Again and Again Moments in the Amigo Brothers

Jeanie Buss isn't happy.

On a May Dominicus afternoon when she should be watching her Lakers in the NBA playoffs amid a raucous Crypto.com Loonshit, she is sitting in a quiet and virtually empty El Segundo practice facility.

Her team has long since been eliminated. Her greatest of expectations became the biggest of flops. Her family'due south sizable investment came upwardly apartment broke. She'south alone with her scampering Teacup Maltipoo named Delores.

Jeanie Kiss isn't happy.

"I'm growing impatient just because we had the fourth-highest payroll in the league. … When you spend that kind of money on the luxury tax, you lot look to go deep into the playoffs," she told The Times. "So, yeah, it was gut-wrenching for me to go out on a limb similar that and not get the results that we were looking for. … I'1000 not happy, I'm not satisfied."

You know what happened the last time Jeanie Buss was not happy or satisfied, right? It was ugly. It was powerful.

In the winter of 2017, with the Lakers stuck in a seemingly bottomless morass, she boldly did the unthinkable by firing her own brother. In one assertive dive, she canned sibling Jim from his job as executive vice president of role player personnel and fired longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak while staking her claim as the fearless controlling owner of the metropolis's most celebrated sports franchise.

(Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)

Five years later, simply 2 seasons after winning a 17^thursday championship, those Lakers are in the muck again, and, during an hourlong lunch chat with this columnist, Jeanie Buss again wants to brand her displeasure clear.

"We don't like to be missing the playoffs, I sympathise the fans anger and frustration," she said. "I've got to brand it better."

Even if this means eventually making changes?

"Absolutely, if we are non living up to the Lakers standard, admittedly I will look at everything," she said, later adding, "I will brand the hard decisions, because that's what you have to do."

Osculation agreed to this interview because, after watching a team with a handful of future Hall of Famers miss the playoffs in arguably the most disappointing season in Lakers history, she felt she had been too quiet for too long.

"I'm kind of like my dad, where information technology's kind of like, let the players, let the team, be the focus, non me," she said. "Merely I get that I have been kind of in the groundwork too much for people to understand what's going on."

In a broad-ranging conversation, she continued to offering back up of embattled general managing director Rob Pelinka, but besides confirmed that she is now also receiving input from historic Lakers figures Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson. She dedicated Kurt Rambis and Linda Rambis, but emphasized that Linda is non making basketball decisions. She expressed loyalty to LeBron James and the desire to do whatever information technology takes to brand him happy, simply bristled when asked what every fan wants to know — exercise James and Klutch Sports run the Lakers?

"Do they have final say? No. Are they running the squad? No, no, non at all," said Kiss. "I am controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, I'one thousand held accountable for every decision that'southward made hither."

In talking to her, in that location is a sense that while she will allow her basketball game executives work the summer and next season untouched, she won't suffer some other playoff miss without making major changes.

Buss was so distressed to spotter it all that she fifty-fifty acknowledged leaving her nigh-courtside seat early more than once in frustration.

"Yeah, it was heartbreaking to see u.s. lose games," she said.

She said the heartbreak must cease now, and the basketball operations folks must be the ones to end it.

"This last yr was extremely disappointing … it was hugely disappointing," she said. "I feel similar we allow down Laker fans, and don't want to exercise that again, and we've got to become it right."

There is a dizzying number of people independent in that "we."

"I'g a collaborator, that's my nature, every bit opposed to a sole decision maker," said Buss.

Just all the rut has coalesced around Pelinka, who is facing a pivotal summer subsequently struggling mightily in the two seasons since the team last won the championship. There was the trading away of championship pieces such every bit Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma, the failure to retain Alex Caruso, the signing of aging and brittle stars and, of course, the trade for Russell Westbrook.

Pelinka is apparently going to take at least i more than shot to get it correct, as Kiss still fully supports Kobe Bryant's former agent, who she put in identify shortly afterwards she fired her brother and Kupchak.

"In terms of basketball decisions, I have consummate confidence in our front office, which is headed by Rob Pelinka," she said. "He is a person that is extremely smart, extremely strategic, everything he does is thoughtful and with purpose. … I have complete confidence that he tin can put together a roster and find a double-decker that is going to get us back to where we belong."

Osculation would non speculate about how Westbrook fits into that roster, saying, "Having a chat similar that is premature. We have to now observe the right coach to lead this squad. Depending on the style of play that that coach wants to play, given the roster that we accept, it all has to start to come together."

She offered stiff bankroll to another embattled Laker basketball exec, Kurt Rambis, who won 28% of his games in four seasons as an NBA double-decker and whose increased influence has been met with public derision.

"I know that at that place'due south been some unfair criticism of Kurt Rambis," she said. "I desire to remind people, he's been involved in the NBA for close to 40 years, that he has been a function of championship teams both every bit a player and assistant passenger vehicle, he is someone I adore for his basketball knowledge."

Buss also offered a strong endorsement of Linda Rambis, Kurt'due south wife and longtime Kiss friend and confidant. There are reports that Linda Rambis has input on basketball decisions, stories that Kiss vehemently denied.

"In terms of Linda Rambis, she does not accept a part in the basketball department; her part is, as it's been for the last nigh twoscore years, is as my advisor," Buss said. "She and I take worked together for years and years and years. Why that has become an upshot for people, I don't sympathize."

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Kiss was reminded of the murmurings from basketball insiders challenge Linda Rambis was involved in free-amanuensis signings. She responded that Linda Rambis deals with players only later they sign, helping them and their families adjust to life in Los Angeles.

"Every team has somebody like that, in our instance it'southward Linda. … She'due south done that for over 30 years with the Lakers," Buss said. "Non similar all all of a sudden she's become the banana full general manager, that's not truthful."

In that location are, indeed, enough unofficial Lakers assistant general managers already. In these trying times, the collaboration cab but became a footling more crowded with the addition of Magic Johnson and Phil Jackson.

Expect, didn't Johnson walk out on Kiss at the terminate of the 2022 flavor? Aye, he did, but Buss is infamous for not property grudges, and then Johnson is one time again wielding some influence.

"It was a large surprise," she acknowledged of Johnson's spontaneous decision to quit and ensuing criticism of the squad. "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 chore 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 eye, and I trust him, and … my relationship with him is every bit good every bit information technology's always been."

Then is she relying on him again? "Absolutely," she said.

She is likewise getting input from Jackson, a five-fourth dimension Lakers title motorcoach and her former boyfriend who spends several months a year in Los Angeles. He has become some other one of her confidants during this tough stretch.

"People see us around town, we take breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever … it's not anything romantic," she said. "He's somebody that knows this environment and knows the challenges I have and wants to see the Lakers successful, so he's somebody I know doesn't take any other agenda than for the Lakers to be successful, then he's somebody that I tin can lean on."

Then there's the guy who may have more than influence than anybody, and Buss volition absolutely not apologize for listening to LeBron James.

"It'southward normal when you take a tiptop player or players you lot bounce things off of them, I think that'southward smart business," she said.

It is as well clear that if James wants to exit the squad, either this summer or subsequently his contract expires next twelvemonth, it will exist of his own volition. Buss wants to continue him happy enough to remain a Laker and is excited about him breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record adjacent flavor.

"I want him to feel confident in the team, that we have the pieces to win a championship," Kiss said. "He has to be happy. … I desire to make sure that he's happy."

Likewise, she believes the Lakers can win some other title with James and Anthony Davis as their cornerstones.

"There's no reason for me to think nosotros can't win with them," she said. "Something that I learned from Phil Jackson is that there'due south e'er a path to success. … Sometimes it might be a piffling bit harder than other times, … but you have to run across the ability."

Jeanie Buss is seeing that ability and will hold her employees accountable to run into the same thing.

"I desire Lakers fans to exist optimistic that we're going to get the team back on rails just as they expect," she said. "We want to make certain we live up to the Lakers' by every bit we get forwards into the future."

Jeanie Buss arrives at the NBA Awards on June 24, 2019, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

(Richard Shotwell / Associated Press)

During this conversation, it is once over again articulate how much Buss truly does love the Lakers fans. Ane can be critical of her collaborative philosophy and of her undying loyalty to family and friends, but one cannot ignore her devotion to her customers. Buss remains one of the but NBA owners who, despite a spate of decease threats, even so insist on sitting in a seat where fans have full access to her. She is surely the but possessor who, fifty-fifty during the worst of seasons, mothers will approach and place their well-nigh precious possession in her lap.

"Information technology'due south a hostile world out there and y'all have to be careful … just I don't want to lose that feeling of being accessible to the fans," she said. "Ane of the last games, a woman came over with her baby, and she stuck her baby in my arms then I could take a moving picture with her baby. … The baby was head-to-toe Lakers."

She added, "That's the most of import thing to her is her child, and the thought that she would desire her kid identified as a Lakers fan fifty-fifty at 6 months old, and that she wanted a photo of me with her child, that's the greatest compliment that you could get, and I'm not going to turn away from that."

All of which serve as an answer to a question that has lingered in the nine years since Jerry Buss' death.

Will Jeanie Osculation ever consider selling the Lakers? What do you think?

"In terms of selling the team, I'm not going anywhere. This is exactly what my dad asked me to do," she said, adding, "The team is not for sale."

She said information technology'due south most far more than an investment, information technology'southward about a journey laid out past Jerry Kiss when he handed her the keys.

The path had gotten tough, but Jeanie Kiss insists — and history has proved — that she can exist tougher.

"This was something that was important to him, that he wanted me to keep the Lakers in the family," she said. "I like to say, my dad had his children, just the Lakers were his babe, and he put me in charge of the baby, and I will make sure that the baby thrives."

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Source: https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2022-05-10/jeanie-buss-lakers-change