If you thought the only issues the Lakers were having were on the court, think again. According to a report from the Orange County Register, Lakers executives (and siblings) Jeanie and Jim Buss have not spoken since the team hired Mike D’Antoni instead of Phil Jackson to replace Mike Brown in November.
Jeanie is engaged to Jackson and has been with him for over 12 years. She runs the business operations for the Lakers while brother Jim runs the basketball operations.
Jim and GM Mitch Kupchak were in negotiations with Jackson to make him the team’s head coach (for the third time) before deciding to hire D’Antoni instead. Jackson was bothered by the decision because he felt like the team had given him time to mull over the offer, and he reportedly was planning to accept the gig.
The OC Register’s Kevin Ding places the nugget of information into a larger context; he wonders how the relationship between the two will impact the Lakers’ ownership. Jerry Buss, who has owned the team since 1979, is turning 79 and reportedly has left his share of the team (66 percent) to his six children. If the two siblings who have the most active roles with the team are unable to agree on the direction of the franchise, Ding speculates that they could eventually sell the team.
Chest bump to Pro Basketball Talk
