Jim "Short" Buss

[trojanfan12]

Well, basketball season is around the corner and with it, the annual Jim Buss bashing has begun. After spending some time thinking about it and looking some stuff up, I have come to the conclusion that, while he is certainly no Dr. Buss, he hasn't been as bad as most claim.

Looking at the stuff he has been getting bashed for:

Hiring Mike Brown: This was Dr. Buss, not Jim. When Phil left, the way the Lakers had been torched by the Mavericks in the playoffs, defense was considered the biggest problem. At the time, Mike Brown was considered a defensive expert. It didn't work.

The Dwightmare/Nash fail: This was also Dr. Buss. Jim is blamed for it, even though the problem was Dwight because Dr. Buss passed away during the season. Everyone, including Magic Johnson, had the Lakers penciled in for at least a finals appearance and they imploded instead, barely making the playoffs and being swept. Dwight showed everyone what he was all about when he fouled himself out in game 4. However, Jim is the one that everyone, including Magic, has blamed for it. Which brings me to....

Hiring Mike D'Antoni: This was, at the very least, signed off on by Dr. Buss, if not ordered by him. People lost their minds because there was a chance to bring back Phil. But, in typical Phil fashion, he wanted to turn it into a power play and the Lakers didn't want to play games. Additonally, it was no secret that Dr. Buss wanted a return to Showtime style basketball and D'Antoni's system was the closest thing to it. Again, Jim gets the blame because Dr. Buss passed away.

The current state of the Lakers: The Lakers are coming off of the worst back to back seasons in franchise history and since they are unlikely to make the playoffs this year, it will be the first time in franchise history that they will miss the playoffs for 3 years in a row. When the Dwightmare/Nash experiment imploded, what we are seeing was inevitable. The Lakers threw all of their eggs (and draft picks) into one basket. When the basket broke, the Lakers were faced with basically a total rebuild. Even if Dr. Buss were still alive, the Lakers are likely looking at a very similar situation to the one they currently face.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Jim is blameless and hasn't made mistakes. He owns at least part of Lamarcus Aldridge being less than impressed with the Lakers initial presentation to him. He's also to blame for gutting the training staff (which was likely at least part of the reason for the slew of injuries we saw under D'Antoni) and for getting rid of some scouts and replacing them with friends (who the fuck is this Chaz person?).

Things that have gone right under Jim: The Lakers have appeared to draft well. They got Clarkson with the 46th pick and he looks like a future star. At worst, he's the next Eddie Jones. Consensus seems to be that Randle and Russell will be very good as well. Not to mention that Larry Nance Jr. has looked really good too. Also, while I'm not convinced that Byron is the coach who can get the Lakers another title, I think he's the right coach, right now. He seems to be bringing discipline to the team that was missing under D'Antoni and has Kobe's respect as well. He may not be Phil, but he's at least Del Harris, which is good enough for now.

According to Jeanie, he has a 3 year plan, of which, this is year 2. If the Lakers continue to improve over this year and next, then I'd say that his plan is a success. If not, then he needs to keep his word and step down or Jeanie needs to force him out.

Until then, I'm willing to give the guy a chance (it's not like I have a choice anyway. The Lakers haven't asked my opinion yet. )

Thoughts?

 

[trojanfan12]

Damn!! That was almost as long as a Wiggy post.

 

[trojanfight]

only thing i object to is jeanie not being firm with his 3 year window. I'm not so sure the "ill fire my brother if necessary" is just line to tell the media. they have made some good picks. i think some fans want to see some of the lucky minimum salary guys pay off. we have seen whiteside in miami. jj barea was a unknown before torching lakers in playoffs. gerald green got his start on the lakers in summer league. wouldnt mind having him about now.

you look at some of the failed picks..trading for sessions etc. gotta hate the mavs but they just seem to get max potential out of their players. minus former lakers. another thing comes up is how long do you give byron scott? another lottery year would put him on the hot seat i would think.

 

[trojanfan12]

only thing i object to is jeanie not being firm with his 3 year window. I'm not so sure the "ill fire my brother if necessary" is just line to tell the media. they have made some good picks. i think some fans want to see some of the lucky minimum salary guys pay off. we have seen whiteside in miami. jj barea was a unknown before torching lakers in playoffs. gerald green got his start on the lakers in summer league. wouldnt mind having him about now.

you look at some of the failed picks..trading for sessions etc. gotta hate the mavs but they just seem to get max potential out of their players. minus former lakers. another thing comes up is how long do you give byron scott? another lottery year would put him on the hot seat i would think.

I agree with much of this. I don't think Jeanie will necessarily outright fire Jim if he proves not be a man of his word and step down. But I think you'd see him basically made to go sit in the corner while Mitch runs the basketball side.

As for Byron, I think it depends on the development of the players. Del Harris was given 5 years and had a much better and more experienced roster than Byron has been given (they got Shaq and Kobe in his 2nd season). I think Byron should get at least 3 more years after this one considering that he was handed a team going through a pretty much complete rebuild.

Also, to be factored in with Byron is how the front office performs. Del Harris had a championship contender and the best he could do was get swept in the conference finals. If Byron gets a contending roster and does no better, he should be gone as well. No matter how good a coach may be though, you need talent to win.

 

[Black Adam]

Damn!! That was almost as long as a Wiggy post.

truth, ...

but I DO see your points...

 

[Black Adam]

I agree with much of this. I don't think Jeanie will necessarily outright fire Jim if he proves not be a man of his word and step down. But I think you'd see him basically made to go sit in the corner while Mitch runs the basketball side.

As for Byron, I think it depends on the development of the players. Del Harris was given 5 years and had a much better and more experienced roster than Byron has been given (they got Shaq and Kobe in his 2nd season). I think Byron should get at least 3 more years after this one considering that he was handed a team going through a pretty much complete rebuild.

Also, to be factored in with Byron is how the front office performs. Del Harris had a championship contender and the best he could do was get swept in the conference finals. If Byron gets a contending roster and does no better, he should be gone as well. No matter how good a coach may be though, you need talent to win.

this is what I personally am hoping for. that not only do the "basketball people" get more leeway to do their jobs, but we actually get better basketball people for scouting, training, etc. not that Mitch and Vitti aren't among the best, but getting some quality help for 'em surely wouldn't hurt...

 

[trojanfan12]

this is what I personally am hoping for. that not only do the "basketball people" get more leeway to do their jobs, but we actually get better basketball people for scouting, training, etc. not that Mitch and Vitti aren't among the best, but getting some quality help for 'em surely wouldn't hurt...

Yeah. We're starting to see some improvements with the team and how things are being done. I don't know if it's because Jim has taken a step back, started listening to Mitch more or has gotten a clue (maybe a little of all 3).

As long as they keep improving, it's all good.

Also, I'm not trying to slam Dr. Buss. He's the greatest owner of all time, any sport.

Also not saying that Jim has done a great job. He's just an easy target because he doesn't have that "likeability" factor of Dr. Buss and Jeanie. I think that once the Dwightmare experiment blew up, the Lakers were going to go through what we are seeing no matter who was in charge. We'd all just have more confidence in pulling through it quickly if Dr. Buss was still around because he was a proven commodity and Jim isn't.

 

[lakersrule]

The Dwightmare/Nash failure was more injury related than anything. If Nash doesn't get hurt basically at the jump of his first season with the Lakers, that narrative could well have been different. Dwight probably still leaves, but they get more out of Nash.

Hiring D'Antoni was all on Jim Buss, not his father. Dr. Buss was basically on his deathbed at the time. He was not making basketball decisions. This was a sibling power play which really strained the relationship between Jim and Jeannie.

We have to remember now that, given the constraints of the current CBA, quickly rebuilding a team is more difficult now than previously. The current CBA was basically designed to fuck the large market teams like the Lakers.

 

[trojanfan12]

Hiring D'Antoni was all on Jim Buss, not his father. Dr. Buss was basically on his deathbed at the time. He was not making basketball decisions. This was a sibling power play which really strained the relationship between Jim and Jeannie.

Actually, D'Antoni was on Dr. Buss' radar from his days with the Suns. It was no secret that he wanted a return to Showtime style basketball. He just couldn't make that move while Phil was winning titles. Once Phil's run was over and the Dwightmare/Nash deal was made, D'Antoni was seemingly the right move based on what Dr. Buss wanted and the fact that they got Nash.