The Los Angeles Lakers are still dealing with the controversy of the recent sale and Jeanie Buss trying to keep her shares with the franchise. However, it appears that NBA drama was already taking place behind the scenes with the Lakers’ former ownership group butting heads. Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter bought a controlling stake in the Lakers and tried to implement changes similar to the baseball.
Dan Woike of The Athletic revealed today that many people in the Lakers organization had a huge issue with the new group pushing analytics too much:
“Multiple sources in different departments expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise under (new owners) Iger and Kushner. Some felt the Dodgers’ impact on the Lakers was pushing too hard toward analytics and doing so with an arrogance that turned off some people in basketball operations and the locker room. Those people weren’t upset to see a pathway for new management to come in, even if it’s a bit of a mystery and doesn’t have the track record of the Dodgers’ success.”
The Dodgers winning two straight World Series saw the owners trying to replicate that success with the Lakers, but there is one huge difference. Baseball has no salary cap to allow the Dodgers to keep adding All-Stars. The Lakers are limited in who they can add after signing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to huge contracts.
Lakers Became Part Of Current NBA War
The topic of analytics sees huge rifts in franchises when the important minds disagree. Most teams utilize analytics, with players like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passing both the eye test and the stats test.
However, it appears the Lakers new decision makers tried to make analytics the priority in a way that rubbed the established personnel the wrong way. Walker Kessler was a controversial addition this summer, but he also fits the mold of a player more hyped by analytics.
The pending change of Bob Iger and Josh Kusher owning the franchise could see that changing since the Dodgers’ influence will be lessened. Losing LeBron James will put more pressure on the franchise to win in the Luka era after making bold moves this past offseason.
Los Angeles Lakers Must Find Way To Win
At the end of the day, nothing tops winning and various roads can get you there. The Lakers must find the right talent and implement the ideal game plan from head coach JJ Redick to have any chance of success this season.
Buss family drama doesn’t impact the players on the court, but this story could get ugly heading into the season if the league doesn’t figure it out by then. Free agents like Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton will need to step up for improved depth.
Expect the Lakers to have a balance of analytics and general NBA knowledge running the franchise. Every team has analytics involved to some extent, but decisions should have all variables included. General Manager Rob Pelinka is the huge whose job is on the line when these players succeed or fail.
Dodgers Influence Created One Huge Problem For Lakers