Lakers’ George Mikan jersey retirement ceremony had 2 notable absences

Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Bulls won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers management appeared to be ducking the smoke on Sunday night.

The Lakers held a ceremony before Sunday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets to officially retire the late great George Mikan’s No. 99 jersey. Interestingly enough, the team chose James Worthy as the master of ceremonies for the evening.

Jersey retirement ceremonies of this nature are usually conducted by the owner and/or the general manager of the franchise. But neither Lakers owner Jeanie Buss nor GM Rob Pelinka were present for the ceremony. Those on Twitter noted how telling the two prominent absences were.

Granted, it was probably the right call for both Buss and Pelinka to sit this one out as they were expected to be booed to Jupiter had they showed. It would have been a major embarrassment and a travesty if boobirds had overshadowed the long-overdue honor for the Hall of Famer Mikan, who died in 2005. Fortunately though, that did not happen with a universally-respected Lakers figure like Worthy conducting the ceremony instead.

At some point however, Buss and Pelinka will have to face the reality that the Lakers are still looking for their first win of the season and that the fans (rightfully) blame them for the team’s struggles. That is why many believe that a big move could be on the horizon for the Lakers (perhaps for this recently-rumored trade target).