What If... History Weren't: The Los Angeles Lakers

Welcome to the first volume of the BallHype Spotlight Series: What If... History Weren't. Tortured franchises and athletes surround us. The blogdome's best imagine alternate histories for their rooting interests. We've already looked at re-tellings of recent times for the New York Knicks and the Chicago Cubs. Here now is Kurt from Forum Blue & Gold considering a less successful start to the milennium for his Los Angeles Lakers. Enjoy.

After the Lakers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs in 1999 by the San Antonio Spurs, it was time for some serious talks and decisions in Lakers land. The two Jerry’s — owner Buss and general manager West — sat down and started talking about who was going to coach the Lakers the next season.

Kurt Rambis had the job as coach and had gone 24-13 in half a season, plus he fit Buss’ long-running mold for coaches — smart and cheap. While the Lakers had long lavished big contracts on their players, it was a franchise notoriously cheap when it came to coaches. (Remember, Buss hired Pat Riley straight from the broadcast booth and never paid him big money.)

When West first brought up Phil Jackson’s name, Buss’ reaction was, “out of my price range.” But a few weeks later at a meeting in San Diego Buss had changed his mind. Maybe it was media criticism, which was growing, but more likely it was Buss realizing that Jackson is the one coach in the NBA who sells tickets — and the Lakers were moving into Staples Center next season. Bringing Jackson in would increase season ticket sales and put people in those new seats and luxury boxes. The Lakers got their man (at $6 million a year, half of what he’ll make next year).

The rest is history — three rings, a legacy for Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers turned into the franchise other fans love to hate. But, what if Buss had never backed down from his original position? What if Phil Jackson had never come to Los Angeles? How would NBA history have been different? Let’s take a walk down hypothetical lane…

Buss likely would have stuck with Kurt Rambis as coach for at least another year (as was rumored to be his first inclination). Lakers insider and author Roland Lazenby said in a recent email that Rambis understood what needed to be done to get the Lakers over the hump, but making that happen was something else entirely.

“(Rambis) sensed that to keep his job he had to find a way to get Shaq and Kobe to mend their differences and play together. Kurt went to Shaq and said you can mend this situation, you're the older player, you can warm the situation and bring this team together,” Lazenby said. “He recalled that Shaq answered him with a cold stare.”

Rambis also never seemed to understand how to fit the veteran role players into his system — Glen Rice never seemed comfortable and Derek Harper was used inconsistently. It’s hard to say what would have happened under Rambis, but another 55+ win season followed by the Lakers losing in the conference finals to a very good Trail Blazers team seems likely.

Phil Jackson got Harper and the other veterans to be the glue that kept Shaq and Kobe working together as long as they did. Harris told Lazenby he thought that was something starting to grow on his watch that never came to fruition. I doubt it would have grown for any coach the way it did for Jackson.

But that was still a talented Lakers team with a still-improving Kobe Bryant. My gut feel, they would have gotten one championship (maybe 2002) but by the then the tensions between Bryant and Shaq that Phil Jackson was able to keep at bay for years would have flared up earlier. The Lakers would have broken up. 

The Portland Trailblazers would have a title, probably the Sacramento Kings get one as well. Rick Adelman is revered as a champion. Phil Jackson remains a few titles short of Red Auerbach. Jeannie Buss is an old maid (well, probably not that one). Jerry West is never driven away by Jackson’s games so he is still the GM and still puts together great teams, but nobody can coach them right and the titles never really flow like they should. And Lakers fans still remember the Showtime 80s at the last Lakers dynasty.

Keep track of the Spotlight Series at the BallHype hub or via the RSS feed. To get involved in future Spotlight Series, contact Tom Ziller.