All of the Los Angeles Lakers problems start at the top

All of the Los Angeles Lakers problems start at the top https://t.co/X3BAtBOIJP

— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 5, 2022

Who’s to blame for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ current train wreck? Fingers are pointed in many directions. The usual targets include Russell Westbrook, coach Frank Vogel, oft-injured Anthony Davis and general manager Rob Pelinka.

But the lion’s share of responsibility for the team’s fall from grace begins firmly at the top, upon the shoulders of team president Jeanie Buss.

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Although she admits she’s far from a basketball expert, early on Ms. Buss believed that her brother Jim and Kupchak lacked a sense of vision for the team. So in 2017, she hired her close friend Magic Johnson to provide counsel. Shortly thereafter, she took Magic’s advice and fired both her brother and Kupchak.

This provided Jeanie with a golden opportunity to make her own mark. It was widely anticipated that she’d hire a proven basketball executive to run the team and return it to glory.

Instead, she persuaded Magic to become the Lakers’ president of basketball operations even though Johnson had zero front office basketball experience.

Normally an individual in Magic’s position would then name his own GM. But Jeanie Buss surprised the basketball world by appointing Pelinka, who she had grown to like when he was Bryant’s agent, even though he and Johnson hardly knew one another.

That meant she had appointed two people with no previous front office experience and no prior working relationship to run the NBA’s premier franchise.

Magic Johnson’s viewpoint was simple. He firmly believed that the Lakers needed to bring in established stars to win a title. He had no interest in waiting for the talented collection of young players drafted by Kupchak and by Magic himself to reach their potential.

In his mind, the youngsters were merely assets to be used solely as chips to bring stars to LA. The first step in that process was clearing salary space to sign free agent James. Exit high draft picks D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.

Next Johnson aimed his sights on Anthony Davis. After being thwarted in his attempts to trade for him, Magic abruptly resigned in April 2019.

Once again Jeanie had an opportunity to bring in an experienced executive to help guide the Lakers. But instead, she stood pat and didn’t hire anyone new, leaving Pelinka to run the show.

Rob followed Magic’s philosophy about bringing stars to the team. Although he might have waited a year to try to sign Davis as a free agent, he chose instead to trade two #2 draft picks, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, along with other players and multiple draft picks for him.

As a result, the team was built entirely around the two stars, LeBron and AD. All other players were cast in supporting roles. That recipe worked to perfection the first year when the Lakers captured the championship in the Orlando bubble.

Davis and James were both superb in those playoffs, and supporting players Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Markieff Morris, Danny Green and others all played their roles extremely well, especially on defense.

But Pelinka believed the Lakers’ offense needed to be less reliant on the two stars. So in the 18 months since winning that 2020 title the GM completely blew up the roster. Only James and Davis remain with the Lakers. The entire supporting cast was traded away or not re-signed.

Last season, injuries to AD and LeBron played a major factor in the Lakers’ failure to repeat. During the offseason, encouraged by the two stars, Pelinka made his boldest move. In a controversial deal, he exchanged KCP, Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell for Westbrook.

Then, restricted by the salary cap, Pelinka filled the roster with mostly older non-athletic veterans. Some have retained their offensive skills but most lack the energy or desire to play much defense.

Right from the start, NBA observers questioned how Russ and LeBron would complement one another when each needs the ball in his hands to be most effective. And the experts further wondered how the Lakers could compete with an aging roster filled with players past their prime.

It’s true that injuries to Davis and others also contributed to this year’s dismal record, and the so-called “Big Three” of LeBron, AD and Westbrook have only played together in about 20 games. But even though Russ has averaged 18 points per game, his questionable decision-making and shot selection have led nearly everyone to label the trade a failure.

Most importantly, the team has rarely sustained a competitive winning drive throughout an entire game. Despite the efforts of Vogel, a notably strong defensive coach, the veterans have notably failed on that side of the ball.

In addition to being GM, Pelinka is now also the vice president of basketball operations. He made no big or even medium moves at midseason, which angered James. And once again rumors surfaced about his alleged poor relationships with other NBA executives.

Kurt Rambis, who also has no prior front office experience, was named the director of basketball affairs, and is believed to be influential in personnel decisions. His wife, Linda, a close friend of Jeanie Buss, is the executive director of special projects.

What will Jeanie Buss and the front office do to try to turn things around for the Los Angeles Lakers?

How bleak is the outlook for a team that has won barely 40% of its games this season?

This coming summer, for the fourth time in four seasons, the roster will once again dramatically change. Only four players, James, Davis, Talen Horton-Tucker and Austin Reaves, are signed for next season. The Lakers will likely exercise its team option on Stanley Johnson, and it’s assumed that Westbrook will accept his $47 million player option.

The Lakers will look to unload Westbrook and will likely at least consider trading LeBron and/or AD. Regardless of who is traded, the team will remain substantially over the cap, so once again they can only sign players at the margins. And they have traded away their first-round pick.

Jeanie Buss’ pattern is clear. She has surrounded herself solely with friends- Magic, Pelinka and Kurt Rambis. While it’s understandable why she would hire people that she trusts, she must now realize that cronyism isn’t working.

Jeanie is understandably proud of her father’s legacy. She passionately yearns for the Lakers to return to the top and appears willing to do what it takes to get there. But responsibility for the current Lakers mess lies with the choices Ms. Buss has made in her front office to run the team. To get the team back on a winning track, changes should be mandatory.

The time has come for Jeanie to bring in outside, experienced help. She needs to conduct a thorough search throughout the league to find the most qualified, knowledgeable NBA executive possible. Then she should hire that person to fulfill the vacant position of President of Basketball Operations to help rebuild the Lakers franchise.