The monthlong fight between Lakers President Jeanie Buss and her brothers, Jim and Johnny, to control the Lakers "is over," as the three siblings have "agreed for Jeanie to serve as controlling owner and on the team’s board of directors as long as the family owns the Lakers," according to Nathan Fenno of the L.A. TIMES. The siblings yesterday filed papers in L.A. County Superior Court "asking a judge to issue an order approving the accord." This means the "ill-fated takeover attempt cost Jim Buss his spot as a co-trustee for the four trusts through which the Buss family own 66% of the team." A source said that Jim Buss "resigned as co-trustee Thursday as part of a requirement by Jeanie Buss to resolve the dispute." Her younger sister and "staunch ally, Janie, replaced the brother, joining Jeanie and Johnny Buss as co-trustees." The source added that there was "no financial settlement with Jim Buss." The order is "expected to be finalized at a hearing" tomorrow. The stipulation between the siblings "requires the brothers to 'take all actions reasonably available to them, including voting the Trust's shares' to ensure Jeanie Buss is elected each year as controlling owner and a director." Johnny Buss "declined to comment," and Jim Buss also "didn’t return phone and text messages seeking comment" (L.A. TIMES, 3/28). The AP's Anthony McCartney noted Jim Buss will "retain his ownership stake in the team" (AP, 3/27).
HASN'T BEEN PRETTY: In L.A., Tom Hoffarth wrote as the Lakers "slosh through to the conclusion of their fourth straight non-playoff losing season ... the thing that has remained a non-negotiable part of the telecast for all of those in front of and behind the camera is a standard mode of operation." Spectrum SportsNet's broadcaster Bill Macdonald said, "There are millions of people, worldwide, who want to know what’s going on with the team each game. You can’t BS Lakers fans." SportsNet's Lakers game producer Mark Shah said, "You can’t sugar coat it. You have to be truthful and faithful to the fans. And if we do that, then we’re always in a good spot.” Macdonald: "You don’t really have to ask whether or not they’re tanking. The reality is, you put it out there: We show the inverse standings" (DAILYNEWS.com, 3/25).
ASCEND TO THE THRONE: L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said Jeanie Buss "took it over with a hammer." Plaschke: "Basically, Jeanie Buss said, ...'You don't mess with me,' and I think that's what Lakers fans wanted to hear" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/27). In L.A., Plaschke in a front-page piece writes, "The Lakers are now Jeanie Buss’ team. It’s official, it’s indisputable, and it’s for as long as she wants." The "formal ascension occurred with a bold and smart move her father [the late Jerry Buss] would have loved." In one maneuver, Buss "not only squelched the recent attempted family coup, but placed the rebel leader in exile while cementing control over the future of a franchise desperate for stability." While Jeanie has been the controlling owner "since her father’s death, it had always been an ambiguous control." Plaschke: "Here’s hoping that, moving forward, she will be as bold and tough with the team as she was with her brothers." Buss will "have to approve some things that might make fans uncomfortable" (L.A. TIMES, 3/28).
DON'T TUG ON SUPERMAN'S CAPE: CBSSPORTS.com's Matt Moore wrote, "It’s a brutal end for Jim Buss, who was given the team by his late father, entrusted with guiding one of the most successful and popular franchises in all of sports." But after letting former coach Phil Jackson go, and after the '12 "disaster of a great roster when they put together Steve Nash and Dwight Howard with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, things just got worse and worse." The last three seasons of Lakers basketball have been the "worst in their history, and that’s never been something the team was willing to just accept" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/27). In N.Y., Justin Terranova writes under the header, "Jim Buss' Lakers Coup Is Officially A Spectacular Failure" (N.Y. POST, 3/28).
