Lakers President Jeanie Buss last week sought a restraining order against her brothers Jim and Johnny in their effort to oust her as controlling owner, and what everyone is now "trying to figure out is what the (Buss) brothers' endgame is here," according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Shelburne: "Is the endgame to seize control from Jeanie Buss or is the endgame to sell the franchise?" Shelburne said Janie Buss, the youngest daughter, told her the Lakers are "operating under the assumption that the endgame is that Johnny and Jim both want to be bought out and to take their money so they can remove themselves from the whole equation and live off the money that is their due." Shelburne: "The problem with that though is the trust is not set up that way" ("OTL," ESPN, 3/7). In L.A., Nathan Fenno reports the trust set up by late Lakers Owner Jerry Buss shows that the trustees shall "take whatever actions are reasonably available to them" to have Jeanie Buss appointed as the Controlling Owner of the team. A source said that tension between the siblings "has been building since last fall." The source added that scenarios including "buying out the brothers' stakes in the team or borrowing money on their behalf were discussed before the matter became public." The source said of Jeanie, "She needs to press her advantage, clarify this and get it out of the way. Ultimately, it comes down to money. If somebody wanted to buy the brothers out, I'm sure there's a price." Legal experts who have reviewed the trust "believe Jeanie Buss is well positioned to retain control of the Lakers." SI legal analyst Michael McCann said, "Certainly the trust ... is worded in a way that gives her a fairly strong endorsement" (L.A. TIMES, 3/8).
NOT MINCING WORDS: Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said the worse the Lakers' ownership situation is, "the better for me." Cuban: "The more turmoil with 29 others teams, the happier I am. ... I hope they fail miserably. I hope they fail horrifically. I hope Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka go down as the worst GM/President combination in the history of GM/President combinations. But I hope they live wonderful lives." Cuban said Jeanie Buss is "just special." Cuban: "She’s smart, she’s driven, she’s even-handed, open-minded. I have nothing but great things to say about Jeanie" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/8).
RIGHT-HAND MAN: The Lakers yesterday officially named Rob Pelinka GM, becoming the 13th person to hold the position in franchise history (L.A. TIMES, 3/8). CBSSPORTS.com's Jack Maloney wrote under the header, "Magic Johnson Has Found His Perfect Right-Hand Man In New Lakers GM Rob Pelinka." There is "no doubting his basketball mind, but simply being a great player doesn't automatically translate to success in the front office." The new CBA is "dense and there are plenty of rules to learn regarding the salary cap and other inner workings of a basketball franchise." It is "hard work to master that side of things, and while Magic is certainly capable, it won't happen overnight." Maloney: "The addition of Pelinka will let Magic be great" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/7). Former NBAer Kobe Bryant, who was repped by Pelinka before he took the Lakers GM job, tweeted, "No one knows the business of basketball more than @robpelinka" (TWITTER.com, 3/7).
