Fans were excited when Mark Walter officially purchased the controlling share of the Los Angeles Lakers from the Buss family last year. One of the reasons for the excitement was the concept that the Lakers would begin to operate more like the L.A. Dodgers, a team coming off two straight World Series wins.
The “Dodger-ification” of the Lakers was often discussed, and the process was already underway with some of the hires that Walter had made. However, Walter is now selling the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, an unprecedented moment in Lakers history. However, that change might be for the good, as it’s possible that some within the Lakers didn’t like the process the team was undergoing, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic:
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.
There are a few possibilities as to why a story like this would break. One is simply the surface-level truth, which is that people in the building were not liking what the Dodger-ification process was bringing and are excited that won’t be completed.
It could also be people in the pro-Kushner-and-Iger camp leaking excitement about new ownership given some of the legal battles that may be ongoing for them to land the team. And finally, it could be someone who never wanted Walter to take over the team getting a chance to speak their mind, knowing it won’t matter in the long run and Walter will be gone.
Regardless, there seems to be real optimism about the third Lakers ownership group in under 18 months.
Lakers not currently hiring high-end positions
The Lakers are refuting the concept that they are on a hiring freeze amid this ownership change and subsequent legal challenges. However, reports say that the team is definitely not hiring any high-end positions while the ownership of the team is in flux.
This wouldn’t be abnormal for any franchise, but the secrecy around it could be a cause for concern as the team undergoes several massive transitions all at once. But once the ownership transition is complete, there will be more clarity on what the front office will look like long-term.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
