Jeanie Buss, the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and the daughter of the team’s former owner, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, has come under fire for the way she runs the team.
She has been criticized for relying on the counsel of former Lakers players and coaches rather than bringing in anyone from the outside who is capable of contributing to the organization in a positive way.
A few days ago, Buss did an interview with Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times, and she addressed some of the criticisms fans have brought up lately.
One of them is the influence a certain Lakers legend allegedly still has over her and the team.
Via Los Angeles Times:
“In these trying times, the collaboration cab just became a little more crowded with the addition of Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson.
“Wait, didn’t Johnson walk out on Buss at the end of the 2019 season? Yes, he did, but Buss is famous for not holding grudges, and so Johnson is once again wielding some influence.
“‘It was a big surprise,’ she acknowledged of Johnson’s spontaneous decision to quit and ensuing criticism of the team. ‘I appreciate his honesty; I kind of wish it was just a little bit different.’
“However, she said, ‘I would never want him to stay in a job where he wasn’t happy.’
“Furthermore, she said she knows how he really feels, saying, ‘Bottom line, the Lakers are important to him, and he wants the Lakers to win, and he wants the Lakers to be on top. I know that’s in his heart, and I trust him, and … my relationship with him is as good as it’s ever been.’
“So is she relying on him again? ‘Absolutely,’ she said.”
Some feel that not only is Buss essentially relying on a cadre of yes-men, but there are too many cooks in the kitchen.
There is a consensus that Johnson failed in his role as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, a role he held from 2017 to 2019. During that time, he made questionable trades and draft decisions.
The team is facing perhaps its most monumental offseason in recent memory, and the decisions it makes over the next few months could have repercussions that last for a number of years.
