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Jeanie Buss Discussion: Jeanie Mohr?

Discussion in 'Lakers Discussion' started by alam1108, Aug 15, 2018.

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JSM - Lakers Legend -

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Interview with Jeanie

Daniel Kaplan - The Athletic

LOS ANGELES — Jeanie Buss is sitting like a school kid, crisscross applesauce, on a chair in the living room of her Playa Vista townhouse, the front door open, welcoming and hospitable. She wears a mask, occasionally slipping it up over her mouth for a sip of water. A party is getting ready in the small park across the street, perhaps for a wedding, and she later wonders if anyone could just come and throw an event. She talks about how the neighborhood once housed Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose mega-wooden airplane. She is certainly a Buss, relaxed and casual, inquisitive.

The L.A. Lakers owner agreed to the interview with The Athletic to add insights for a story on the L.A. Chargers owner Dean Spanos, whom she has bonded with as offspring of team owners who take the reins. Her late mom was also a Chargers fan, with Buss saying of her and Hall of Fame Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts, “She liked guys with beards.” Buss adds in the 1980s she was friends with the team’s kicker, Rolf Benirschke. But basketball subjects flowed freely, from her disdain for the NBA’s Play-In playoff format; why she needed to take over from her brother, Jim; her prediction that L.A. will go gaga over Russell Westbrook; how Phil Jackson helped her drop fantasy football because of the former name of the Washington Football Team; to an early plan she discussed with Kobe Bryant of a co-ed basketball league. The following is edited for clarity and brevity.

On the need for stylistic play and why she took over basketball operations from her brother

I’m just speaking from my own experience. I think Dr. Buss (her late father, Jerry Buss) kind of really labeled it Showtime, that not only is it great to win, but you have to do it with a sense of style. And, you know, kind of create something that you stand for, and then kind of build the pieces around that. Stay true to the brand that you’re trying to create…that was what my challenge was with the Lakers, that we had a steady level of success. But when my brother was running the basketball operations, we weren’t living up to our old standard. And so we were selling a product that wasn’t what we had, you know, sold our fans on, right.

On giving up fantasy football

I could no longer say the Washington football name. It just rubbed me the wrong way. So I stopped playing a long time ago, many years ago … But like, I couldn’t say it in the draft and so one season, I would refuse to draft players from that team. So then I wouldn’t have to use the word because it offended me. And that comes from my relationship with Phil Jackson and his relationship and honoring of the Native Americans. Some people felt like they didn’t have to change the name (the team changed to “Washington Football Team” in 2020), but to me as a person in my position, if just one person’s feelings are hurt from the nickname, then why have it? It’s supposed to bring joy to people, not to demean people. And one year, I refused to draft players from the Washington team. And then I thought, why am I punishing the players (and stopped altogether).

On the Lakers’ free agency and why the success from 2020 in the NBA bubble did not carry over

I’m really excited. But you really never know until the season starts if things are going to work out. I thought last season we started with a great roster, but we lost the chemistry that we had in the bubble. And I don’t know if it was because we changed some personnel or if the bubble created that chemistry because they only had each other to entertain themselves. Did that lead to something special? I don’t know. I’m just curious to see in this collective bargaining agreement — I remember when the rules kind of changed about 10 or 15 years ago. And (former commissioner) David Stern talked about how it would lead to a lot more player movement. And that seemed to be very popular in baseball, a lot of transactions, especially before the trade deadline, and now our free agency period is so entertaining. You know, David was right, that it’s increased fan engagement.

On why Kobe Bryant’s long run with just one team may never happen again

With Kobe to have played on one team for 20 years, I really don’t think you’re ever going to see that again. It’s going to be very rare to see that. It’s just the way the collective bargaining agreement is, it encourages a lot more movement than it did before. And I do think it’s made the league more interesting, more balanced in increasing engagement in the offseason … there were so many headlines (during the NBA’s free agency period) that put us right up there with the Olympics going on.

On why the Lakers signed older players and predicting reaction to Westbrook in LA

We’re over the cap. We have really no room. When we made that trade (for Westbrook), we knew we’d have to fill the roster with seven or eight players at the veterans minimum. And so trying to convince players to come on one-year deals for the minimum is a challenge. So you get a lot of guys that are willing to take less money for the opportunity to possibly go for a championship, or play in a city that has other opportunities as they transition to the next part of their career. And we kind of had to capitalize on that because we’ve got three players taking up 90 percent of our payroll, and certainly, Russell Westbrook. You know we’ve got a big three now, and Russell is somebody that’s from L.A., went to UCLA, and I think our fans are going to be just cuckoo for him, are going to be so happy that he’s here. It’s like the return of one of our own.

Why she doesn’t like the Play-In playoff format

I obviously see the excitement of it. If we would have lost two games, we wouldn’t have been in the playoffs at all. And that’s, that’s a tough pill to swallow. When you’ve been in the top eight for the entire season. You never dropped out of the playoff position. But yet, you know, you can lose two games, and that’s what happened to Golden State, they were at the eighth spot, and then they ended up losing to us and then to Memphis and they didn’t make it in the playoffs. I could see where it’s kind of fun for one game, but I don’t want to diminish what happens in the regular season.

They like to say that it combats tanking and I think tanking would be best served by losing draft picks, something that hurts the basketball department as opposed to a financial punishment, right? Because the general manager’s job is based on wins and losses. The general manager’s job isn’t based on how many season tickets you sell, or how many sponsors.

On her talks with Kobe Bryant about Gianna Bryant and a co-ed league

I had started talking to Kobe because the way (his late daughter) Gianna was devouring basketball, it wasn’t going to be enough for her to be a champion on a college team. She was going to want a bigger challenge. Something that had never been done. Now whether it would have been, she’d want to play in the NBA, … back in the day Ann Meyers (when signed with the Indiana Pacers) and Nancy Lieberman (when she played in the USBL a men’s pro league). What I was talking to Kobe about was like a co-ed team. We’ve got the G League. We’ve got the WNBA, got the NBA. Why not a co-ed league?

There’s nothing that would influence more change than to physically watch a man and a woman in a game solving a problem, working together to overcome a defense in order to score, and like seeing men and women working together … I’ll probably bring it up again. But you know, Gianna was so inspiring because she was like Kobe. She would process information, and then she’d need more and more … She was like, ‘OK, I did that. Now give me more challenges.’ That was Kobe. You know, he just wanted more and more and more. That’s why he was such a killer on the court. You know, he just kept refining his game. learning more moves, dissecting opponents, teams before we played. He knew what all their moves were going to be, like, relentless. That’s the heart of a champion, right?
Click to expand...

JSM, Aug 18, 2021

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cuckoo?

sirronstuff, Aug 18, 2021

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WUT?

LTLakerFan, Aug 18, 2021

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that CANT be real..... can it?!

timothy, Aug 18, 2021

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Probably taking note of an odd choice of a word from Jeanie to describe how Lakers fans are going to be having Russ on this team.

LTLakerFan, Aug 18, 2021

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Cuckoo, crazy, nuts, bonkers, whatever. Just a word in a casual conversation, that’s all.

IE Lakers, Aug 18, 2021

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TIME said: ↑

She IS the best hugger of any NBA owner.

Pop quiz: who would you rather get a hug from?

This Owner?

Or this owner?

Click to expand...

That guy looks like he loves cream corn

Chick the G.O.A.T., Aug 18, 2021

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IE Lakers said: ↑

Cuckoo, crazy, nuts, bonkers, whatever. Just a word in a casual conversation, that’s all.

Click to expand...

^Yes...nothing to sweat about.

gcclaker, Aug 19, 2021

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Ceez said: ↑

That guy looks like he loves cream corn
Click to expand...

Why is that so perfect?

creamed corn. Yeesh

IE Lakers, Aug 19, 2021

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I've never had the displeasure of eating cream corn.

Must be nasty.

Juronimo, Aug 19, 2021

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Juronimo said: ↑

I've never had the displeasure of eating cream corn.

Must be tasty.
Click to expand...

it’s true

but Creamed Corn is a pretty hilarious nickname

sirronstuff, Aug 19, 2021

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I will be there tomorrow. Come on down to Anaheim if you're free

The Rock, Aug 26, 2021

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Have a couple Lakers pints Mate. (too much BritBox & Acorn )
LTLakerFan, Aug 26, 2021

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Had no idea Jay was part of the Laker family. That's about as different from Phil as it gets.

JSM, Sep 26, 2021

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JSM said: ↑

Had no idea Jay was part of the Laker family. That's about as different from Phil as it gets.
Click to expand...

I had no idea she was dating Jay Mohr. I always liked him though and I’m happy he makes her happy

Barnstable, Sep 26, 2021

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I remember reading that many months ago and had wondered a couple times if it was still a thing with them. Guess so.

LTLakerFan, Sep 26, 2021

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Weezy, Nov 9, 2021

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We were trying to be at the bottom, we were trying to amass draft picks. Which I don’t really understand that strategy. My dad never used it and was very successful. So I didn’t understand it, free agents didn’t want to come to a place that was clearly burning things to the ground.
Click to expand...

the author took issue with this, but it was a relief to me. the lakers aren't about tanking and should never have been. we build through trades and free agency and trade on the brand. we're doing quite well lower in the draft anyway. i hope we never tank again, tbh. the only way we got a star out of tanking was by amassing several years' worth of solid but unspectacular high picks and moving them for a guy who forced his way here because we had signed lebron.

even after lebron, i hope the team makes a good faith effort to win at all times, only tanking if say, injuries derail a season or something. i can accept it in those circumstances. but opening the year knowing that you plan to lose a lot is not lakers basketball. get it out.

abeer3, Nov 10, 2021

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abeer3 said: ↑

the author took issue with this, but it was a relief to me. the lakers aren't about tanking and should never have been. we build through trades and free agency and trade on the brand. we're doing quite well lower in the draft anyway. i hope we never tank again, tbh. the only way we got a star out of tanking was by amassing several years' worth of solid but unspectacular high picks and moving them for a guy who forced his way here because we had signed lebron.

even after lebron, i hope the team makes a good faith effort to win at all times, only tanking if say, injuries derail a season or something. i can accept it in those circumstances. but opening the year knowing that you plan to lose a lot is not lakers basketball. get it out.
Click to expand...

Agree. Ultimately Jeanie's has been vindicated by the results on the court. Rebuilding through the draft takes a lot of time and I'd rather see us competing out there than tanking. I hope to never have to use sites like tankathon again.

ElginTheGreat, Nov 10, 2021

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