A few events in the past 48 hours have me thinking. Mike D’Antoni’s resignation coming on the heels of some other news involving a former Lakers coach is enough to make me believe that now might be the best time for the Lakers to bring Jerry West back into the fold. The slate has never been more clean and who better to act as the team’s consigliere than Mr. Clutch himself?
On Tuesday, Zach Lowe of Grantland reported that Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson asked that Jerry West not attend practices or team activities. West was hired as a high-level adviser by the franchise’s owners not long after they purchased the team in 2011.
Even though Jackson has denied the report, saying it was both a ‘lie’ and disrespectful’, Jackson’s firing of an assistant coach and the reassignment of another in the last few weeks before the playoffs are enough evidence to at least leave open the possibility that Lowe’s report is true and that Jackson might be lying.
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It has been nearly 14 years since the last time West was a Lakers employee. He left the team just a couple of months after they won the first of three consecutive championships in 2000. Even though West admitted that the pursuit of Shaquille O’Neal in 1996 had nearly killed him, he never seemed to be a fan of drama or nonsense. That might explain why West wasn’t around for any of the bad blood or ill-will that transpired between Shaq and Kobe Bryant during their last few seasons as teammates. When hypothesizing about what the two of them might have accomplished had they tried harder to make it work, it was only natural to wonder if West’s presence would have been enough to resolve whatever conflicts they had.
If you think about the issues that might have resulted in West’s departure from the team, as well as the events currently surrounding both the Lakers and the Warriors, you’d have to think that the Lakers might be in a perfect position for West to return to a role similar to the one he currently holds with Golden State. The difference being that West, who still lives in Los Angeles, would have a much shorter commute.
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Lakers Nation Best Of: Top 5 Jerry West Lakers Moments
PAGE 2: Now Might Be The Perfect Time For The Lakers To Bring Jerry West Home
I’m not asking West to come back and run the team on a day-to-day basis or replace either Kupchak or Jim. He turns 76 at the end of May and probably doesn’t want to. I want him to continue golfing at Riviera whenever he wants to. I want him to be involved as much as he desires. At the bare minimum, show up to one weekly staff meeting and answer the phone when Jim, Jeanie, or Mitch need the opinion of someone who has probably seen it all.
Even though the Lakers current basketball problems are aplenty, it would be fair to say that the franchise is currently drama-free, at least when compared to most recent seasons. Jim and Jeanie have done a nice job over the past month of letting the fans know that they are on the same page with regards to their working relationship and the distribution of responsibilities.
It’s no secret that one of the reasons that West left the Lakers in 2000 was because he was uneasy with the relationship between Phil and Jeanie. The theory is that West didn’t think he could ever convince Dr. Buss to side with him if there was ever an issue between he and Jackson. West and Phil never had a social relationship. Not only did Phil make a habit of ignoring him, he also kicked West and Kupchak out of the locker room after a playoff game. According to West’s autobiography West By West, one of the reasons he left the team was he began to feel “under-appreciated and undervalued.” With Jackson having just signed a four-year deal to become president of the New York Knicks, West wouldn’t have to constantly feel the presence of Phil or his shadow.
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While I can’t speak or even theorize on how receptive Jim Buss would be to a West homecoming, Mark Heisler has written that Jim was supposed to apprentice under West in the late 90s, but he didn’t take the job seriously at the time. You can’t say the same about Jim now. He’s now one of the team’s owners.
As for Kupchak, he and West are still very close. According to a recent story by Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, “When Jerry West left the Lakers in 2000, Kupchak described him as “my mentor, my guiding light, my best friend.” In addition to that, Jerry’s son Ryan, 34, has been scouting for the Lakers since 2001, and shares an office with Jesse Buss.
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Lakers Nation Best Of: Top 5 Jerry West Lakers Moments
PAGE 3: Now Might Be The Perfect Time For The Lakers To Bring Jerry West Home
Of all the things that have given me reason to believe that West might be open to the idea, none were more convincing than what came out of West’s mouth when he guested on the Dan Patrick Show in March. In addition to crediting this year’s Lakers team for playing hard all season, calling out Magic Johnson for his constant criticisms (even though he didn’t mention him by name), and defending fellow West Virginian, D’Antoni, for doing as good a job as one could expect from a roster he felt wouldn’t have been able to compete, even without all the injuries they’d suffered.
“I watch the Lakers with great interest and I will until I part this earth,” West told Patrick. “Honestly, I root for them. I still want them to win. I know how difficult this season [was], but it’s part of the process of trying to rebuild a team that needs rebuilt.”
When asked what he thought of Kobe calling out the front office, here’s how he responded:
“I really don’t want to get into that. But if I were a player I would never say a word,” You’d like things to be like they were before. But time changes everything. Leadership changes everything. Jerry Buss was a great leader, but he also had the benefit of having some incredible players. They don’t have that kind of talent there today. People should let them try to rework this franchise and give them the opportunity without the constant criticism.”
Regarding Magic Johnson’s criticism, these were his comments:
“It’s easy to criticize when you’re on the sidelines to criticize. It’s easy for fans, particularly players and ex-players to rant and criticize everything they do over there. But it doesn’t help.”
Listen to the entire interview for yourself. The Lakers discussion starts around 5:02:
In just the few minutes in which they spoke about the Lakers, West seemed to have as good of a grasp on things as anyone affiliated with the team. I can’t really blame the front office for not wanting to engage in a war of words with either Magic or Kobe. It’s probably because they lack West’s gravitas. I don’t think the West’s answers would have been any different if he was still a Lakers employee. It’s akin to the difference between someone sounding like they’re giving you an explanation versus someone who sounds like they’re just making excuses.
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West has never shied away from a challenge. He accepted a job with the Grizzlies after a season in which the team went 23-59. The current state of the Lakers presents a challenge, but at least they’ve already gone through the really hard part. Armed with a ton of cap space, a lottery pick, a head coaching vacancy, and Steve Nash’s $9 million expiring contract, there’s plenty of work to be done. West doesn’t have to worry about feeling extraneous or redundant. His presence alone would be significant, no matter how much or how little time he’s around.
However, I’m not suggesting they put him on the payroll and give him a symbolic title just so they can put his picture in the media guide for credibility. It’s essential that he be given enough responsibilities so that he not only has a personal stake in the the team’s return to glory, but so that he legitimately deserves to share in the credit when, not if, it happens.
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Lakers Nation Best Of: Top 5 Jerry West Lakers Moments