Dysfunctional Lakers need a single leader
Jeff Zillgitt: Chaotic coach search shows how far franchise has fallen
The Lakers have earned the nickname The Big Top from other teams. It’s a circus in La La Land.
Chaos within the organization reached another embarrassing level with the hiring process for a coach as those near and dear to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss continue to fail her. And with each wrong move, the team risks alienating LeBron James.
It’s a strange time when the Suns, usually mired in dysfunction, nail their coaching hire, and the Lakers look like a clown show.
The warnings came from Los Angeles and far from Laker Land. Pleas were public and private, imploring Buss to stop treating the storied franchise like a mom-and-pop shop.
It hasn’t happened.
Los Angeles botched the Ty Lue hire — whom many believed would be a good fit for James because of their championship history — and it doesn’t matter what side decided to push back from the table after they couldn’t come to terms on a contract. While both parties have moved on for now, they could always reengage.
Though Rob Pelinka is the general manager, Kurt Rambis, who played nine seasons in two stints for the Lakers and served as Phil Jackson’s assistant, was hired as a senior basketball adviser before the start of the 2018-19 season. Rambis has emerged as an influential figure in front office decisions, accord
ing to ESPN.
His wife, Linda Rambis, is a longtime close friend of Buss and works for the Lakers as the executive director of special projects. Linda and Kurt have been involved in the interview process.
So who’s in charge? Pelinka, who was Lakers great Kobe Bryant’s agent before moving to the team side of basketball operations? The Rambii? Neither Pelinka nor Kurt has extensive front office experience, and there are some around the league stunned that Kurt has obtained this much power.
What is clear? There’s no obvious line of authority, and there’s a fight to convince Buss what is right for the franchise.
Magic Johnson didn’t work out. Pelinka isn’t distinguishing himself. They crafted a flawed roster, butchered the Anthony Davis trade situation and fueled the chaos. Buss’ struggles to bring back Lakers’ glory has been far more difficult than she probably anticipated.
Say what you will about Lue, but he is a championship coach. The monetary offer — $6 million a season — was fine, but the length of the contract — three seasons — was offensive. Don’t blame Lue. It’s a lack of respect for a championship coach.
Tying the length of Lue’s contract to the years remaining on James’ deal was shortsighted. The Lakers gave Luke Walton a five-year deal, Sacramento just gave Walton a four-year deal, and Monty Williams signed a five-year contract with Phoenix. The Lakers, with their massive financial resources, should know better.
Plus, it was reported by several outlets that the Lakers wanted to dictate some of Lue’s staff. But forcing assistants on a head coach is ill-advised. Just as a GM wants to hire a coach and a front office staff, the coach wants to build a staff based on trust and familiarity.
Lue also has James’ respect. Why? Lue sees the game incredibly fast and makes advantageous adjustments on the fly. You saw that repeatedly during the playoffs. He knows defense and is deft at calling offensive plays after timeouts. James appreciates Lue’s basketball acumen. They won a title together in 2016 after Lue took over for David Blatt and then went to the Finals again in 2017 and 2018.
The Lakers misfired on Williams, who James would have been content with as a coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told USA TODAY. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the process. The Lakers botched the Lue non-hire and now run the risk of alienating James.
James has never wanted his fingerprints on coaching hirings and firings, but it makes sense to have your superstar’s approval. How perturbed James is remains unknown, but he gave insight when he talked about Johnson’s shocking departure.
“I came here to be a part of the Lakers organization, having a conversation with Magic (last summer) and really kind of breaking it down and saying how we were going to make this ‘Showtime’ again, and I wanted to be part of that process,” James said on his HBO show “The Shop.”
After leaving the chaotic situation he sometimes faced in Cleveland, I doubt he expected this with the Lakers.
Since Johnson resigned abruptly, the Lakers have watched the situation get worse.
Following Johnson’s resignation and Walton’s firing, it was on Buss, who is just about universally loved, to steer the franchise in the right direction. Make a strong move. Few take joy in seeing her struggle. So many want to see her succeed.
The lesson was obvious. Hire front office executives with a track record of success and let them run basketball operations.
The family and friends plan isn’t working.