The Tribune

By INIGO 'NAUGHTY' ZENICAZELAYA

Only one team really matters in LA in the NBA.

I’ve sat by patiently for the last three years taking my blows - hard and soft - as my Los Angeles Lakers are mired in rebuilding no man’s land.

Thanks to Jimmy Buss and GM Mitch Kupchack and their “genius” basketball operations decisions, the once proud Lakers must field teams built to lose rather than win, in an attempt to escape salary cap purgatory.

Previous inflated contracts to ageing stars past their primes and the whole Dwight Howard debacle only compounded the situation.

After the passing of Dr Jerry Buss, the Lakers organisation was left in the hands of siblings Jimmy and Jenny Buss.

Despite her much publicised relationship with coaching legend and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Jenny Buss gets it, Jimmy Buss not so much.

Jenny Buss focuses on the lucrative TV and Cable contracts as well as endorsements. Endorsements that allow the Lakers to re-tool and rebuild and be juggernauts for periods of years at a time.

Jenny Buss is keeping the Lakers relevant even though the product isn’t what fans and the league expected.

All the while Jimmy Buss and Mitch Kupchack continue to forge their own path in an attempt to escape their dynamic and highly successful predecessors Dr Jerry Buss and NBA legend and executive extraordinaire Jerry West respectively.

Bogus move after bogus move by this combination, coupled with David Stern vetoing the Chris Paul trade a few years back, forcing him to the Clippers, and here we are.

However, the irony in all of this is that despite the NBA, (David Stern in particular) trying to make the Clippers relevant, at the expense of the Lakers, they still are not. Nor will they ever be more relevant than the Lakers.

Unless you count relevance in the form of blowing a 3-1 lead in the series, a 19-point game 6 fourth quarter lead and then being outclassed in game 7 on the road putting up a paltry effort.

That relevance lasts only a few days in the sporting world.

Relevance is the Lakers 16 NBA Championships, and being one of the two most storied franchises in the history of NBA, and all of sports for that matter. (The Boston Celtics are the other).

Relevance is, despite not making the post season, the media is still covering your potential offseason moves, and wondering how you will fare in the draft lottery, with more fervour than teams still playing in the post season. (Yes I’m referring to the Clippers here).

Even though most teams that went 21-61 the previous season don’t garner media attention, the Lakers do.

The Lakers, when up 3-1 in a series, win. Period.

The Clippers, they become the “slippers” and slide right out of the playoffs. How can you blow a lead like that? And in the manner it was done. Unfathomable!

So with my fingers crossed, I await what becomes of my Lakers lottery pick, with one eye on the NBA playoffs, as soon as the Cavs are done Kevin Love is a Laker (only thing Jimmy and Mitch did right is clear cap space and give us big money to sign top tier free agents over the next three years).

Kevin Love this offseason and Russell Westbrook next. Watch and see (note to self, future I told you so opportunities lay ahead) the UCLA teammates reunion will be complete and the Lakers will be back on the road to real relevance and respectability and championships.

Oh, and the Clippers will assume their role as the “other” team in LA again. With their usual claim to fame being that they are not the Lakers and the next “racial” eruption from their Scotch guzzling owner Donald Sterling. (I must admit I live for Sterling to speak, he makes my job as a comedian easy when he does).

Even in our irrelevance the Lakers will always be infinitely more relevant and more of a factor in the NBA than the Clippers. The Lakers have forgotten more successful events in franchise history than the Clippers will ever achieve.

Until next week, keep swinging a big stick and may all your balls land fair!!

• Naughty presents ‘Mischief and Mayhem in da AM’ on KISS FM 96.1 from 6am to 10am, Monday to Friday. Comments and questions to naughty@tribunemedia.net

ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE NAUGHTY ONE

This week’s question comes from Tribune reader Theodore K.

Q: “Naughty, the NBA playoff picture is a lot different this season, what’s your prediction for the conference finals and championship series?”

A: Well Theodore this is uncharted territory for us all, even though I’m sure there are now a bevy of “longtime” Cavs, Hawks, Rockets and Warriors fans claiming how they knew their team would do it one day. Whatever.

I agree the basketball landscape has changed dramatically with virtually new faces across the entire board. The usual suspects are outside looking in watching the playoffs also. They are probably just as surprised as the lot of us with the final four teams left standing.

Eastern Conference:

Hawks over the Cavs. Everybody knows how I feel about LeBron and his overhyped legacy. The Hawks add to LeBron’s frustration when it comes to winning championships in this one. The Hawks play excellent team ball, the players have bought into their assignments and execute flawlessly. The Hawks have been cohesive all season, the Cavs have had their ups and downs, throw in the injury bug, I think it’s only a matter of time before it all catches up to the Cavs and the wheels come off!!

Hawks in seven games

Western Conference:

Big respect to “The Beard” James Harden and the rest of the gritty Rockets on their comeback. Reminiscent of those 1995 and 1996 championship Rocket teams. However the clock is about to strike midnight on Cinderella. The Warriors are young, focused, well-coached and hungry. Points should go up in bunches but when the smoke clears I like the Warriors. I don’t think Houston has anything left in the tanks after that gruelling 7-game series against the Clippers. Also for his role in the Lakers’ demise as we say in the Bahamas, “Dwight Howard ya gets nothing.”

Warriors in six games

NBA FINALS:

Barring injuries this should be a nice finals matchup on paper - Hawks vs Warriors. Both teams match up well, that’s on paper. In reality I think the Warriors have the edge, I also don’t think the Hawks can match the scoring output of the Warriors, so this will be their undoing.

Warriors in six games