Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 11:00 am  |  33 responses

Jerry Buss Is Ready to (Cautiously) Open Up His Checkbook

by Marcel Mutoni

In Laker-land these days, there’s an eerie calm to the proceedings. It’s perfectly jarring, to be honest with you.

The team is winning with machine-like efficiency, there are no injuries to worry about, guys are accepting roles, and everyone’s getting along swimmingly. Just what in the hell is going on here? I have no idea, but team owner Jerry Buss seems content with things, and is ready to open up his wallet to keep the good times rolling. Well, sort of.

From the LA Times:

“I think Kobe very definitely understands how hard I made the effort to get sufficient talent to win,” Buss said. “I was talking to him on the phone right as the Pau Gasol [trade] came through, and he said, ‘Wow, I can go win with this now.’ I think Kobe and I get along pretty well.”

Well enough to open the vault again if Bryant leaves $47.8 million on the table and rips up his contract after this season? “We really don’t address those issues until they come up because we don’t know what the environment is, but we can’t afford to lose Kobe,” Buss said.

Though it had virtually no effect on his team at the start of the season, when discussing the money Bryant would command once he opts out and becomes a free agent this summer, Buss kept alluding to the crippled economy. Good luck using that one during the negotiations, Jerry.

Buss also said he doesn’t foresee Phil Jackson walking away after his current deal expires, and has no qualms with paying the luxury tax if it ensures a winning product.

All of this care-free optimism is making me queasy. These aren’t the Lakers I know and love.

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  • mike Posted: Nov.10 at 11:11 am
    Am I first?

  • TADOne Posted: Nov.10 at 11:11 am
    We need more of Andrew “making it rain”.

  • real deal Posted: Nov.10 at 11:11 am
    if they take it this year,kobe should go to greece for one year at 35 mil, tax free. cant be mad at that

  • B. Long Posted: Nov.10 at 11:12 am
    Kobe ain’t going nowhere. Trust me, we had a meeting and everything.

  • mike Posted: Nov.10 at 11:13 am
    Yes! This is probobly getting old already now that I’m doing it. buss should give Kobe whatever Kobe wants, unless bus wants to try for LeBron. I’d roll the dice on LeBron.

  • James the balla Posted: Nov.10 at 11:14 am
    first … im probly to late

  • Simon S.Y Lawy Posted: Nov.10 at 11:33 am
    Kobe rains the hundred dollar…, what about that, bynum…

  • riggs Posted: Nov.10 at 11:45 am
    if kobe is this team player that every laker fans keeps rambling about, he would go the tim duncan route no?

  • Anton Posted: Nov.10 at 12:05 pm
    I need Shaq’s perspective on this

  • Diggy Posted: Nov.10 at 12:48 pm
    He’s the best player in the game. Give him your daughter. Oops Phil jax already beat you to it…

  • jay Posted: Nov.10 at 1:48 pm
    kobe deserves whatever he wants…i remember towards the end of his playing days..mj got 1 year 30 mil deals? if that does not go against the cap maybe jerry buss can do something like that…otherwise maybe jack nicolson cud give kobe something to make up the difference?? he is still in his 135 mil deal correct from 2004??

  • underdog Posted: Nov.10 at 1:49 pm
    So no LeBron for LA in 2010?

  • Donn Posted: Nov.10 at 2:55 pm
    Lebron in LA would be crazy…Kobe, Lebron, Bynum, Gasol….Buss would probably would have to pay like ninety million dollars of luxury tax but i would do it….then again, it’s not my money..

  • B. Long Posted: Nov.10 at 3:09 pm
    If Lebron took less money to go to the Lakers(Or any team with a solid nucleus) I would take back everything I ever said about him being more worried about his corporate status than his NBA one.

  • 007 Posted: Nov.10 at 3:50 pm
    money money money..can’t get enough of it.

  • 007 Posted: Nov.10 at 3:51 pm
    money money money..can’t get enough of it.
    Wish MJ and Pip were born a little later.Like in d 80′s.

  • Josh D Posted: Nov.10 at 3:55 pm
    Kobe and Lebron going over to Europe is a load of Bullsh*t the clubs over there don’t have that kind of money

  • witness Posted: Nov.10 at 3:59 pm
    so will he extend phil jackson or are we gonna have to read another final season book?

  • Crook Posted: Nov.10 at 5:19 pm
    If Buss didn’t care about the luxury tax then he’d keep Bryant and go for James. Mr. Money bags can have Jack N and the rest of the Red Carpet fans pitch in. lol

  • DD Posted: Nov.10 at 6:13 pm
    the lakers need a point guard thats no too expensive, i think marbury would be a decent pick if he can get his game back on track, he is not too expensive and he can score 12-15 points easily a night and he can also help lamar odom get on track

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Nov.10 at 6:20 pm
    So he wants to tear up the remaining $47 million in order to what, sign another five-year max deal to take him to the end of his NBA career? Something like that? Why not just wait and re-sign after this one expires? He’ll only be 32, and he’s already made (according to BR) $127 million over the course of his career. It’s not like he really needs “security.”

  • B. Long Posted: Nov.10 at 6:42 pm
    ^Ditto.

  • Nikos Xatzivretas Posted: Nov.10 at 7:23 pm
    In his latest interview P.Angelopoulos said that there is no serious propability that Olympiakos will make such a move next summer cause it is irrational as he said. On the other hand he almost promised that next summer we will get a player more expensive than Josh…

  • B. Long Posted: Nov.10 at 8:22 pm
    @Nikos: Please take J.R. Smith.

  • Kobe Bryant Posted: Nov.10 at 10:41 pm
    Relax everybody I ain’t going nowhere, I might rip up my cantract and sign 200 million dollar deal to take me through the rest of my career, after all the economy is bad and I need to feed my family besides I’m gonna win like 6 more chips after this year anyway. Peace

  • e.m. Posted: Nov.10 at 11:45 pm
    what’s up with kobe’s pinky and knee, is the man invincible?!

  • Dacre Posted: Nov.11 at 12:43 am
    jay says:
    kobe deserves whatever he wants…i remember towards the end of his playing days..mj got 1 year 30 mil deals? if that does not go against the cap maybe jerry buss can do something like that…otherwise maybe jack nicolson cud give kobe something to make up the difference?? he is still in his 135 mil deal correct from 2004??
    _______________________________________________
    A team can RE-sign their own player for any amount of money… just once it goes over a certain amount it excedes the salary cap (the amount for the TOTAL wages paid to all players). I’m sure if they win this year – that will be a better bargaining chip for Kobe than the economic down-turn is for Buss.
    Suns all the way however.

  • chintao Posted: Nov.11 at 1:16 am
    @ Russ ==> At this level, the money is a proxy for respect. Kobe’s just the kind of insecure egomaniac that needs to be shown the respect that he feels is due.

  • chintao Posted: Nov.11 at 1:18 am
    @ real deal ==> There’s almost no such thing as tax-free money for a U.S. citizen. No matter where you earn, Sam’s taking his cut.

  • Ball Dont Lie Posted: Nov.11 at 7:13 am
    Mcdyess

  • 007 Posted: Nov.11 at 5:44 pm
    Taxes are for d sane. Who uses it however isn’t always.

  • Dacre Posted: Nov.11 at 9:19 pm
    shaken not stirred…?

  • Bryan D Posted: Nov.12 at 10:06 am
    Relax everybody dont dout them they have a good team they might just do something like win a CHAMPIONSHIP

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