Lakernoise

“I think how we make it through the year has a lot to do with it,” Jackson told reporters before a road game in Oklahoma City. “Dr. Buss put some things on the line by resigning Lamar (Odom). Some of it is financial … the team has never lost money since he took over, so yeah it’s a big part of it. I pushed him to sign Lamar, and we all said (that) we have to have this guy back. We put this team in jeopardy as far as financially, but at a time when it’s tough in this league (Dr. Buss) took the step.”

Jackson also acknowledged that the two sides are still kicking around a pay cut, and now he’s actually willing to listen (as opposed to earlier in the season when he left reporters with the idea that he was opposed to taking a cut).

“A pay cut can come in all different forms,” he said in his recent comments (which are provided courtesy of Elliott Teaford at the L.A. Daily News, http://www.insidesocal.com/lakers/2010/03/jackson-coming-back.html . “… there are some ways around that. I think we can find a way to make that work.”

POUNDING THE ISSUE

Obviously I’ve hammered this story here on lakernoise.com, which has led some to question why, others to roll their eyes. It has even prompted Jeanie and Jerry Buss to claim that I’ve overstated the internal conflict and debate for the Lakers.

I’m pretty unapologetic about it, however. I have not overstated it. My inside source, one that has long enjoyed a close relationship with Jackson and Jeanie Buss, has detailed for me the growing problem.

In writing about it, I haven’t been kind to either Jackson or the Busses. I’ve made every effort to expose their petty differences and their hard feelings.

Why have I done this, people have asked. Even my own sweet wife has questioned the sanity of doing it.

A reader named Greg left the following comment on the blog: “Roland, love your work and have all your books but damn man, this thing is stretching it a bit isn’t it? Without getting into a point by point breakdown, it just seems like this is essentially a non-story until the end of the season, doesn’t it? How many teams are there where the owner and coach roll out for a press conference in the middle of the season to address his situation for the next season?”

Greg, my wife, Jeanie Buss, numerous other people have all raised good points. Why the hell am I doing this?

In 1998, I watched all the egos and petty issues slowly tear apart perhaps the greatest team of the modern era, Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Jackson’s fight with team owner Jerry Reinsdorf and GM Jerry Krause ultimately robbed Jordan and his fans of the final two seasons of his career.

Basically, the whole thing came down to supersized egos and pure, unadulterated pettiness and bullshit.

It was really disgusting.

In writing about it in my book Blood On The Horns, I wished that I could lock all the parties in a room and get them to talk out their differences. I realized that my hope was naive and idealistic.

Success is an extremely potent liquor. It wrecked the Bulls. Jackson and Krause were drunk with ego. I learned that bullshit and pettiness can always trump accomplishment.

The same scenario was developing in LA LA Land. Those emotions were starting to surge, Jackson was feeling disrespected, and the Busses probably were too.

So I called them out on it in as ugly a fashion as possible. I just didn’t want to watch another truly fine basketball team, the latest version of the Lakers, get swamped by that foul air of mendacity, although after the ugly loss Friday night in Oklahoma City you could argue that’s happening anyway.

Maybe Jackson and the Busses really have declared a truce, maybe they really have dialed back the hard feelings and found common ground to ease the mistrust.

Let’s hope so.

I’m declaring victory anyway, dubious as it is. I forced them to speak out about their issues perhaps before those issues had a chance to wreck things. It’s not as good as getting them in a room for some frank discussions.

But it’ll have to do.

Roland Lazenby is the author of Jerry West, The Life And Legend Of A Basketball Icon, recently released by ESPN Books.