In the months leading up to the lockout, the Lakers got rid of assistant general manager Ronnie Lester and most of his scouts. Rudy Garciduenas, the equipment manager for nearly 30 years, was let go. Alex McKechie, a renowned sports science expert, was told to pack up and was quickly scooped up by the Raptors. International scout Adam Fillippi wound up with the Bobcats.
The list goes on. Longtime associates of former coach Phil Jackson were let go as the Lakers tried to "wash off anything that had touched" the decorated coach, a person with ties to the front office said. Brian Shaw, Bryant's preference to succeed Jackson, was interviewed for the job but came away with the clear impression that any efforts to associate himself with Jackson would "hurt him, not help him," a coaching industry source said.
None of these people, who formed what a longtime NBA executive called one of the best front office staffs in the league, was given the courtesy of knowing whether they would be brought back after the lockout ended. Some are still waiting for that phone call.
Joey Buss, another son of the owner who runs the team's D-League franchise, has moved into Jackson's old office. Jesse Buss, 23, who was arrested for alcohol intoxication in Lexington, Ky., on a "scouting" trip in December, has moved into Lester's former office.
Not that anyone supposedly doing scouting or other basketball work is seen much around the team's facilities these days. Jim Buss, who supposedly is the team's director of player personnel, is virtually unreachable -- including by me. He didn't respond to my request for comment through the team's media relations department, and his direct number is not listed in the Lakers directory that is distributed to teams. Even people who work in the basketball operations department have "no clue who's on the staff," said a person with direct knowledge of the organization's structure.
"It would be interesting to find out who's doing the scouting," the person said.
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#5 is on its way.
This! As a Mavs fan, I can't believe after The Mavs fired Avery Johnson, they lucked into signing Rick Carlisle, while the rest of the league, National media, & NBA Fans slept on him. Dude is like the only current coach in the league that is on par with Gregg Popovich.
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