Why are people bashing Jim Buss/Lakers organization for the Laker mess?

[Random_Guy]

So the Lakers acquired Nash/Howard to have a starting lineup of Kobe/Artest/nash/Howard/Pau. Yes it failed terribly and the lakers became a laughing stock, but looking back now, it was a move of genious.
I hate the lakers as much as anyone, but put it this way, suppose the Heat big 3 failed to win any championships, would the organization get the criticisms or the players?
Simply put, imo the lakers are still a great organization, shit just didnt work out. Its true that the ****ed there future up, but imo its more important to win a championship then be years of contender but always falling short.

[red1]

I dont get it either. Its obviously 100% kobe's fault.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Because they could have had Phil Jackson and instead went with a guy that is arguably the worst possible coach to run the kind of slowed-down, inside-out post offense that LA needed to run to get the most out of Gasol and Howard. They had the most big man talent in the league and yet it completely failed to work. Following up that blunder with losing Howard for nothing, handing Kobe Bryant a completely unnecessary retirement bonus and finally stinking it up this season all leads us to believe that Jim Buss is not the right man to be running that organization.

[ZenMaster]

Because they could have had Phil Jackson and instead went with a guy that is arguably the worst possible coach to run the kind of slowed-down, inside-out post offense that LA needed to run to get the most out of Gasol and Howard. They had the most big man talent in the league and yet it completely failed to work. Following up that blunder with losing Howard for nothing, handing Kobe Bryant a completely unnecessary retirement bonus and finally stinking it up this season all leads us to believe that Jim Buss is not the right man to be running that organization.

Dwight couldn't score on offense without turning the ball over, and Pau..well go back and look at his defense at the 4 position last year, Lakers never had a shot because of that dynamic.

[MichaelCorleone]

Kobe's fault.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Dwight couldn't score on offense without turning the ball over, and Pau..well go back and look at his defense at the 4 position last year, Lakers never had a shot because of that dynamic.

And yet we've seen Howard score (he's not great at it but he is capable of getting points) as well as Pau play good d. A truly great coach, which is what a team with the best SG, best center and potential All-Star PF should have, would find a way to make it work. I won't argue the postseason because Bryant was hurt but do you think PJ can only get to the 8th seed with those three talents? Taking D'Antoni over Jackson is an inarguably bad decision.

[ZenMaster]

And yet we've seen Howard score (he's not great at it but he is capable of getting points) as well as Pau play good d. A truly great coach, which is what a team with the best SG, best center and potential All-Star PF should have, would find a way to make it work. I won't argue the postseason because Bryant was hurt but do you think PJ can only get to the 8th seed with those three talents? Taking D'Antoni over Jackson is an inarguably bad decision.

Yeah Howard after he's fully recovered, I knew somebody would say this "well he scores now", but I mean go back and watch games he played last year, it wasn't pretty.

Pau has played good D? Where did this come from? He's playing a bit better on that end yeah but that's because he's guarding other centers, and it's still pretty bad as in guys like Amir Johnson has had career night on him.
Pau guarding Bosh, Aldrige, Dirk, Griffin, Love etc would be just as bad or worse this year as it was last. He can't do it.

[Rooster]

And yet we've seen Howard score (he's not great at it but he is capable of getting points) as well as Pau play good d. A truly great coach, which is what a team with the best SG, best center and potential All-Star PF should have, would find a way to make it work. I won't argue the postseason because Bryant was hurt but do you think PJ can only get to the 8th seed with those three talents? Taking D'Antoni over Jackson is an inarguably bad decision.

This.

D'Antoni was not the right coach for the team. Jim Buss was trying to staple his mark by hiring him instead of Phil because of his personal dislike of the triangle offense but failed miserably. DAntoni system was just not the right fit for the personnel that they have for the team.

[Jameerthefear]

It's a combination of the organization/Kobe's fault.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Yeah Howard after he's fully recovered, I knew somebody would say this "well he scores now", but I mean go back and watch games he played last year, it wasn't pretty.

Pau has played good D? Where did this come from? He's playing a bit better on that end yeah but that's because he's guarding other centers, and it's still pretty bad as in guys like Amir Johnson has had career night on him.
Pau guarding Bosh, Aldrige, Dirk, Griffin, Love etc would be just as bad or worse this year as it was last. He can't do it.

Howard doesn't just "score now," he also scored a lot of points on the Magic. And Gasol has been a solid defender in the past, don't forget he was often the anchor for LA during their last 3 Finals runs. Guys like Dirk Nowitzki give every PF trouble. Regardless it's also undeniable that everyone is a worse defender under D'Antoni as defense is not something he coaches with any kind of real emphasis. That's another major reason why picking him over PJ was crazy. Both Gasol as well as Howard would have been more effective under Jackson as Jackson knows how to use bigs. D'Antoni really doesn't even like to play two true big men at the same time and often doesn't.

Bottom line, do you think the Lakers chose the right guy?

[gts]

Why are people bashing Jim Buss/Lakers organization for the Laker mess?

Because it's the easiest thing to do, people want to lump all problems into one big bowl instead of taking the time to dissect them one at a time

[ZenMaster]

Howard doesn't just "score now," he also scored a lot of points on the Magic. And Gasol has been a solid defender in the past, don't forget he was often the anchor for LA during their last 3 Finals runs. Guys like Dirk Nowitzki give every PF trouble. Regardless it's also undeniable that everyone is a worse defender under D'Antoni as defense is not something he coaches with any kind of real emphasis. That's another major reason why picking him over PJ was crazy. Both Gasol as well as Howard would have been more effective under Jackson as Jackson knows how to use bigs. D'Antoni really doesn't even like to play two true big men at the same time and often doesn't.

Bottom line, do you think the Lakers chose the right guy?

What Howard is doing now and what he did before doesn't matter because he left. His only year in a Laker jersey he wasn't fully recovered, again go back and watch him play whole games last year. He couldn't hold on to the ball when he got it, and couldn't/wouldn't set hard screens because of his back, I can understand that.

As for Pau. Again what he could do years prior doesn't matter because from those years he's gone from being in his prime to being in decline. He will never get back to what he could in 2010, father time always wins out. Pau was never a strong player to begin with as he plays off of skill, him becomming a very bad defender at the tail end of his career is natural because of his physical limitations compared to his peers.
Dirk giving everybody trobule isn't a real argument, he would give Pau a lot more trouble than he would Bosh, maybe not in 2010 but in 2013 and 2014 this is definitely the case.

[Real Men Wear Green]

What Howard is doing now and what he did before doesn't matter because he left. His only year in a Laker jersey he wasn't fully recovered, again go back and watch him play whole games last year. He couldn't hold on to the ball when he got it, and couldn't/wouldn't set hard screens because of his back, I can understand that.

As for Pau. Again what he could do years prior doesn't matter because from those years he's gone from being in his prime to being in decline. He will never get back to what he could in 2010, father time always wins out. Pau was never a strong player to begin with as he plays off of skill, him becomming a very bad defender at the tail end of his career is natural because of his physical limitations compared to his peers.
Dirk giving everybody trobule isn't a real argument, he would give Pau a lot more trouble than he would Bosh, maybe not in 2010 but in 2013 and 2014 this is definitely the case.

You're still not answering the question: Did Buss choose the right coach? D'Antoni has never been a coach that emphasized defense and he is also known for promoting smallball with lineups that only used one big. Jackson would get better d out of the entire team including Gasol and would better utilize Howard on offense even with the injury. There is nothing in D'Antoni's history to suggest he is the kind of coach that will get the most of twin towers, play tough D, and pound it inside. If he's not going to get the most out of his team how is he the best coach for it, especially when we can directly point at PJ as the option?

[longtime lurker]

So the Lakers acquired Nash/Howard to have a starting lineup of Kobe/Artest/nash/Howard/Pau. Yes it failed terribly and the lakers became a laughing stock, but looking back now, it was a move of genious.
I hate the lakers as much as anyone, but put it this way, suppose the Heat big 3 failed to win any championships, would the organization get the criticisms or the players?
Simply put, imo the lakers are still a great organization, shit just didnt work out. Its true that the ****ed there future up, but imo its more important to win a championship then be years of contender but always falling short.

It's obvious Howard was a cancer last season, but then again you have to question how smart it is to trade 3 draft picks for a 38 year old point guard. Hiring D'Antoni was just the nail in the coffin. The team would have probably done better without Howard and Phil at the helm. Nash is a wash, but those draft picks really hurt.

[IGOTGAME]

And yet we've seen Howard score (he's not great at it but he is capable of getting points) as well as Pau play good d. A truly great coach, which is what a team with the best SG, best center and potential All-Star PF should have, would find a way to make it work. I won't argue the postseason because Bryant was hurt but do you think PJ can only get to the 8th seed with those three talents? Taking D'Antoni over Jackson is an inarguably bad decision.

Let's not forget how Mike D ran Kobe in the ground for a 8th seed. Kobe would still be a top 5 player but for Mike D.