Infighting has always been a part of the Los Angeles Lakers' makeup. But while Dr. Jerry Buss was around, everyone knew that the internal strife would never represent more than a speed bump on the road to perennial championship contention.
Even when things got particularly bad—like they did when the rift between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal forced a franchise reconfiguration a decade ago—Buss steered the Lakers through a couple of stormy years and back onto a title track.
Now, Dr. Buss is gone. And the Lakers' stability went with him.
In its place, Jim and Jeanie Buss—the two heirs to the Laker throne with the most control over the team's day-to-day affairs—are acting like, well...a pair of bickering siblings.
Signs of organizational fracture started last year, when the Lakers fired Mike Brown just five games into the season. Under the late Dr. Buss, L.A. had always made bold decisions, but they were rarely so rash as the one that resulted in a pink slip for Brown.
The knee-jerk move belied a sense of panic in the front office, proving ...
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Article written by Grant Hughes