Laker Fans See a Buss Heading Nowhere Fast

Jerry Buss, in his arrogance and stupidity, decided that breaking up the Lakers was preferable to losing Kobe. Well, be careful what you wish for. The Lakers are going to miss the playoffs, maybe sink behind the Clippers in the standings, and there’s no hope for next year.

I’ve watched the Lakers since they had Zelmo Beaty and Elmore Smith playing back in the 1970s. But Buss has made decisions that make watching this version of the Lakers almost impossible. He’d better hire Phil Jackson as general manager and coach or Buss is going to lose a lot of longtime Laker fans, Kobe or no Kobe.

Lawrence C. Ross Jr.

Inglewood

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We’ll never know, but I’d bet that if Phil Jackson had coached the Lakers this year, they still would not have made the playoffs. Furthermore, if Frank Hamblen had them the last five years, we’d still have three titles.

Richard De Santis

Tarzana

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Seems like it’s about time for The Times to discover that the Clippers are playing better than the Lakers. But no, in classic Times fashion, Saturday’s paper [March 26] noted that the Clippers had won again to pull within half a game of the Lakers on D4, and a story about the Lakers, who did not even play the night before, is in Column 1 on Page 1. Hey, even the parking lots near Staples have recognized the parity, charging the same now for Clipper and Laker parking.

David Davenport

Malibu

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With the Lakers’ salary cap, invisible defense, unmotivated coach, dysfunctional bench, rudderless starting lineup, paralyzed front office, carefree ownership, and the debate over who is actually the general manager, Kobe or Mitch, one question remains: How will the Lakers ever recover?

Thanks a lot, Dr. Buss. We are now the 21st century version of the Chicago Bulls after Michael Jordan retired.

Tarik Trad

Glendale

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Dear Kobe,

Your egotism has destroyed a franchise and created a scenario that is appalling to any loyal fan. The good that may come out of this is that the price of a ticket might drop so the average fan can watch a below-average team with an egomaniac who got what he wanted, the opportunity to be the star.

Lloyd Cohen

Fountain Valley