Dwight Howard is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he is still the subject of conversation in Lakerland. In an interview with ESPNLA 710 on Thursday, Lakers Executive Vice President Jeanie Buss was asked about the Howard saga, and she had some poignant thoughts about everything surrounding his ultimate decision to leave Los Angeles for the Houston Rockets.
Buss said that her father, the late Jerry Buss, probably could’ve convinced Howard to stay. In calling her father the “best closer in the business”, Buss said that if her father was still alive, that he and Howard would’ve had a better relationship. Unfortunately, do to Jerry’s illness and subsequent death, he and Howard weren’t able to formulate a strong relationship during Howard’s lone season.Jeanie went on to speak about the recruiting pitch for Howard, which in essence represented the new “Laker way”. She said that the old “Laker way” is no longer in existence being that Jerry Buss is now deceased.
Jeanie Buss also expounded on her reasoning for not showing up to the final pitch meeting held by the Lakers. She said that it would’ve been redundant for her to be there, being that her brother Jim Buss was already there.
Do you think that Howard would still be a member of the Lakers if Jerry Buss was still alive? Give your opinion here in the Lakers forum.