That’s it Azndude2190. You nailed it: Lakers are family and take of their own. I know how we treated Kobe was not lost on Lebron when he was thinking about where he wanted to land. That was Jeannie’s call as she wanted to treat Kobe the way her dad treated Magic. Also for all the crap she took about putting up those Dwight Stay posters around town, don’t think that was lost on Dwight when he came back to us and wanted to prove himself this year. Like the good Doctor himself, Jeannie has proved that she is the best owner in the biz. She deserves this championship and so so we. Proud to be a lifelong Lakers fan.
Much as I haven't forgiven Magic for the deliberate sabotage of our FO after he left (IMO) ..... it was his vision and thinking big and his charisma that jump started us on the incredible short path back.
Magic Johnson gets too much blame but it was him who came in when the Lakers had no hope... Mitch locked us in with stupid Deng and Mosgov's contract. Magic made it a priority to get rid of those bad contracts. He was on ESPN First Take just talking about how they knew that they had to get LeBron and did everything possible to do that. Rob got it done but Magic deserves a lot of credit for making it happen. Dell Demps is the reason the Lakers couldn't get AD. Once he got fired and David Griffin became the new GM, the Lakers got AD. The one bad part about Magic was he is too busy to be running the Lakers. LeBron saying he trusted Rob to make this team better and then proceeds to land AD is a huge testament to how good Rob is. Kobe doesn't hang around losers so Rob definitely ain't a pushover.
thank you for having the "balls" to remove your incompetent brother, woud've been a lil smoother if you had not replaced him with another incompetent moron
Not sure where to post this, but in addition to giving props to Jeanie, let’s also give some props to the Rambii. A lot of fans, myself included, really drank the Haterade and became convinced that Kurt and Linda were enacting some sort of coup that would ruin the franchise. Well I still don’t know what kinda role they have, but considering the fact that we’re the champions now, I’d say the vitriol aimed in their direction was unwarranted.
I trust Jeanie on this. And one of the things Magic said I think the day he blindsided them with his resignation, was that she needed to surround herself with people she could trust. Which also was a shot at Rob at that time. I tried a month or more ago to bring up the Rambii may very well have had some great input and got shot down by my pops on here that he had sucked as a coach and failed at everything since he was a player. I know he didn't mean it though, he's just a kidder at heart .... right @LaVarBallsDad?
Just now got around to listening to that podcast. Few things stood out to me... - Jeanie breaking down the family drama and her taking over, some good material there. (In the final 15-20 minutes) - including her brother and Mitch f***ing over Phil. She said he was cooking dinner for the two of them the Sunday night in a Lakers shirt, had called his agent to fly in on Monday, the 48 hours he requested was in order to get the medical clearance from the drs and to talk it over with his family. Only to get woken up with a phone call from Mitch at midnight that they went with Pringles. - some Kobe stuff is discussed and is sad. - if Bron wins one more her, she says he'll get a statue.
I despised the way that went down when Mitch and Jimbo stabbed Phil in the back. I'll never forgive the D'Antoni fiasco. If you remember I was irate about it at CL. Many folks tried to talk me down but I wasn't having any of that. That was the low point of the Jimbo era for me. Well that and the idiotic Mozgov Deng signings. As I've said many times over the years, I'm proud of Jeannie and Doc Buss knew what he was doing leaving her in ultimate charge. Thank goodness Kobe helped push her to fire her brother or we would still be mired in mediocrity. Wow, re: the Bron statue! I mean, I get hanging his jersey, even after just one. But two rings to get a statue? Well, he did reinvigorate the franchise. Sounds like he's going to stick around and hopefully retire a Laker. As long as AD does too, I'm good with it.
Blame on Magic wasn't that it didn't work. It was that he ratted the team out like some bum on his way out.
(Not to beat a nearly decade old dead horse, but ...) Yeah, that's one of the worst things our franchise has done. Was a really bad, unforgivable look. At the time, he was the only coach to deliver us a championship since 88 (and he brought us FIVE!) and to treat him with that level of disrespect. I was fine if they didn't think he was the right fit, don't approach him in the first place. And then to wake him up by telling him they hired Damnfoni instead of him, a far lesser coach (not that there was a midnight hire that would be better than Phil), it was such a massive black eye for us. The only good thing from that was it began the unraveling of the sibling's relationship and got us to where we are. I'm not sure it's entirely because of two 'ships. It's making us the destination again. We went from signing KCP, Ennis, and Bogut the year before to netting the best player in basketball. Before him, we lost all appeal to every other player in the league. He came to hold hands and wipe noses for a year, then brought us the best big in the game in his prime. Bron was able to rebrand us and set us up for the next 8 years. Well after he's retired. I'm not taking away anything from Jeanie, Rob, or even Magic. But Bron did for us what no one else on the league was capable of.
This. I'd give him a Jersey in the rafters, a statue, and rename Staples the Chosen One Center... and I'm only half joking. We were dead in the water before he signed, and now we are tied with the C Bags for trophies, ready for another run next season, and in great shape to build around AD for the future.
This thread should include Linda and Kurt Rambis, which the Baldmer paid NBA media claims to be the sinister power couple who had their clutch/hold on Jeannie during the tumultuous off season.Kurt was hammered beyond belief, more than Byron in a short period of time. Now crickets...
The level of league wide jealousy is pathetic. The Athletic ran the poll results from league insiders on who they believe the best owners are in the NBA.
WE, the owners of other pathetic NBA franchise, would like to officially declare that we do NOT appreciate owners who run their teams with excellence in their concept. What has the Buss family ever done in this league???? The ONLY Buss family member that ever amounted to anything we can appreciate is Jimmy!!! He was obviously the brains in the family but the idiot sister of his was not able to comprehend his genious, (spelled wrong on purpose). Kobe, Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Shaq, Lebron and Davis, etc. etc. are all second rank talent and the refs are simply being paid off by the super rich Buss family lawyers and hitmen to make them look better than they are!!
I know, let's nominate the guy who has more money than McDonald's has fries, but who has never had a team get further than the second round. Brilliant!
Every name on that list represents excellent ownership with two exceptions. Ballmer and the two who own the C Bags. They should be disqualified for keeping Ainge as their GM.
