Byron Scott Fired

[trojanfan12]

ive read in a couple different places that you have to worry about that self imposed deadline with Jim Buss. The problem is- if that deadline is a hard deadline and his head is on the chopping block potentially he is going to make moves that are better in the short term but might not necesarily be the best for the long term health of the franchise. I think that if you are really going to give him a chance you need to let him see the rebuild through - or just be done with it-- because if you try and be in the middle it could end up costing the team when the goals of the general manager and the long term planning for the franchise are not in alignment.

The bold is my biggest concern. They won 17 games. Say they overspend on 2 tier players...now they might improve to around 42-45 wins which would get them maybe a 6-8 seed in the playoffs. Then, Jim Buss says "Look, I improved the team by 25+ wins and we're in the playoffs. I get to keep my job." Only, now they have no cap room or high enough draft picks to improve the team.

He said 3-4 years, but when she was asked about it, Jeanie basically said he'll be held to 3 years. Hopefully, that's what will happen. For his part, Mitch seems more like he's committed to the long term health than any potential "quick fix" not named Kevin Durant.

I don't mind if the Lakers go after 2nd tier guys, like maybe Harrison Barnes, DeRozan or Batum as they will eventually need guys like that anyway. I just don't want to overpay for them and be left with little or no cap space for the future.

 

[ChrisGar15]

I'm pretty sure the President of the team has the authority to fire the VP of basketball operations

For most franchise's that would be true. (like her boyfriend Phil Jackson of the Knicks) But if that was the case with the Lakers, she would have authority to overrule / be in the loop on basketball player decisions ... and she could fire Jim at any time. Everything I've read, her role is exclusively on the operations side -- she cannot overrule Jim on player decisions and doesn't have the authority to fire him today. If you find a different reference, please post it.

It is screwed up (especially with the brother/sister deadline) -- that's one of the points.

 

[trojanfan12]

Jeanie doesn't have the authority to fire Jim.

Actually, she does. Dr. Buss' set things up so that Jeanie has the ultimate power in the organization.

 

[trojanfan12]

For most franchise's that would be true. (like her boyfriend Phil Jackson of the Knicks) But if that was the case with the Lakers, she would have authority to overrule / be in the loop on basketball player decisions ... and she could fire Jim at any time. Everything I've read, her role is exclusively on the operations side -- she cannot overrule Jim on player decisions and doesn't have the authority to fire him today. If you find a different reference, please post it.

It is screwed up (especially with the brother/sister deadline) -- that's one of the points.

She actually does have the ultimate power in the organization. Essentially, she has the same power Dr. Buss did. He didn't involve himself directly in putting the rosters together and generally let the people he hired do their jobs. He would only step in if he was needed to close a trade, an FA deal or someone needed to be fired and/or hired.

He set it up essentially the same way. In subsequent interviews since then, Jeanie has said as much.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Jeanie doesn't have the authority to fire Jim. Obviously it doesn't matter what we think -- it does matter what Jeanie/Jim think. This is from Jeanie a year ago:

Jeanie told KPCC radio:

"Well, I asked my brother, how long until we're back into contention? And when I say 'contention,' that means past the second round, so either the Western Conference Finals or the NBA Finals. And he told me that it would take three years to rebuild it. So we've just finished Year 1 of that three-years. So we have two more years until he feels that we'll be back into going past the second round in the playoffs."


Note that she left little wiggle room.

It is still not a given that Jim Buss will resign if that happens even though He said he would. I didn't believe him then and I don't now.

 

[True Lakers Fan]

Actually, she does. Dr. Buss' set things up so that Jeanie has the ultimate power in the organization.

I agree that she has the power to do that, I just don't believe she will in the three year period they promised. I think they will see that the three year period wasn't a realistic one and will make adjustments. Obviously after five years total, they would have to make some changes though if no improvement.

Now that being said, I do see improvement and the promise of a good team, but we don't know yet what these rookies are made of. They might not be that great in a few years. It might take free agents and more rookies to rebuild. It has taken many other teams decades trying this method. We can only hope and pray that the current Buss family is much smarter and I really do hope

 

[Mecca of the “B” Team]

For most franchise's that would be true. (like her boyfriend Phil Jackson of the Knicks) But if that was the case with the Lakers, she would have authority to overrule / be in the loop on basketball player decisions ... and she could fire Jim at any time. Everything I've read, her role is exclusively on the operations side -- she cannot overrule Jim on player decisions and doesn't have the authority to fire him today. If you find a different reference, please post it.

It is screwed up (especially with the brother/sister deadline) -- that's one of the points.

She can. This is straight from the LA Times.

Jeanie Buss runs the business side of the organization and Jim Buss is in charge of basketball operations. Ultimately Jeanie Buss, as governor, has the final say.

Jeanie Buss says she will hold Jim Buss to three-year timeline

 

[trojanfight]

 

[ChrisGar15]

She can. This is straight from the LA Times.

Jeanie Buss runs the business side of the organization and Jim Buss is in charge of basketball operations. Ultimately Jeanie Buss, as governor, has the final say.

Jeanie Buss says she will hold Jim Buss to three-year timeline

Mecca ... thanks ... good article.

 

[Lakers+USC=#1]

I thought it was already clear to everyone, that she can fire her brother.