Big things ahead for Jeanie Buss' Lakers, LeBron James?
LeBron James has been in Los Angeles for four seasons, making the playoffs only twice.
In his first season, they missed the playoffs. In his second, they won the NBA championship, and in his third, they lost in the first round to the Phoenix Suns. Last season, after an injury-riddled campaign intermixed with chemistry issues, the Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference and missed the postseason again.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently shared her thoughts on the upcoming season. First, she maintained that she expected her team to be "competitive." Second, she denied that a recent Twitter post in which she said she missed Kobe Bryant was some kind of jab at James.
"No," she said. "It was that my heart was full of sadness. You look to people surrounding you that feel the same way to commiserate. That’s all it was. It wasn’t intended at anything other than I had sorrow in my heart and I was trying to lighten my load."
She also gave some insight into her relationship with James.
"He’s the highest-profile player in the game right now, and he’s on our team," she said. "We’re one of the highest-profile teams in the league. That’s what people see because he draws so much attention. But I have relationships with all the players and all the agents. It just seems people want to focus on that relationship. He’s the most important voice on our team and our league."
On Friday's "Undisputed," Shannon Sharpe discussed what he believes Buss meant by her comments on James.
Jeanie Buss expects LeBron James, Lakers to be 'competitive'
"I think she answered a lot of the questions that we've been wondering," said Sharpe. "The most notable is what she tweeted. I think she was maybe having a moment like, 'dang, Kobe is really gone.' … I don't have a problem with what she said."
Sharpe also agreed with Buss' comments that while she has a good relationship with James, it doesn't match what her father had with Magic Johnson.
"I don't think we're ever going to see what Dr. Buss and Magic had," Sharpe said. "But she understands who and what LeBron is, and has a good relationship with him."
Sharpe added: "I thought she did a great job of explaining her thought process. This is new to her. Being around it, and actually being in it where you have to make the decisions is different."
Despite the Lakers' inconsistent stretch under Jeanie Buss, James has held up his end of the bargain on the court, averaging 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists last season on 52.4% shooting from the field.
