The Los Angeles Lakers have a long history of being one of the winningest franchises in the modern history of the NBA. They are tied as the most successful franchise in NBA history, with considerable periods of success throughout the history of the franchise.
One of the longest lulls in consistent success has come in the modern era, at the tail end of Kobe Bryant’s career. Jeanie Buss was named Governor of the team in 2014 and didn’t make the playoffs until 2020, when LeBron James and Anthony Davis led them to the championship.
In the 2 seasons since, the Lakers have been a first-round exit one year and missed the playoffs the other, marking a 2-7 record in making it to the postseason for Buss. Fans are furious at the decisions the franchise made in this era and criticized her for it on Twitter.
Jeanie Buss as Lakers owner:
2014 – missed playoffs
2015 – missed playoffs
2016 – missed playoffs
2017 – missed playoffs
2018 – missed playoffs
2019 – missed playoffs
2020 – NBA champs 🏆
2021 – 1st round exit
2022 – missed playoffs
2023 – ?????????????? pic.twitter.com/TvdX8l4EMN
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 14, 2022
— 🇦🇷🇦🇷🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐 (@LeGM__) November 14, 2022
1 hit wonder
— Jo (@AiyukwJo) November 14, 2022
Got a ring. For any other franchise that would be amazing
— Juan Columbie (@skippedwords) November 14, 2022
Shouldn't have kicked out Jerry West 🤦
— Kev (Rambling bout Arcane and LIS still) (@breakingdead1) November 14, 2022
https://twitter.com/LeGoatburner1/status/1591980349956947973
And they said lebron is the problem🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
— ShowTime™️ (@wohsekal) November 14, 2022
And magic is the reason they got lebron and AD😭😭😭😭
— ShowTime™️ (@wohsekal) November 14, 2022
Jeanie before and after taking over the team pic.twitter.com/QgmVpjSMaa
— luis ace (@luisace82) November 14, 2022
We won a ring, didn’t blow up in our face 😂 and how’s it not her fault? She hired and extended the GM. Anything that happens with the franchise is her fault
— LAKERS OVER EVERYTHING (LOE) (@thee1LOE) November 14, 2022
Jim Buss was running basketball operations until feb 2017. Please keep it 💯
— B ⚡️ (@BAP0824) November 14, 2022
In that short span. She’s won more than some franchises have ever accomplished
— Coach P (@HerLuckyKnight) November 14, 2022
Get ready for 2030 👀 pic.twitter.com/CEhcPzUEMS
— Bate (@Bateking59) November 14, 2022
So Jim Buss wasn't the only problem 👀
— Space Cowboy 🤠🏈 (@SpaceCowboy8894) November 14, 2022
All those missed playoffs are irrelevant. 1 ring in last 8 years, way better than 90% of the nba.
— song (@imshinya) November 14, 2022
It is very tough to evaluate the position Jeanie Buss has been in for the last 9 years. She had to manage working with Jim Buss, the end of Kobe’s career, which was plagued with injuries, along with the pains of a rebuilding roster. But her decisions in terms of management with Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson have cost the franchise dearly when they have a high-performing LeBron James on the roster.
Is A Championship Worth The Disappointments?
The 2020 Championship is the only reason Lakers fans haven’t mutinied against Jeanie Buss so far. Despite the narratives around the bubble, it was truly a tough championship to win. They lost their well-earned home-court advantage and played in a setting that broke the chemistry within many teams due to the challenging living conditions.
Most Laker fans recognize those conditions and the great basketball that was on display prior to the league-wide shutdown. Aside from that, it’s been bad move after bad move, exemplified by the Russell Westbrook trade that gutted the Lakers’ depth for an underperforming former MVP on the biggest contract in the league.
With the future looking bleak, it is on Jeanie to figure out how the Lakers will salvage the next few seasons with LeBron and Anthony Davis, or whether they will call for a rebuild soon.
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