The Los Angeles Lakers have always leaned in to their persona as the crown jewel of the NBA, and for the most part, it’s paid off.
After purchasing the team in 1979, Dr. Jerry Buss embraced their Hollywood personality to turn the ‘Showtime Lakers’ into one of the most successful and winningest teams in league history. However, with the announcement that the Buss family plans to sell their majority share of the team in the coming years, the franchise has come under more scrutiny.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranked all 30 NBA teams based on their front offices, and the Lakers were 22nd on the list. Quinn said the Lakers have had ‘a major problem’ over the past decade-plus with Jeanie Buss at the helm, and that their ‘star obsession’ has been a key reason in their lack of success compared to that seen in the 1980s.
“It’s pretty rare for a front office to reach its fourth head coach without substantial changes in management structure,” Quinn wrote. “That’s where the Lakers are. They lead the league in palace intrigue.”
Shots Taken At The Lakers
In what was just one part of his league-wide front office rankings, Quinn’s section on the Lakers read more like a hit-piece than analysis. He started by calling out ownership and Buss in particular, while also adding that they continuously have ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ when it came to decision-making.
“That has been a major problem for the Lakers essentially since Jeanie Buss wrestled control of basketball operations away from her brother Jim,” Quinn wrote. “While the Lakers will spend heavily on big-name players, they’ve never been known for extensive investments in things like scouting or analytics. Yet, when major decisions need to be made, there have seemingly been too many cooks in the kitchen.”
Quinn also credited the city, rather than the team, as a key reason for their star-driven success. They got LeBron James, who recruited Anthony Davis, who led to them trading for Luka Doncic.
“Most front offices would look better if they had those advantages,” Quinn added. “Where they’ve struggled has been in the more mundane elements of team-building that apply to all 30 teams.”
He also commented on the Lakers’ most recent moves to add Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart. Quinn said that both fall into the ‘big name bucket’ that might look good on paper, but are rarely the right basketball move.
“But there’s nothing sustainable about moves like that. It’s why the roster tends to be remade so drastically every year or two. They target high-risk, high-reward players hoping to milk surplus value out of them, but that surplus value is usually condensed into a short window,” he wrote. “The Lakers have a star-obsession, yes, but it extends outward as a talent obsession…This organization just doesn’t seem to think that holistically. It’s always about the next big name.”
Things Could Change Soon
As mentioned by Quinn, many of the issues he brought up could be an afterthought in just a few years, as Mark Walter will soon become the controlling interest owner of the team. Walter helped lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to historic heights as owner after purchasing a share of the team in 2012.
“There is real reason for optimism here. Mark Walter just bought majority control of the Lakers,” Quinn wrote. “Mark Walter also owns the Dodgers, who might be the smartest team in baseball and are very eager to spend.”
Quinn did credit the Lakers in what was a back-handed compliment, for their ability to scout young talent.
“The one thing the Lakers consistently do quite well is identify and develop young talent,” he wrote. “The trouble is that they so often give up on that young talent too quickly.”
For as long as the Lakers will exist, they will continue to be one of the most discussed, reported on, and followed teams in the league. Quinn’s analysis gave insight into a topic rarely covered for one of the most valuable sports teams in the world.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Lakers Blasted For ‘Star Obsession’ And Chaotic Decision Making appeared first on Heavy Sports.