Erick Boenisch examined me closely. A laptop was open and the screen reflected off his eyes. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“As you know, the Buss’s own this franchise. I’m here as their representative. You can take my word as their word.”
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.”
The room was well lit with a big window. My eyes wandered, observing impressive upholstery and furniture. It was bigger than my office.
“Let’s get down to business, shall we? As you know, we lost Dwight Howard to the Rockets, and with Kobe in decline, we have to look towards the future. We need young talent.” He leaned forward, the soft glow of the laptop tinting his face. “But this doesn’t mean we’re tanking. You were hired because you made a promise to bring us into title contention. Can I still trust you on that?”
“I don’t intend to break that promise,” I said. He seemed satisfied.
“Next year’s draft may be the deepest in ages. There is potential franchise changing talent in there.”
“Like a new Kobe Bryant?”
“There’s no one quite like Kobe, but if we can continue the Laker’s legacy of incredible players, this is the time to do it. We’ve extended the contract on Kobe, so I know your salary cap situation is less than ideal. We might not be able to make a free agent splash, so it’s imperative to get a good draft pick.”
“While still contending for the title?”
“Do whatever you have to. Make some trades. I don’t care. We need a good pick.” It was an unreasonable demand, but the Lakers were known for pulling off the impossible.
“That’s a tough sell, but I’ll see what I can do.”
“For the next goal, I know you can’t do much about this since it’s up to the coaching staff and players, but we need wins. We may be the most profitable franchise in the league, but the only profit we recognize are wins. Put together a roster that can do that for us. I want at least twenty W’s at Staple Center.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I don’t expect much trouble with this one, but sell out at least fourteen home games.”
“No problem. We have the best fans in the world. Anything else?”
“You’re new, so that’s all I got for now. Don’t worry though; I’ll be sure to think up new goals as we advance in the season. Now it’s my turn to ask what you want.”
This was my moment. I cleared my throat and ran things through my head. “We need to invest in our players. Can I trust that no expense will be spared?”
“That depends. What are you thinking?”
“Today’s NBA is a different league. Stats dominate the discussion. We need better equipment and software to analyze the potential and effectiveness of players.”
“Spoken like a true product of the numbers generation. You have something specific in mind?”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to build all of it by the end of this year, but the investment will put us ahead of the competition by years. It will also make our franchise more attractive to prospective agents. First, we should have a player lounge to keep up morale. A recovery facility should help prevent injuries. Last season was plagued by injuries. I think injury prevention is absolutely vital to our success going forward.”
“Players aren’t as durable as they used to be.”
“I want our players to be stronger, faster, and smarter. We should put together a new center using the latest research in sports science. It won’t just be for our athletes, it could be for anyone. I’m talking about a state of the art facility for maximizing player potential.”
“Sounds like you’ve already planned for this.”
“I’ve put together building designs, prospective staff—all experts in their field, along with the projected budget.”
“Intriguing. Send it to me when you get the chance. If it’s as great as you say, it might become an alternate revenue source. I’ll have the Buss’s look over the proposal. Ultimately, they control the purse strings. Anything else?”
“That’s all.”
“Good meeting. Update me by the end of the month. I’ll let you know if they’ll green light the projects.”
“Thank you.”
Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant had been a potent combination for the last few years, but it was clear that wasn’t enough anymore. Our scouting department had gotten lazy since they weren’t critical to our success. The departure of Dwight Howard was a big blow for our franchise. We needed to show the league that the Lakers are still the prime spot for the best players. If we couldn’t make a splash during free agency, then we’d do it in the draft.
Head of our scouting department was Ronald Hamlin. Although he did his best with our low draft picks, it was time for someone hungrier with something to prove. I let him go and replaced him with Ryan Lantz, an up and coming scout with an exceptional eye for talent, and signed him to a three-year contract.
“Ryan, I want to know who the superstars are going to be before the world does. Can I trust you to find the best prospects?”
“Just leave it to me, Jo.”
“Your department’s going to be a huge part of our success in the coming years. That’s why I signed you for three of them. I’m looking forward to the results.”
To maximize our profit, I made minor changes to the pricing of parking, concessions, and souvenirs.
We couldn’t tank this year, which meant we had to trade for a draft pick. I made some bold moves before the season started. I traded Wesley Johnson for the Jazz’s first round pick.
Next, I sent Kendall Marshall and Steve Nash to the Suns for Eric Bledsoe and their 2015 second round pick. Normally, they would never accept it, but I convinced them that a player as great as Nash should retire in Phoenix. I’m sure their medical staff could squeeze out a miraculous final season from him too.
I was going all in for this next transaction. I gave up my first round picks for both 2014 and 2015 for the Piston’s 2014 first rounder. For this season, I hope to god that the Pistons and Jazz fail spectacularly. If worse comes to worse, I’m putting Bledsoe on the trading block for picks. Thankfully, none of the picks are lottery protected.
With a dynamic young player like Bledsoe in our starting lineup, I hoped to squeeze just a little more juice out of the Gasol-Kobe combo. What I really wanted was a big man to control the paint, but this should be enough for now.
