At the time this went down and in subsequent seasons, I hated Jim Buss with the searing heat of a thousand suns. His mismanagement of the team’s basketball operations caused the greatest sports organization in the world for three decades running to catastrophically falter. He also managed to mar the Lakers relationship with Jerry West’s carefully groomed heir, Kupchak. It would take the better part of a decade to right the ship as an organization and of course Kobe’s final years were tainted by Jim’s mistakes.
“Basketball reasons” certainly didn’t help, but at a time when Jerry Buss’ health was failing and the Lakers needed steady hands, Jim tore it all apart.
Fuck him forever.
eric2018wong
It’s not going to happen, but how we be now if Lakers owned by billionaires w unlimited spending. Maybe Caruso would have been kept as his salary wouldn’t have been an issue as impact to the luxury tax. I wonder if someone asked current brass about that? But as fans, we all knew it was a mistake with Mike D hiring, and there was nothing we could have done. Kobe cell a few times that game before tearing Achilles, coach didn’t care to manage it, his job was on the line if they didn’t make playoffs.
Ok_Concentrate_75
Makes me think that Ham might be a guy Bron and AD like
Wise_Ad_112
I hated that shit at the time but Phil wasn’t the saviour either.
Dirty_Quesadilla
MDA was given a muscle car in Kobe. Instead, he drove it like a used honda.
elxhapo6
The family inner fighting and kupchak set us back years and contributed to the end of Kobe’s career being lots of meaningless basketball fortunately during that time we drafted amazing
uncurious
What gets to me is the butterfly effect feeling.
Had Phil been the coach, they may or may not have won more. (Hard to say).
But I damn sure know Phil would not have rode Kobe 45 minutes a game and eventually tear his Achilles. He would have been able to play at a high level for a much longer time. His game was on a trajectory to age like fine wine.
Dare I say, he could have still been playing in the 2020 season? 😔
shoefly72
I was just as mad as everyone else at the time, but I really don’t think Phil would’ve done well either if we’d hired him. I don’t know how most people don’t see that in hindsight lol.
LudwigNasche
I never got over drafting D’Angelo Russell with the highest pick we had since James Worthy.
I guess I still have a tough time appreciating his skills because I was somewhat foolish expecting the next Lakers superstar after a terrible season tanking.
I became a fan the year we drafted Magic, then we had James Big Game Worthy, we traded for Kobe but I feel like we drafted him and Andrew before injuries was a top 2 center. Drafting a top 25 PG with a pick this high was the greatest shock of reality I had as a Lakers fan.
9 Comments
At the time this went down and in subsequent seasons, I hated Jim Buss with the searing heat of a thousand suns. His mismanagement of the team’s basketball operations caused the greatest sports organization in the world for three decades running to catastrophically falter. He also managed to mar the Lakers relationship with Jerry West’s carefully groomed heir, Kupchak. It would take the better part of a decade to right the ship as an organization and of course Kobe’s final years were tainted by Jim’s mistakes.
“Basketball reasons” certainly didn’t help, but at a time when Jerry Buss’ health was failing and the Lakers needed steady hands, Jim tore it all apart.
Fuck him forever.
It’s not going to happen, but how we be now if Lakers owned by billionaires w unlimited spending. Maybe Caruso would have been kept as his salary wouldn’t have been an issue as impact to the luxury tax. I wonder if someone asked current brass about that? But as fans, we all knew it was a mistake with Mike D hiring, and there was nothing we could have done. Kobe cell a few times that game before tearing Achilles, coach didn’t care to manage it, his job was on the line if they didn’t make playoffs.
Makes me think that Ham might be a guy Bron and AD like
I hated that shit at the time but Phil wasn’t the saviour either.
MDA was given a muscle car in Kobe. Instead, he drove it like a used honda.
The family inner fighting and kupchak set us back years and contributed to the end of Kobe’s career being lots of meaningless basketball fortunately during that time we drafted amazing
What gets to me is the butterfly effect feeling.
Had Phil been the coach, they may or may not have won more. (Hard to say).
But I damn sure know Phil would not have rode Kobe 45 minutes a game and eventually tear his Achilles. He would have been able to play at a high level for a much longer time. His game was on a trajectory to age like fine wine.
Dare I say, he could have still been playing in the 2020 season? 😔
I was just as mad as everyone else at the time, but I really don’t think Phil would’ve done well either if we’d hired him. I don’t know how most people don’t see that in hindsight lol.
I never got over drafting D’Angelo Russell with the highest pick we had since James Worthy.
I guess I still have a tough time appreciating his skills because I was somewhat foolish expecting the next Lakers superstar after a terrible season tanking.
I became a fan the year we drafted Magic, then we had James Big Game Worthy, we traded for Kobe but I feel like we drafted him and Andrew before injuries was a top 2 center. Drafting a top 25 PG with a pick this high was the greatest shock of reality I had as a Lakers fan.