft AND still go after big named free agents at the same time don't you? It's not just one or the other, infact the Lakers FO wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't go after big named free agents...

[Marionettetc]

He hired Luke Walton as HC meaning he is banking his last year on a Rookie HC. Would a person who's job in the line really do that with so many other candidates who have been to the play off's still on the market?

Of course he wouldn't and this quote perfectly illustrates why he wouldn't.

He may be somewhat naive and a bit of a dumbass, but I don't buy the "utterly incompetent" narrative some have been pushing.

I said it after our first lottery year. He was in way over his head, and more importantly - it's hubris to believe that the Lakers can just snap their fingers and assemble a championship team and be in the finals every year. We bottomed out with injured Kobe taking up 30% of the cap and almost a decade of trading away picks for space/free agents. When you're competing in the playoffs every year, those are smart moves. Eventually the franchise was bound to bottom out.

The last CBA didn't do any favors to large markets either.

So I think that's more of the reason why the Lakers sucked for three years.

[Pointgod]

He's completely clueless about how to operate in the new NBA and he needs to step down from the Lakers. He seems to be under the same delusions as fans that superstars are going to pine for the Lakers regardless of how good of a team we are.

you say this while completely ignoring the path the team has set for it's future...

You do realize it's possible to actually build through the draft AND still go after big named free agents at the same time don't you? It's not just one or the other, infact the Lakers FO wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't go after big named free agents...

76ers, Magic, Twolves, Suns all have the same future as we do. We're not in a unique situation. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over again and expecting different results. We haven't managed to sign a super star free agent the past 3 years so what makes you think we'll sign one this season? For a superstar to sign with us they'd have to go against their own self interests. Focusing on only signing superstar free agents isn't seeing the forest through the trees. Look to the Celtics for a good example of a team that's put themselves in a position to build a contender through free agency, the draft or through trade. Oh and they're already a playoff team.

[AcecardZ]

He's completely clueless about how to operate in the new NBA and he needs to step down from the Lakers. He seems to be under the same delusions as fans that superstars are going to pine for the Lakers regardless of how good of a team we are.

you say this while completely ignoring the path the team has set for it's future...

You do realize it's possible to actually build through the draft AND still go after big named free agents at the same time don't you? It's not just one or the other, infact the Lakers FO wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't go after big named free agents...

76ers, Magic, Twolves, Suns all have the same future as we do. We're not in a unique situation. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over again and expecting different results. We haven't managed to sign a super star free agent the past 3 years so what makes you think we'll sign one this season? For a superstar to sign with us they'd have to go against their own self interests. Focusing on only signing superstar free agents isn't seeing the forest through the trees. Look to the Celtics for a good example of a team that's put themselves in a position to build a contender through free agency, the draft or through trade. Oh and they're already a playoff team.

You want to fault the Lakers for not being able to sign big name FA's with Kobe's Goliath contract taking up all the cap space. The Lakers are still one of the league's premier teams, no we're not the Suns or Celtics or even the Timbereolves, and given a little time will be able to re-establish themselves and attract the players fans are used to seeing out on the court.

Your plan of just spending money for the sake of spending would be the exact type of behavior that would make me want to fire my GM! Don't be so impatient. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[gts1]

He's completely clueless about how to operate in the new NBA and he needs to step down from the Lakers. He seems to be under the same delusions as fans that superstars are going to pine for the Lakers regardless of how good of a team we are.

you say this while completely ignoring the path the team has set for it's future...

You do realize it's possible to actually build through the draft AND still go after big named free agents at the same time don't you? It's not just one or the other, infact the Lakers FO wouldn't be doing their jobs if they didn't go after big named free agents...

76ers, Magic, Twolves, Suns all have the same future as we do. We're not in a unique situation. The definition of insanity is doing the same things over again and expecting different results. We haven't managed to sign a super star free agent the past 3 years so what makes you think we'll sign one this season? For a superstar to sign with us they'd have to go against their own self interests. Focusing on only signing superstar free agents isn't seeing the forest through the trees. Look to the Celtics for a good example of a team that's put themselves in a position to build a contender through free agency, the draft or through trade. Oh and they're already a playoff team.

Still completely missing the point.. Nobody says only focus on superstar free agents including the Lakers FO, but you have to go after them first if you want to even have a seat at the table, those guys are not going to wait!

You seem to be under some myopic illusion that there is only one path the lakers can take, you're wrong they can do all those things you mention and more..

WHY? because the FO wasn't stupid and didn't take on bad contracts through trades, trades that would require giving up draft pics and they didn't sign free agents that amount to nothing more than role players to middling contracts that only handicap your financial future and do nothing for you in the short run.

This is the first year they can start making moves, this year and next year's off-season's are the one they have been targeting/planning for. We have huge cap space, the most in the league and we have more next year. we have open roster spots to fill, zero long term bad contracts to work around and a top draft pic coming in to complement our already promising youth movement. Don't know what else you want from them, they are set up about as perfectly as they can be for a team that's clearly in rebuild mode...

[Pointgod]

[

You want to fault the Lakers for not being able to sign big name FA's with Kobe's Goliath contract taking up all the cap space. The Lakers are still one of the league's premier teams, no we're not the Suns or Celtics or even the Timbereolves, and given a little time will be able to re-establish themselves and attract the players fans are used to seeing out on the court.

Your plan of just spending money for the sake of spending would be the exact type of behavior that would make me want to fire my GM! Don't be so impatient. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Well who's bright idea was it to sign Kobe to that massive contract when he was coming off an achilles injury. You can't use Kobe's contract as a convenient excuse when it was the same management that offered him that contract. I don't see any evidence that the Lakers are a premier destination considering that we've struck out on free agents that past 3 off seasons. I'm not talking about signing free agents just for the hell of it, but making smart trades, signings and utilizing our cap space to acquire assets. Jim Buss gave himself 3-4 years to become a contender, 2 years out and we aren't even close to being a playoff team.

Still completely missing the point.. Nobody says only focus on superstar free agents including the Lakers FO, but you have to go after them first if you want to even have a seat at the table, those guys are not going to wait!

You seem to be under some myopic illusion that there is only one path the lakers can take, you're wrong they can do all those things you mention and more..

WHY? because the FO wasn't stupid and didn't take on bad contracts through trades, trades that would require giving up draft pics and they didn't sign free agents that amount to nothing more than role players to middling contracts that only handicap your financial future and do nothing for you in the short run.

This is the first year they can start making moves, this year and next year's off-season's are the one they have been targeting/planning for. We have huge cap space, the most in the league and we have more next year. we have open roster spots to fill, zero long term bad contracts to work around and a top draft pic coming in to complement our already promising youth movement. Don't know what else you want from them, they are set up about as perfectly as they can be for a team that's clearly in rebuild mode...

Focusing on a superstar when our team has nothing to offer them is delusion at its finest. By focusing on the superstar you miss out on a player that might not have the splashy name but could be an integral piece moving forward. Signing Nick Young and Lou Williams to long term contracts aren't a smart moves. Resigning Jordan Hill wasn't a smart move. You seem to be under the impression that Lakers can't make a trade or free agent signing that could benefit them both in the short and long term. Jim Buss gave himself 3-4 years to become a contender and I'm just holding him to his word. He has two more years to reach his goal. I'm going to flat out say that it's not going to even be close and the reason will 100% be poor planning on management's part. Yes we have cap space and youngsters with potential but at the end of the day we are a lottery team. You're not going to sell any superstar with that. We also owe two teams draft picks over the next 4 years and we won't keep them unless we tank which just restarts the cycle. What I expected from management was to put themselves in a position as playoff/borderline playoff team with assets and future draft picks to make a trade for an impact player and sign at least one max player.

[AcecardZ]

PointGod...

The Lakers are in an awesome spot right now and you want to ruin it by signing DeRozan and Harrison Barnes to max contracts.

When I say the Lakers are in an awesome spot I don't mean they are going to be in position this year to contend for a championship. What I do mean is the Lakers are in a great position to set the foundation for a team that will be able to contend for the championship a few years down the road.

Randle and Russell Will both be fine but they are both young and need more playing time. Don't forget Randle missed his whole first season with an injury.

You can complain about Kobe's contract if you want but that guy has earned every penny the Lakers have ever paid him and even if his contract was cut in half it would not have given the Lakers the necessary flexibility to add the talent needed to be a playoff team.

You seem mystified and upset at the Lakers for not putting a playoff team on the court but the Lakers don't try to build playoff teams. The Lakers try to build teams capable of winning championships and that doesn't happen by signing free agents like Harrison Barnes or Demar DeRozan.

The difference between a 12 seed in the Western Conference and a championship contender is two superstars. If the Lakers cannot land those two superstars this summer they have to save their money and hope to get them next summer. In the meantime we will be able to watch Russel and Randle and Brandon Ingram develop and mature hopefully into legitimate NBA stars and that's not such a bad thing.

[Dr Aki]

sheeeeeett, we got us real entitled fans out there

this ain't a video game, we can't snap our fingers and become championship material

hell, even the kobe/shaq lakers took 4 years to become champions

[AcecardZ]

sheeeeeett, we got us real entitled fans out there

this ain't a video game, we can't snap our fingers and become championship material

hell, even the kobe/shaq lakers took 4 years to become champions

The West was tough back then. It took Kobe getting near his prime to put the team over the top.

We might not be able to snap our fingers and make a champion but I don't want to snap our fingers and make a perennial 8 seed either, Short of signing LeBron and KD this is going to take a little time. There's no real hurry as long as the team continues to make progress and they are. Kobe is gone and we have a good draft pick. It's been a great year so far!

[Dr Aki]

sheeeeeett, we got us real entitled fans out there

this ain't a video game, we can't snap our fingers and become championship material

hell, even the kobe/shaq lakers took 4 years to become champions

The West was tough back then. It took Kobe getting near his prime to put the team over the top.

We might not be able to snap our fingers and make a champion but I don't want to snap our fingers and make a perennial 8 seed either, Short of signing LeBron and KD this is going to take a little time. There's no real hurry as long as the team continues to make progress and they are. Kobe is gone and we have a good draft pick. It's been a great year so far!

lol, we were perennial 8th seeds until we landed gasol through a trade

baby steps is all i'm saying

[Lakers_Forever]

For those who have never seen a company change hands, there's a few things you need to understand. The new ownership is not leaving or going away. The father left the children the company and a legacy to build on. Even if they hire new managers, vice-presidents and etc - the ownership will still remain. Eventually the new ownership will figure it out and make the Lakers great again, but it took the Lakers ten years from Magic Johnson's retirement to Shaq's title, so there is no reason to think that could be the case again and in fact it already has been six years and the Lakers are at least two or three years of being play off bound short of a huge signing and a miracle this summer so you might as well chill and watch the new Lakers have fun

[Indy2LA]

Nepotism in sports never works. Why can't Jim and Jeanie just let Mitch do his job?

I don't care if it's Mitch Kupchak or Phil Jackson but it needs to be ONE guy in charge of the basketball decisions.

[LakersLegacy]

I do not trust Jim Buss.

He is the reason why we don't have a pick next year or in 2019. I think all the hate for Jim Buss has kept him in check for a while.

I fear "Jim is coming" like GOT "winter is coming".

[Dr Aki]

I do not trust Jim Buss.

He is the reason why we don't have a pick next year or in 2019. I think all the hate for Jim Buss has kept him in check for a while.

I fear "Jim is coming" like GOT "winter is coming".

we do have a pick, it's top 3 protected

i don't think we're currently built (things can change in free agency) to be better than 3-4 other teams

[danfantastk32]

lol, we were perennial 8th seeds until we landed gasol through a trade

baby steps is all i'm saying

That's not entirely accurate. One thing I will always love about Fisher, is the guy worked with Kobe. He was the great buffer between Kobe's wrath, and the other teammates. Point is, that 2007-2008 season was one of the best I ever watched. We resigned Fisher, and we came out the gates like gang-busters. If you look back, that was the season there were 10 teams in the West with 50+ wins. And for the record, we were in first place, until Bynum went down....about 2-3 games before we signed Gasol. I think we were 2nd by the time Gasol actually got here. Love Gasol....Im not saying anything bad about him. But we were clicking big-time before Gasol got there. Bynum was a beast until that injury. So sad.


In regards to Jim: At some point you have to take the lions share of the blame (or praise) if your in charge. Multiple seasons of no free agents. Multiple seasons of going down down down....further into "worst season ever" territory. Multiple bad coach hires. Multiple times our good players left and we got nothing for them. Look at what we gave for a 37-year old Nash....and we couldnt even get a single first-rounder for Gasol? On the business end, its multiple years of lower, and lower viewership. At some point, it no longer matters who's to blame for "that over there", and "that hire".......the place is a bloody disaster, and you go 'who's in charge here???!!

The fact that the NBA rewards you for totally blowing it, and the fact that (let's be honest....we REALLY got lucky to be top-5 two straight years and keep our pick) we managed to get some nice picks doesn't free Jim from blame. The Nash deal proves this absolutely wasn't his "plan" ....and we just got forced into that route due to his inability to sign anyone good, and field an even semi-decent team. If some guy takes his pay check and spends it all on lottery tickets, and get really damn lucky and wins a decent chunk of change....that doesn't suddenly make the idea a good one. And it certainly doesn't make the guy smart. He just got damn lucky.

This team needed Nash not able to play, Kobe getting hurt yet again, AND Randle breaking his leg in game one to be bad enough to get that spot for Russel. And even with all that, we were still super lucky to get that spot, and keep our pick. I mean....if that whole thing was "the plan" then this guy is completely off his rocker. That's just lunacy.

Jim better start pulling off some miracles. He needs some names...he needs some guys who can come in and make an immediate impact. And he needs to start making something recognizable here. Or else I hope he steps down. Cause I don't buy for one second that any of this has been a plan.