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Jim Buss believes Lakers have championship-quality team

PUBLISHED Monday, Dec 26, 2011 at 11:40 am EST

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Most league observers have not been impressed with the Lakers’ offseason moves. Their trade for Chris Paul was nixed, they shipped a disgruntled Lamar Odom to Western Conference rival Dallas for next to nothing and they’ve been so far unsuccessful in their effort to land Dwight Howard. Jim Buss, the son of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, is now calling the personnel shots for the team and is taking the blunt of the blame.

But Buss believes the team is well-positioned to make a run at another title.

Though others may disagree, Jim Buss, left, believes the Lakers are a championship-caliber team. (AP Photo)
"I think we have a championship team, and that's without making another move," Buss told the Los Angeles Times.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson disagrees, insisting that the team, as it's currently constituted, is not championship-caliber.

But, Buss said, "I'm not as worried about this team making a run for the championship as maybe everybody else is. I know people are shook up and especially after Lamar left, but give it time."

Buss says, contrary to suggestions, he has no intention of packaging Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol in a trade for Howard.

"Where does this stuff come from?" Buss told the Times. "You'd have to be kind of silly to give up two All-Stars like that for Howard. Zero truth to it. We have never been asked for Andrew and Pau and we've never offered them. I think they know we'd either say no or they would sound crazy for asking."

Kobe Bryant is among those who are less than pleased with some of the organization’s decisions, most notably the Odom trade. ESPN reported Bryant was "livid at Jim Buss."

Responded Buss, "What is Kobe supposed to say? 'Thank God, we got rid of Lamar'? Of course he's going to be upset; everybody is going to be upset. Fans are upset and I'm right there with them. I'm a Lakers fan and I'm upset.

"But it's a business; decisions have to be made. Lamar felt deeply hurt he was being traded (in the proposed Paul deal). I'd feel the same way. It was a bad day and we expected him to miss practice because it was a bad day. I'm sure Pau was upset too. But it was more than that with Lamar.”

Bryant, meanwhile, is quoted in the New York Post as saying, “Hopefully, management knows what it’s doing and will provide us with our missing pieces. Hey, I’m just a player. I have no input concerning anything that happens here. In fact, I learned we’d hired our coach from reading it online. I can’t remember the last time I had a conversation with Jimmy. Occasionally, I’ll cross paths with Mitch (Kupchak, general manager) and we’ll speak for a couple minutes about nothing really."



I had to bold that part because people keep on talking about Pau and Bynum for Howard, that is a dumb move and I'm glad at least the GM thinks the same

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.c...nba-trades#ixzz1hlbUXI1d