Riddler
02-21-2012, 04:13 PM
In the months leading up to the lockout, the Lakers got rid of assistant general manager Ronnie Lester and most of his scouts. Rudy Garciduenas, the equipment manager for nearly 30 years, was let go. Alex McKechie, a renowned sports science expert, was told to pack up and was quickly scooped up by the Raptors. International scout Adam Fillippi wound up with the Bobcats.
The list goes on. Longtime associates of former coach Phil Jackson were let go as the Lakers tried to "wash off anything that had touched" the decorated coach, a person with ties to the front office said. Brian Shaw, Bryant's preference to succeed Jackson, was interviewed for the job but came away with the clear impression that any efforts to associate himself with Jackson would "hurt him, not help him," a coaching industry source said.
None of these people, who formed what a longtime NBA executive called one of the best front office staffs in the league, was given the courtesy of knowing whether they would be brought back after the lockout ended. Some are still waiting for that phone call.
Joey Buss, another son of the owner who runs the team's D-League franchise, has moved into Jackson's old office. Jesse Buss, 23, who was arrested for alcohol intoxication in Lexington, Ky., on a "scouting" trip in December, has moved into Lester's former office.
Not that anyone supposedly doing scouting or other basketball work is seen much around the team's facilities these days. Jim Buss, who supposedly is the team's director of player personnel, is virtually unreachable -- including by me. He didn't respond to my request for comment through the team's media relations department, and his direct number is not listed in the Lakers directory that is distributed to teams. Even people who work in the basketball operations department have "no clue who's on the staff," said a person with direct knowledge of the organization's structure.
"It would be interesting to find out who's doing the scouting," the person said.
Kupchak tried to fight to keep his staff, and his efforts were appreciated by some and viewed as not enough by others. The GM is "on an island by himself," said another person familiar with the situation.
"He doesn't know who to trust anymore," said another.
The advance pro scout, Clay Moser, was brought on board by coach Mike Brown. Of the three college scouts listed in the Lakers' media guide, Ryan West -- Jerry's son -- is the only one with a résumé and a workload. The others are Jesse Buss, who's currently unable to travel due to an injured leg, and a guy known throughout the organization simply as "Chaz." His name in the media guide is Charles Osborne, and supposedly he's a nice guy.
"A good guy," said a person who has dealt with the Lakers' front-office dysfunction in various management roles with other teams. "Great bartender."
That's right, the book on Chaz is that he's a former bartender who also happens to be longtime friends with Jim Buss from their days in the horseracing business. But if you're looking in bars and racetracks, you're much more likely to find a sports writer to chronicle this circus than a viable trade option for Gasol...
...The Lakers are a mess, have been decaying for a few years now. Once one of the finest and classiest organizations in sports, it is no longer a fun place to work, to put it mildly. From the Odom salary dump to nearly the entire scouting staff being thrown overboard, pennies are being pinched at a time when the Lakers have entered a 20-year regional cable deal worth a reported $3 billion.
"For such a storied franchise, supposedly first class and all that, it's not what you think behind the bars there," said the person who has dealt with the Lakers as a longtime executive with other teams. "It's overrated."
And in trouble. And if Bryant was trying to wake people up -- "embarrass" them, as he told the New York Post in December when describing the motivation behind his infamous 2007 trade demand -- it was a good try. Kupchak is just trying to hold what's left of the organization together, putting out statements and putting out fires. But no one else is around to listen, and so this one might blaze for a while.
"The other GMs know what's going on," said one of the people familiar with the Lakers' chaos. "Jim has no relationships with other GMs, and they also know they're going to be able to swoop in there and do things [in trades]. This is a real critical time. The chances of Dwight Howard coming in there are slim and none at this point."
The list goes on. Longtime associates of former coach Phil Jackson were let go as the Lakers tried to "wash off anything that had touched" the decorated coach, a person with ties to the front office said. Brian Shaw, Bryant's preference to succeed Jackson, was interviewed for the job but came away with the clear impression that any efforts to associate himself with Jackson would "hurt him, not help him," a coaching industry source said.
None of these people, who formed what a longtime NBA executive called one of the best front office staffs in the league, was given the courtesy of knowing whether they would be brought back after the lockout ended. Some are still waiting for that phone call.
Joey Buss, another son of the owner who runs the team's D-League franchise, has moved into Jackson's old office. Jesse Buss, 23, who was arrested for alcohol intoxication in Lexington, Ky., on a "scouting" trip in December, has moved into Lester's former office.
Not that anyone supposedly doing scouting or other basketball work is seen much around the team's facilities these days. Jim Buss, who supposedly is the team's director of player personnel, is virtually unreachable -- including by me. He didn't respond to my request for comment through the team's media relations department, and his direct number is not listed in the Lakers directory that is distributed to teams. Even people who work in the basketball operations department have "no clue who's on the staff," said a person with direct knowledge of the organization's structure.
"It would be interesting to find out who's doing the scouting," the person said.
Kupchak tried to fight to keep his staff, and his efforts were appreciated by some and viewed as not enough by others. The GM is "on an island by himself," said another person familiar with the situation.
"He doesn't know who to trust anymore," said another.
The advance pro scout, Clay Moser, was brought on board by coach Mike Brown. Of the three college scouts listed in the Lakers' media guide, Ryan West -- Jerry's son -- is the only one with a résumé and a workload. The others are Jesse Buss, who's currently unable to travel due to an injured leg, and a guy known throughout the organization simply as "Chaz." His name in the media guide is Charles Osborne, and supposedly he's a nice guy.
"A good guy," said a person who has dealt with the Lakers' front-office dysfunction in various management roles with other teams. "Great bartender."
That's right, the book on Chaz is that he's a former bartender who also happens to be longtime friends with Jim Buss from their days in the horseracing business. But if you're looking in bars and racetracks, you're much more likely to find a sports writer to chronicle this circus than a viable trade option for Gasol...
...The Lakers are a mess, have been decaying for a few years now. Once one of the finest and classiest organizations in sports, it is no longer a fun place to work, to put it mildly. From the Odom salary dump to nearly the entire scouting staff being thrown overboard, pennies are being pinched at a time when the Lakers have entered a 20-year regional cable deal worth a reported $3 billion.
"For such a storied franchise, supposedly first class and all that, it's not what you think behind the bars there," said the person who has dealt with the Lakers as a longtime executive with other teams. "It's overrated."
And in trouble. And if Bryant was trying to wake people up -- "embarrass" them, as he told the New York Post in December when describing the motivation behind his infamous 2007 trade demand -- it was a good try. Kupchak is just trying to hold what's left of the organization together, putting out statements and putting out fires. But no one else is around to listen, and so this one might blaze for a while.
"The other GMs know what's going on," said one of the people familiar with the Lakers' chaos. "Jim has no relationships with other GMs, and they also know they're going to be able to swoop in there and do things [in trades]. This is a real critical time. The chances of Dwight Howard coming in there are slim and none at this point."