RealGM

I mean, we are getting there right? Offering below market value contracts to coaches, taking short cuts in developmental, fitness and basketball operations, being cheap over retaining talent, giving jobs to confidants and yes men instead of qualified operators. Sadly the Clippers on the other hand seem to have an owner very much in the mold of Jerry Buss, who sees possibilities with constructing a new arena, investing heavily in decision makers and surrounding himself with people who offer sound and solid advice.

The Laker's owners are trust fund kids who couldn't amass a fortune themselves.... they need to cling to the one they have. In Clipper land the owner has more money than god and can spend what is needed.

It's simple human nature and math.

They desperately need a visionary personnel guy like Jerry West. Despite the rings, they haven't been themselves since he left.

The only thing that is separating the post-Kobe Lakers to the Sterling era Clippers is LeBron's decision to come. If LeBron didn't want to come to the Lakers like every other major free agent did in the last...10 years or so, we wouldn't have the one ring and two playoff appearances that we have to show for during that time period. Hell, even with LeBron, who has played at top 5 level in the last four years, we missed the playoffs TWICE!

In pro sports, if you want to be successful, you have to either be super rich or super smart, or both. We are neither at this point. Sure, the Lakers brand generates a lot of revenue but the Buss kids don't have their own money so they have to pinch every penny they can find to maintain their margin. Meanwhile, they hire every idiotic friend of theirs to important positions because of "trust". This culture now permeates in every area of the team. LeBron and Klutch are emboldened to ask the team to sign their friends because "that's what Jeanie does".

Once LeBron finally leaves, whether it be retirement or free agency (we don't have the balls to trade him, so that's not happening), we are going back to the stone age again. And this time, there probably isn't another LeBron somewhere in the NBA universe who wants to come to save our franchise. If the Buss kids still want to keep the team, we better hope we get lucky in the draft and get our star there.

No... Sterling never wanted to win a championship... I think we did, we just failed miserably...
Sterling's teams were always about being just good enough to be profitable as the second fiddle to the Lakers... He never really seemed to want to try to compete with the Lakers...

We basically had 2 disaster seasons... The first was due to AD's complacence after winning his first ring, and a couple bad moves... the second was pure arrogance and disrespect for the game... You can spread that around between LeBron, Klutch, Pelinka, Jeannie, AD, Westbrook, to varying degrees...
Sterling did that every season... the second he found himself with a half way decent roster, he found a way to screw it up... For decades...
So for one season, we look a little like the collective average of the Sterling Clippers... But it isn't quite that bad...

That said, unless we get some smarter people in the FO, there's little hope next season will be any better, and if we do this again, it may even be worse than Sterling... Because he was incompetent on purpose... We'd just be inept...

We were so spoiled with Kobe wasn't even funny, still wish the cp3 trade had went through - things would be so different and we probably wouldn't even have Lebron today - something I'm waiting for is retirement from him or another team

Landsberger wrote:The Laker's owners are trust fund kids who couldn't amass a fortune themselves.... they need to cling to the one they have. In Clipper land the owner has more money than god and can spend what is needed.

It's simple human nature and math.

I've been reading rumors about the Guggenheim Group who owns the Dodgers and about 27% of the Lakers are interested in buying the shares of the Buss family.
I really want to know what is their price? For them to walk away or maybe still own 5-10% of the team so this team can have the wherewithal to really compete with other owners.

Kilroy wrote:No... Sterling never wanted to win a championship... I think we did, we just failed miserably...
Sterling's teams were always about being just good enough to be profitable as the second fiddle to the Lakers... He never really seemed to want to try to compete with the Lakers...

We basically had 2 disaster seasons... The first was due to AD's complacence after winning his first ring, and a couple bad moves... the second was pure arrogance and disrespect for the game... You can spread that around between LeBron, Klutch, Pelinka, Jeannie, AD, Westbrook, to varying degrees...
Sterling did that every season... the second he found himself with a half way decent roster, he found a way to screw it up... For decades...
So for one season, we look a little like the collective average of the Sterling Clippers... But it isn't quite that bad...

I think this 100 percent, except I'd change the last sentence. I don't think it's nearly that bad. I mean f*** come on guys....the Clippers were a complete dumpster (minus the "fire" cause that woulda been exciting at least) for 30 some years. The guy had no interest in doing anything with the Clippers except selling tickets to road fans.

Yeah....this Westbrook thing was a disaster. You can look to AD as being a risk that doesn't look so smart now. But jeez folks...the title was just 18-19 months ago! Nobody was calling Jeanie or the FO cheap...."trust fund kids" incompetent. Nothing.

Look, this was a big swing for the fences. 3 stars....like 6 HoFers on the team. Had it worked out, this woulda been an epic season. But it all went wrong...and yes some of it predictable. The league is ran by alot of players...especially Lebron. I mean Ballz got himself a short list of players Kawhi wanted to play with, and spent the farm in youth to get PG. And they have both missed a ton more than our stars, and have yet to do much of anything. Our plan brought a title already. So how is this this doom and gloom of incompetence?

Sorry guys. I respect we all have our takes, but I don't think we're even in the same zip-code as that trash heap called the clippers (I guess technically we are, but you get the idea). And god....if I have to hear one more time about how we shoulda spent on Caruso. Liked the guy, he was decent, and he played well with Lebron....but there was no room for him if Westbrook had been a shadow of the plan. The Lakers are 4th in spending this season....so let's can the "cheap" talk. The Lakers have always spent, and yet have always been a little cheap on the back end. I remember them letting staff go during the lockout. This Laker team may not be 100% what it was under Jerry, and perhaps a little of the 'historical luster' has lost it's charm in today's NBA....but ok. It is what it is. The team is still signing top stars, still winning titles, and walked into this season the favorite to win it all.

We have alot of work to do. Trust me, I know this aint all peaches and cream. But we're nothing like Sterlings clippers. Not close

tamaraw08 wrote:

Landsberger wrote:The Laker's owners are trust fund kids who couldn't amass a fortune themselves.... they need to cling to the one they have. In Clipper land the owner has more money than god and can spend what is needed.

It's simple human nature and math.

I've been reading rumors about the Guggenheim Group who owns the Dodgers and about 27% of the Lakers are interested in buying the shares of the Buss family.
I really want to know what is their price? For them to walk away or maybe still own 5-10% of the team so this team can have the wherewithal to really compete with other owners.

Boehly already sits on the board of directors for the Lakers, I thought one of the reasons Jeannie brought Magic on as president of basketball ops was to give them a voice in the franchise operations.

Landsberger wrote:The Laker's owners are trust fund kids who couldn't amass a fortune themselves.... they need to cling to the one they have. In Clipper land the owner has more money than god and can spend what is needed.

It's simple human nature and math.

And what's that getting them? We got a title with the team we built. What have the Clippers done? They are sitting at home missing the playoffs, with both their stars (who they sold the farm for as well) missing a hell of alot more than our stars missed. The idea that they got it going on over there is a joke. They've still yet to do anything. We just hoisted #17.

#17

No, it is worse for the Lakers.
Clippers NEVER had stars the calibre of James or Westbrook or Davis.
That is what is amazing to me is that a team with THREE superstars flamed out so badly.
I think spending the dough on Westbrook, everybody except Westbrook would admit was a colossal mistake.
Did it bother Laker world to hear Lebron flirting with Stephen Curry about ten days ago?

Sorry, am a Clipper fan, former laker fan, frankly I hate them now, but this topic was interesting.

I think truly the team needs to be completely blown up. take 2-3 years to completely rebuild the roster. I don't think a headliner coach (Rivers?) is going to take this roster anywhere.

While the Laker brand still carries "cache value," and the local television contract allows for Jeanie some financial maneuverability, the current Laker ownership family/group cannot compete moving forward. Along with not having the financial resources to invest in infrastructure (including arena and land development), the team is now on the path of becoming the West Coast version of the Knicks where it rests on its past laurels without being able to compete today.

The league wants to expand into Vegas as well as diversify its ownership group; I would not be surprised if post playing career, LeBron and his group (Klutch, CAA, etc.) will put together a powerful consortium to purchase the Lakers move the franchise to a new arena on the Vegas strip and completely revamp the Laker brand.

Angelenos may, at first, balk at such a move. However, as Jeanie, Rob, and Team Rambis continue to struggle, the next generation of Southern California basketball fans will naturally be drawn to the Clipper brand with its wealthy owner, stable franchise, new arena, and a continuous-and-ongoing PR and marketing blitz.

sonnyhill wrote:While the Laker brand still carries "cache value," and the local television contract allows for Jeanie some financial maneuverability, the current Laker ownership family/group cannot compete moving forward. Along with not having the financial resources to invest in infrastructure (including arena and land development), the team is now on the path of becoming the West Coast version of the Knicks where it rests on its past laurels without being able to compete today.

The league wants to expand into Vegas as well as diversify its ownership group; I would not be surprised if post playing career, LeBron and his group (Klutch, CAA, etc.) will put together a powerful consortium to purchase the Lakers move the franchise to a new arena on the Vegas strip and completely revamp the Laker brand.

Angelenos may, at first, balk at such a move. However, as Jeanie, Rob, and Team Rambis continue to struggle, the next generation of Southern California basketball fans will naturally be drawn to the Clipper brand with its wealthy owner, stable franchise, new arena, and a continuous-and-ongoing PR and marketing blitz.

Ha....give me a break. Your having a laugh.

This whole "living in the past" thing was started by Clipper fans about 10-ish years ago when they had "Lob City" and the Lakers were down. Well.....Clippers got their rich owner, and the Lakers got #17. I guess we're supposed to forget about that and "stop living in the past".......starting now?

Clippers need to go get a past. Then maybe someone will talk about them. How's their star going? He ever gonna set foot on the court again? There's no way in hell the Lakers are leaving LA. The Cowboys aren't leaving Dallas. The Yankees aren't leaving NY, and the Lakers aren't leaving LA.

Honestly man, anyone who thinks the Lakers are in danger of being usurped the the Clippers clearly doesn't live in LA. Nobody gives a crap about the Clippers here. PG got his ass booed nice and loud at a Dodger game. Just like CP3 did several years back. This is Laker country. Seriously.....give it a rest. You might argue that the Dodgers are more loved than the Lakers (I think you'd be wrong, but it's certainly in the realm of possibility) but otherwise, there's nothing even close. The Clippers are an annoyance here in LA (well, their fans are) and little else. Ballz can go build his shiny building way off down by LAX, and enjoy himself. Lakers are just fine in downtown.

danfantastk32 wrote:

sonnyhill wrote:While the Laker brand still carries "cache value," and the local television contract allows for Jeanie some financial maneuverability, the current Laker ownership family/group cannot compete moving forward. Along with not having the financial resources to invest in infrastructure (including arena and land development), the team is now on the path of becoming the West Coast version of the Knicks where it rests on its past laurels without being able to compete today.

The league wants to expand into Vegas as well as diversify its ownership group; I would not be surprised if post playing career, LeBron and his group (Klutch, CAA, etc.) will put together a powerful consortium to purchase the Lakers move the franchise to a new arena on the Vegas strip and completely revamp the Laker brand.

Angelenos may, at first, balk at such a move. However, as Jeanie, Rob, and Team Rambis continue to struggle, the next generation of Southern California basketball fans will naturally be drawn to the Clipper brand with its wealthy owner, stable franchise, new arena, and a continuous-and-ongoing PR and marketing blitz.

Ha....give me a break. Your having a laugh.

This whole "living in the past" thing was started by Clipper fans about 10-ish years ago when they had "Lob City" and the Lakers were down. Well.....Clippers got their rich owner, and the Lakers got #17. I guess we're supposed to forget about that and "stop living in the past".......starting now?

Clippers need to go get a past. Then maybe someone will talk about them. How's their star going? He ever gonna set foot on the court again? There's no way in hell the Lakers are leaving LA. The Cowboys aren't leaving Dallas. The Yankees aren't leaving NY, and the Lakers aren't leaving LA.

Honestly man, anyone who thinks the Lakers are in danger of being usurped the the Clippers clearly doesn't live in LA. Nobody gives a crap about the Clippers here. PG got his ass booed nice and loud at a Dodger game. Just like CP3 did several years back. This is Laker country. Seriously.....give it a rest. You might argue that the Dodgers are more loved than the Lakers (I think you'd be wrong, but it's certainly in the realm of possibility) but otherwise, there's nothing even close. The Clippers are an annoyance here in LA (well, their fans are) and little else. Ballz can go build his shiny building way off down by LAX, and enjoy himself. Lakers are just fine in downtown.

So, you believe that the Lakers are in a good position to compete as a franchise in today's NBA? Smart and well-run franchises own property (an asset which only rises in value in California), its venue, and its training facilities. Does Jeanie even have the vision and financial understanding of this model? Look at what Mark Davis has been able to do with increasing the valuation of the Raiders by building his own venue, moving the franchise to Vegas, and revamping the Raider brand. Does Jeanie have the acumen to do anything similar?

Does Jeanie have the financial acumen to OK treasure and to put the team into a place where it will pay luxury tax?

Even with a nationally-strong Laker brand, a Balmer-owned Clipper franchise will win in the competition for the hearts and minds of the next generation of local Angeleno basketball fans. Better Clipper branding, better Clipper facilities, a better fan experience, and better on-the-court Clipper teams are external threats which Jeanie and the Rambus couple are ill-equipped, or maybe even too arrogant to even acknowledge or confront.

Even signing Kobe to his last contract reeked of Laker ineptitude and desperation. How well has the team fared on the court from the time of Kobe signing his last contract to now? The bubble championship was a result of "two-year-younger" LeBron and AD willing that team to play cohesively and to implement Vogel's defensive principles.

This past season, not only exposed the fissures in the organization, but has also hamstrung the franchise with Westbrook's bad contract and the perception in the coaching marketplace that the Lakers are a toxic mess.

Perhaps running it back again with the core three (LeBron, AD, and Westbrook), signing an aging LeBron to an extension, and allowing the the franchise to have another disappointing year is the short-term plan with a longer-term goal of eventually transitioning into a "more entertaining" team (less ESPN; more Access Hollywood/more reality TV) and "less about competing for--and-winning championships" team. Going all-in with LeBron also pretty much ensures that Bronny will be part of the future new look of the franchise, too. Are fans going to be OK with becoming a "soap opera novelty" instead of a competitor for championships?

I do believe that hardcore Laker fans are about supporting a winning franchise which plays hard and gives its fans an entertaining brand of basketball. It is shameful that the franchise has now become ossified into an irrelevant talking point for nationally syndicated sports talk shows.

Yeah man, of course the Lakers can compete in today's NBA. They just won a freakin title. Have the clippers? Who's gotta prove what? And as for spending: the Lakers were in 4th....like 3 million behind the clippers....who get to watch the playoffs from home as well, it should be noted. So $$$ isn't everything.

The Dodgers were down for quite a while. What was it??? 30 years between WS win? Lakers have had like 6-7 titles in that time. And even with that....Dodger fans didn't go nowhere. You talk about all these things the clippers are doing better....where? Who's won a title recently? Not the Clippers. So much for that. His stupid arena down by LAX is a big whatever. Who cares if he owns it, and the Lakers don't own theirs....Your talking about the #1 brand in LA for the last 40 years. It doesn't just go up in smoke.

The Knicks haven't won squat in 50+ years. The Celtics have 1 title in the last 30. Go talk to them about the sky is falling. There's not a chance in hell the Lakers will leave for Vegas. And the stupid clippers can try and change all the "young hearts and minds" they want. It won't work. THIS IS LAKER COUNTRY.

clippers need to wise up, and get out of our shadow. Go to Seattle, or goto Vegas. Nobody in LA wants you.

danfantastk32 wrote:Yeah man, of course the Lakers can compete in today's NBA. They just won a freakin title. Have the clippers? Who's gotta prove what? And as for spending: the Lakers were in 4th....like 3 million behind the clippers....who get to watch the playoffs from home as well, it should be noted. So $$$ isn't everything.

The Dodgers were down for quite a while. What was it??? 30 years between WS win? Lakers have had like 6-7 titles in that time. And even with that....Dodger fans didn't go nowhere. You talk about all these things the clippers are doing better....where? Who's won a title recently? Not the Clippers. So much for that. His stupid arena down by LAX is a big whatever. Who cares if he owns it, and the Lakers don't own theirs....Your talking about the #1 brand in LA for the last 40 years. It doesn't just go up in smoke.

The Knicks haven't won squat in 50+ years. The Celtics have 1 title in the last 30. Go talk to them about the sky is falling. There's not a chance in hell the Lakers will leave for Vegas. And the stupid clippers can try and change all the "young hearts and minds" they want. It won't work. THIS IS LAKER COUNTRY.

clippers need to wise up, and get out of our shadow. Go to Seattle, or goto Vegas. Nobody in LA wants you.

If there was ever an objective piece written about the modern economics of today's NBA, it is here, from CNBC:
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/23/nbas-golden-state-warriors-plan-to-be-more-than-a-basketball-team.html

Not about Balmer and the Clippers, but about Lacob-Guber and the Warriors.

After reading this CNBC article, you still feel confident that Jeanie and her sewing club can successfully compete in today's NBA?

What Lacob and Guber are doing with the Warriors is the template from which Balmer has borrowed from and is doing with the Clippers.

Laker Nation, what makes this very real and very frightening threat even more ominous is that Jeanie and her sewing group, combined with her "mom-and-pop/'Dave-and-Busters'" mindset and not having access to the necessary capital in order to successfully compete, may also be lacking both the intellectual bandwidth and financial sophistication to even understand the economics of today's NBA.

Having LeBron and Klutch purchase the Lakers from Jeanie and her trust fund siblings, revamp the brand, and move the franchise to a tax free state and into the City of Las Vegas, where no other competing NBA franchise is within its city limits, may be the best course of action in order for the Laker franchise to have a chance to compete in today's modern NBA.


How the Golden State Warriors plan to become more than a basketball team
Jabari Young

KEY POINTS
After two years of pandemic challenges, the Golden State Warriors have resumed a plan to become the most valuable sports franchise in the world.
The Warriors are valued at more than $5 billion, up from a $3.5 billion value before the pandemic, and projected to eclipse $700 million in revenue this year, according to people familiar with the team’s financials.
The club has a plan for driving growth that includes new and innovative cash streams.
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors drives to the basket during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 14,

The Golden State Warriors are getting back to business.

After two years of pandemic challenges, the NBA franchise has resumed its plan to become the most valuable sports franchise in the world. The Warriors are valued at more than $5 billion, up from a $3.5 billion value before the pandemic, and projected to eclipse $700 million in revenue this year, according to people familiar with the team’s financials.

The club has a plan for driving growth that includes a new cash stream in the recently launched Golden State Entertainment division. The venture follows similar efforts in rolling out an in-house ticket exchange, a partnership with a cryptocurrency company, and leveraging the blockchain sector to cash in on NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.

All just two years after the Warriors moved into the $1.4 billion Chase Center in San Francisco, where the team monetizes surrounding real estate and maintains a tenant and equity partner in Uber.

The team’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider, says the projects are key to becoming a force off the basketball court like it is on.

“Disney started as a theme park,” Schneider told CNBC. “The Warriors started as a basketball team. Look at what Disney has become, and look at what the Warriors are becoming.”

Schneider spoke to CNBC on April 14, a day removed from his first anniversary of being announced Warriors president. He took over the position from longtime executive Rick Welts who retired last year.

He said the Warriors goal is to transform into “global leaders in experiences and entertainment.” And he added the organization would “leverage the strength of the brand” and innovate around technology “because we’re in the Bay Area, the technology epicenter of the world.”

Taking on the Knicks
If the Warriors’ strategy pans out, it could position the team to surpass the New York Knicks as the most valuable NBA franchise.

The Knicks are valued at $5.8 billion and ranked third on Forbes’ most valuable sports team list behind the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, worth $6.5 billion, and MLB’s New York Yankees, worth $6 billion. The Warriors rank sixth.

“With the trajectory that they are on, and the effort that they put into the franchise, that wouldn’t surprise me,” said sports valuation expert Bryce Erickson, a senior vice president at advisory firm Mercer Capital. “I certainly think it’s possible.”

Sports valuations are often inflated and largely hypothetical — barring formal and public sales. Pundits use multiples of revenue and add in operating income, adjusted for revenue sharing, and any other assets tied to the club that could include real estate to arrive at a number.

But lofty valuations aside, the Warriors are already edging out their competition: In 2021, the Warriors led the NBA in basketball-related revenue with $474 million in 2021, according to Forbes. Meanwhile, the Knicks’ revenue dropped to $421 million from $472 million, likely the result of pandemic-related losses.

Add in revenue from other events at Chase Center and the Warrior’s other nascent revenue streams, and the team’s revenue stacks up much higher.

Andrew Lustgarten, president and chief executive of Madison Square Garden Sports – the holding company behind the Knicks – said the company is eyeing sports gambling as an opportunity to drive revenue.

The team struck deals with Caesars and MGM after New York cleared sports gambling. California has yet to legalize the practice.

“MSG Sports has numerous growth opportunities across its businesses and brands,” Lustgarten said in a statement to CNBC. “The Knicks portfolio has tremendous upside in a number of key areas, including ticketing, premium hospitality, our jersey patch sponsorship, expansion of sponsorships in international markets, and our new mobile sports betting and crypto partnerships.”

Erickson said “locational benefits and market size benefits” could help the Warriors take on the Knicks in revenue. He referenced the HBO series “Winning Time,” which chronicles the Los Angeles Lakers’ rise to prominence in the 1980s on the back of innovation.

“Things change,” Erickson said. “Prior to (Jerry Buss) buying the team, what were the Lakers? They were a struggling franchise in a struggling league. And their timing was impeccable. So, whose to say that more than 40 years later, the Warriors can’t have the same effect? There’s nothing there to say they couldn’t, particularly from an economic vantage point.”

Asked if the Warriors are aiming for the top valuation spot in sports, a humbled Schneider downplayed the mission.

“We think a lot bigger than that,” he said. “I understand why people focus on that and why it’s interesting, but (owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber) – they’re never going to sell the Warriors. So in terms of what a third-party wants to value our organization, that’s not our focus.”

‘Just scratching the surface’
The Warriors’ new GSE division is expected to create in-house content in a partnership with Mandalay Entertainment, a company founded by Guber. GSE will produce documentaries, release a new single featuring K-pop star BamBam, and explore music festivals.

But most importantly, GSE aligns the Warriors with future licensing revenue from streaming giants like Apple, which this year welcomed sports content onto its platform, and Netflix, which will need to get creative to solve a subscriber issue.

“We’ve been in the content business for many years,” said Schneider. The Warriors already help the NBA break TV viewership records. “We’re thinking a lot about direct-to-consumer.”

In February 2022 the Warriors launched SuiteXchange, a ticket exchange platform for luxury suites inside the Chase Center. It leverages blockchain technology and allows the team to capture data and transaction fees.

“We think Suite Exchange can become the Stub Hub or Ticketmaster of suites,” said Schneider. “This is just scratching the surface.”

Schneider said the Warriors are in discussions with other clubs to use the service but didn’t reveal the teams due to privacy concerns.

“This is just the beginning of the beginning,” said Schneider, referring to a motto used by the team’s owners. “That’s become a mantra for us.”

The team has also surpassed $2 million in NFT sales and, earlier this month, deepened its partnership with crypto platform FTX, which agreed to a $10 million global sponsorship deal with the club back in December.

FTX unveiled a collection that features 3,000 NFTs, one of which includes two tickets to every home playoff game. The NFTs sell for $499 each.

Schneider said as long as the Warriors get creative and include “the right experiences, the revenue comes.”

Investing in basketball
Under Welts’ 11-year tenure, the Warriors surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers as the second-most valuable team in the NBA.

Welts said at least some of that success is due to franchise star Stephen Curry, who has led the Warriors to three championships since 2015 and become the face of the NBA.

“When your best player is not only the athlete and talent that he is but also the person that he is, you’ve got a heck of a head start in trying to create something special,” Welts told CNBC in 2019.

Schneider has vowed the organization would protect and continue to enhance its main attraction – the basketball team.

The Warriors have the highest payroll in the NBA, spending more than $180 million on its 2021-22 roster as it seeks a fourth NBA title in the last eight years. The club welcomed back co-franchise star Klay Thompson this season. Draymond Green is still wreaking havoc. And it appears the Warriors have a rising star in Jordan Poole.

In 2021, the Warriors agreed to a four-year extension with Curry. The deal starts next season and pays the 34-year-old an average annual value, or AAV, of $53 million per season, according to Spotrac, a website that tracks sports contracts.

“We have a plan and want to be consistently good, want to invest,” said Schneider. “And we’re lucky to have the ownership group that’s willing to invest so much in what we do on the court and off the court. That’s critical and gives us a competitive advantage.”

And with Curry locked in, the team’s jersey patch media asset could be on the verge of breaking another NBA sponsorship record.

The Warriors’ deal with e-commerce company Rakuten expires in 2023 and reportedly pays the team roughly $20 million annually. It’s unclear what the Warriors are seeking for a renewal price but for comparison, the Brooklyn Nets landed a league-high $30 million-per-year deal for its patch in 2021 with online trading platform WeBull.

Asked where the Warriors want to be in 2030, Schneider said, “Winning championships, doing great things in the community and continue to grow our global fanbase.”

“When we were building Chase Center, we talked about transforming into a sports and entertainment company that happened to have a pretty good basketball team as the centerpiece,” he said.

Awww man....what's so complicated about this? Your long-ass book aside, when was the last time the Warriors won? Turns out the Lakers have won more recently! Can you PLEASE GET THAT THROUGH YOUR F*** HEAD?!! YES THEY CAN COMPETE IN TODAYS NBA BECAUSE THEY JUST F*** WON A TITLE!!! Goddamn dude...it's really simple.

The Warriors are a great team. Hope they win this year (I'd be cool with Miami as well). But what the hell do the Warriors have to do with the Lakers ability to compete? Hey, and let's not ignore this ugly little fact: You know the warriors only have 1 title without Durrant, right? You call the Lakers recent title a "summer camp trophy".....so what do you call that broken video game team from a few years ago? What do they call luck?? Where opportunity meets preparation? Looks like the Lakers got lucky. Well so did the Warriors. The Cavs went to 4 straight finals.....you think they're gonna go again in the next 25 years? Yeah....wonder why that happened. You think the Raptors weren't lucky? You heard them make so much as a squeak since their title?

The only Dallas title I can remember since I existed.....The freakin Detroit title in 2004. Boston building the OG "super team" in 2008. The Miami squad with Lebron/Wade/Bosh........what do you consider a legit title? Did anyone in 2009 think Miami was gonna goto 4 straight finals because Riley was really "building something" down there in Miami. Hell no. Lebron showed up. Luck.

Lakers will be just fine. Right when it looked like our darkest hour, we pulled some BS out, and won #17. Maybe you missed that. Too busy polishing clipper 'brass'.

Speaking of which....when was the last time they won, Mr "summer trophy"??? Who's gotta worry about competing?

danfantastk32 wrote:Awww man....what's so complicated about this? Your long-ass book aside, when was the last time the Warriors won? Turns out the Lakers have won more recently! Can you PLEASE GET THAT THROUGH YOUR F*** HEAD?!! YES THEY CAN COMPETE IN TODAYS NBA BECAUSE THEY JUST F*** WON A TITLE!!! Goddamn dude...it's really simple.

The Warriors are a great team. Hope they win this year (I'd be cool with Miami as well). But what the hell do the Warriors have to do with the Lakers ability to compete? Hey, and let's not ignore this ugly little fact: You know the warriors only have 1 title without Durrant, right? You call the Lakers recent title a "summer camp trophy".....so what do you call that broken video game team from a few years ago? What do they call luck?? Where opportunity meets preparation? Looks like the Lakers got lucky. Well so did the Warriors. The Cavs went to 4 straight finals.....you think they're gonna go again in the next 25 years? Yeah....wonder why that happened. You think the Raptors weren't lucky? You heard them make so much as a squeak since their title?

The only Dallas title I can remember since I existed.....The freakin Detroit title in 2004. Boston building the OG "super team" in 2008. The Miami squad with Lebron/Wade/Bosh........what do you consider a legit title? Did anyone in 2009 think Miami was gonna goto 4 straight finals because Riley was really "building something" down there in Miami. Hell no. Lebron showed up. Luck.

Lakers will be just fine. Right when it looked like our darkest hour, we pulled some BS out, and won #17. Maybe you missed that. Too busy polishing clipper 'brass'.

Speaking of which....when was the last time they won, Mr "summer trophy"??? Who's gotta worry about competing?

Feeling defensive?

Did we touch a sensitive area?

Spending the day at the beach cause you to pick up some sand which is now irritating your clitoris?

Living in the glory of nostalgia only clouds one's ability to analyze immediate and present day threats and will pretty much ensure that the team will be stuck in its daily drama and perpetual crisis-management mode.

So, you feel confident in Jeanie being able to weather the changing economics of today and tomorrow's NBA? From your perspective, what do see as her plan to keep the Laker brand relevant?

Slava's original thread posting ("I mean, we are getting there right? Offering below market value contracts to coaches, taking short cuts in developmental, fitness and basketball operations, being cheap over retaining talent, giving jobs to confidants and yes men instead of qualified operators. Sadly the Clippers on the other hand seem to have an owner very much in the mold of Jerry Buss, who sees possibilities with constructing a new arena, investing heavily in decision makers and surrounding himself with people who offer sound and solid advice.") started this discussion; and yet, you seem oblivious to the decay of the Laker franchise. Not making the playoffs with four future Hall of Famers on its roster (LeBron, Westbrook, AD, Anthony), complaining to the media about "having the 4th highest payroll," and not investing in and empowering a top-tier front office executive (like a Sam Presti) nor a head coach (Ty Lue should have been previously hired) should be a red flag and an indictment of current ownership.

sonnyhill wrote:
Feeling defensive? Did we touch a sensitive area?

Spending the day at the beach cause you to pick up some sand which is now irritating your clitoris?

Nice. There's that 3rd grade stuff again.

You call it nostalgia. I call it 35-38 good years of basketball. Feel lucky to have been a part of it. Looking forward to the next title. Glad I didn't spend that time rooting for the dump heap next door.

danfantastk32 wrote:

sonnyhill wrote:
Feeling defensive? Did we touch a sensitive area?

Spending the day at the beach cause you to pick up some sand which is now irritating your clitoris?

Nice. There's that 3rd grade stuff again.

You call it nostalgia. I call it 35-38 good years of basketball. Feel lucky to have been a part of it. Looking forward to the next title. Glad I didn't spend that time rooting for the dump heap next door.

The majority of Angelenos who are basketball fans do not have any affinity for the Clippers; the Clippers have either a poor or no legacy which no basketball can identify with. They are, however, making the required (READ: not optional) investments in order to change this calculus, which is required capture future supremacy of the Southern California basketball fan and casual sports fan marketplace.

The Lakers and the Celtics have had the most enduring and iconic brands throughout the whole NBA. No other franchise comes close.

The Celtic ownership group (Lacob also used to be a part owner of the Celtics) have made the necessary investments into its organization so that it can remain competitive; loyal and passionate Laker fans deserve the same from Jeanie and the Buss family ownership group (this is something that I believe you and I can agree upon).

Your statement about "35-38 good years of basketball" and feeling "lucky to have been a part of it" rings as being both prideful and nostalgic; yet, the objective Laker fan is now acknowledging that the previous-and-current "Laker-way" of doing things is antiquated and needs to be scrapped: hoping to sign a free agent superstar from another franchise or hoping that another team's superstar demands to be traded to the Lakers. Compare the Jeanie-led Laker modus operandi verses the contemporary ecosystem, which is embraced by the more state-of-the-art and successful franchises: identifying, drafting, trading for and developing talent.

As long as Jeanie and the Buss family own the Lakers, the team will never win another championship. This is not because they are bad people; but rather, it is because they do not have the financial acumen to generate enough revenue in order to invest at a proper level in players' contracts, organizational infrastructure (facilities; front office, coaching, medical, training, support staff) and in digital interactions with the global NBA fanbase.

I do believe that Dr. Jerry Buss, if he was alive today, he would recommend to Jeanie and the other Buss progeny that now would be the time to sell to a new ownership group who could revamp the Laker brand and do a reset in a new city like Las Vegas.