Yesterday marked one of the "most dramatic days in the history of the Lakers," as team President Jeanie Buss yesterday "fired her brother" Exec VP/Basketball Operations Jim Buss, along with GM Mitch Kupchak and VP/PR John Black, according to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. TIMES. Jeanie Buss then "handed the reins of the franchise" to Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson. Buss said it was a "very difficult decision" to fire her brother. She said during an appearance on Spectrum SportsNet, "I probably waited too long. And for that, I apologize to Lakers fans." Ganguli notes bringing the Lakers "back to prominence is Johnson's dream job." Yesterday he "spoke of understanding the changing NBA, and embracing analytics and new trends" (L.A. TIMES, 2/22). Buss said, "It was time for a change. Certainly when you look at the timing, people might ask about the offseason. In today’s NBA, this is no offseason. You’re constantly prepared for draft, summer league. There’s always something going on. ... This isn’t about trying to go back to Showtime. We’re not trying to turn back the clock. The Lakers have learned how to win in every era" ("Access SportsNet," Spectrum SportsNet, 2/21). ESPN.com's Holmes & Shelburne note Jim Buss "spent 19 seasons in the Lakers' front office" and was in his 12th year in his current role. Sources said that the decision to "fire her brother was a very long, involved process that Jeanie Buss has been leading." It was also "her decision, not Magic's, to fire" Kupchak and Black. Sources said that Jim Buss had "hired lawyers to represent his interests ... but the provisions governing the family trust that owns and operates the Lakers very clearly gave Jeanie Buss the authority to make these moves" (ESPN.com, 2/22). CBSSPORTS.com's Bill Reiter cited a source as saying that Kupchak and Jeanie Buss "had not spoken since Nov. 1" and Jim Buss had "resorted to communicating with his sister only through lawyers." The source said Jeanie Buss also "never was informed of a potential DeMarcus Cousins trade over the weekend." Meanwhile, Reiter wrote hiring Johnson was a "stroke of genius" as he is "beloved in L.A." (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/21).
CLAIM TO THE THRONE: In DC, Tim Bontemps writes an "unmistakable message has been sent: this is all on Jeanie Buss now." There "won’t be anyone else in line" ahead of her to "take the blame if this doesn’t work." The timing of the Lakers' announcement was as "poorly handled as the team has been for years." This move "should have been made either when Johnson’s return to the franchise was announced three weeks ago, or at the end of the regular season." The Lakers are a franchise "considered to be far behind much of the rest of the NBA in terms of data, infrastructure and embracing the modern state of the league" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/22). In California, Bill Oram in a front-page piece writes this was Buss' move to "rescue the organization she was entrusted to oversee." More than a "bloodless coup by Johnson, it was a stone-cold power play." Anyone who "questioned whether she was tough enough to fire her brother has been silenced," as Buss is "front and center atop the Lakers organizational structure; no more twin spires of power." From a legacy standpoint, this is a "make-or-break moment for Jeanie Buss, who, with some success, could become the first female NBA executive enshrined" into the Basketball HOF. Black, who was "closely linked with Kupchak, could not escape the massacre" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/22). ESPN's Byron Scott said of Buss, "She's a pit bull in a skirt. This was all about business. This was calculated. This wasn't done in a rush." He added, "It lets everybody in the league know that the Lakers are for real again, and I think putting Magic in charge is definitely the best thing to do” ("The Jump," ESPN, 2/21).
EYEBROWS RAISED: USA TODAY's Sam Amick writes Buss had "been fed up for years," as there was "years' worth of mistrust in the making." Buss' determination to "make the Lakers a superstar destination again is at the heart of this issue" (USA TODAY, 2/22). In N.Y., Scott Cacciola writes yesterday was a "stunning power play" by Buss and a "drastic overhaul of a team that has been characterized by considerable stability" in the GM position (N.Y. TIMES, 2/22). THE RINGER's Chris Ryan wrote, "One of the most storied franchises in pro sports is having the kind of day made for tabloids" (THERINGER.com, 2/21). In L.A., Mark Heisler writes, "It’s hard to sell this as a measured response when you fire your ... [PR] director for 27 years, presumably because he was close to Kupchak as, indeed, he should have been." Insiders see the "bizarre timing as an internal Laker response to not landing" Cousins, who was dealt from the Kings to the Pelicans Sunday night (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/22). FOXSPORTS.com's Andrew Lynch wrote the Lakers "proved what we’ve all assumed for years: This is a franchise without a direction, chasing whatever shiny object crosses its line of sight and panicking when things don’t work out." Lynch: "Making this decision now reveals just how myopic the Lakers are" (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/21). But in L.A., Mark Whicker writes, "The Lakers weren’t interesting anymore. That won’t do. Time for the return of the king" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/22).
TWITTER REAX: ESPN L.A.'s Arash Markazi: "She wasn't the only Buss member who believed these changes needed to be made." FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman: "Can't blame jeanie buss for axing incompetent brother. but what did communications director john black do wrong? true pro!" L.A. Times' Ganguli: "Nothing that happened yesterday imperils Luke Walton. @JeanieBuss loves him. @MagicJohnson loves him. They believe he's the right coach." San Diego-based XEPRS-AM's Scott Kaplan: "The @Lakers have just shown SD @Chargers of LA, when the kids aren't qualified to run a team, they can be fired." Fox Sports Radio's Jason Smith: "Jeanie Buss figured out the Lakers before Phil Jackson figured out the Knicks. Let that sink in."
