It's no secret that the Lakers aren't expected to be very good this season, and the prospect of making the playoffs in what could be Kobe Bryant's final year is a long shot, at best.
But when the guy running the team seems to have complete apathy about whether it makes the playoffs or it doesn't, it can't exactly be comforting to the team's extremely large contingent of fans.
In an interview with Sam Amick of USA Today, Jim Buss -- who is the final decision-maker in all of the Lakers' basketball-related matters -- was extremely candid in stating that he's focused on returning the team to a level where it can consistently compete for championships. And that means that a simple playoff berth isn't something which interests him at this time.
“(Jerry Buss) taught me for all these years, we’re always looking three to five years ahead. Right now, I’m not looking at this season…I don’t care about making the playoffs and getting eliminated in the playoffs. What I care about is getting the core players, because we want to get to the top, and the only way we can get to the top is to have the core players, get the free agents, have flexibility in our (salary) cap, and we’ll be there within three years. Not a problem. Boom.”
This is the right outlook to have. But to a certain segment of Lakers fans, it will undoubtedly come across as sending the wrong message.
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