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Dave Mcmenamin
Los Angeles – In the days and weeks prior to their team, completing their agreement to land the superstar Luka Doncic, the governor of the Lakers, Jeanie Buss, knew the importance of maintaining commercial conversations with the Dallas Mavericks limited to a circle as tight as possible.
“It was really important for me that we did not exploit the team,” Buss said Thursday before the victory of the Lakers 111-102 over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “If it had leaked and the exchange would not have happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had done with the team. Because it is a great distraction.”
The General Manager of Mavericks and president of Basketball Operations, Nico Harrison, approached the Vice President of Basketball Operations of the Lakers and General Manager Rob Pelinka with the commercial concept on January 7 when the Lakers were in Dallas. The exchange was agreed up to 3½ weeks later, with Harrison, Pelinka, Buss and Mavericks owned by the only awareness of the discussions until February 1, when the agreement ended.
“The commercial deadline is part of the business. Increases the level of stress for all,” said Buss. “And I am really proud that it has not leaked and that we could execute trade in a way that was still surprising for all parties involved. But that goes with this business.”
Now that Doncic is a Laker, Bus is more than happy to shout on his acquisition from the rooftops. Buss spoke with journalists on Thursday to promote the new Netflix comedy series “Running Point”, inspired by her life by directing the team. Kate Hudson portrays the character Gordon Island, based on Buss, who is an executive producer of the project.
“Everyone thinks: ‘Did this exchange be performed to promote the program?’ I don’t think so, “Buss joked.
The acquisition of Doncic caused buses to reflect on two important movements of the past of the franchise that were different directions: the Pau Gasol trade with the Mephis Grizzlies in 2008, 17 years after the Doncic agreement, and the agreement for Chris Paul with the Hornets of New Orleans that was seen by the late NBA commissioner David Stern.
“There is always this concern, there will be a new decision that, as, what will happen?” Buss said that when asked about any violent reaction that his franchise could receive from the exchange that shocked the League. “But what I have full confidence in Rob is that he knows how to walk a deal through the step to make sure that everything is complete and buttoned, and that is exactly what happened.”
Beyond the vote of confidence in Pelinka for how he handled trade negotiations, buses also offered support for first -year coach JJ Redick, despite admitting that he initially had reservations on carrying it on board.
“I was worried about hiring a rookie coach,” Buss said. “This team is very important for this community and to bring a rookie coach who had no experience before, that was a great leap. But I knew that [Redick and Pelinka] They would work well together, and I love to see the progress they are doing. “
Although the Lakers have endured many ups and downs since the buses assumed the responsibilities of the governor of the team in 2013 after the death of his father, Dr. Jerry Buss, purple and gold are currently in a good place. After Thursday, they have won 14 of their last 17 games, they landed an international phenomenon in Doncic, and the buses took advantage of their call in Hollywood for the “race point.”
With the Lakers celebrating the “Night of Papa Girl” on Thursday, the buses were asked what her father would think about Doncic joining the team.
“I would be very proud,” he said. “When you get a player from that stature, you have to give up a lot. But it’s like, my father was a great poker player, and said he always wanted him to remember that the poker was a patience game. That you had to wait for the right cards, but once you got the cards zero to 100 and that you played the cards and you are not afraid to play. Therefore, it was not difficult because we were not difficult because we were not difficult to look You had looked at the treatment.
