LA Times has an article on Lakers possibly moving back to the Forum
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:17 am    Post subject: LA Times has an article on Lakers possibly moving back to the Forum

unfortunately LA Times needs an account nowadays to view the entire article, can someone take a look?

i'll be speechless if this is true. scary thing is this is not that far fetched knowing the Buss kids have always stuck in the past glories. next thing you know they'll bring back 80's theme every home game.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:19 am    Post subject:

Could be a Ballmer move but don't the owner of Staples Center own part of Lakers too?
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:27 am    Post subject:

governator wrote:
Could be a Ballmer move but don't the owner of Staples Center own part of Lakers too?


no way, Balmer will move into a brand spanking new Inglewood arena, not that dump called The Forum.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:31 am    Post subject:

Quote:
The day before the Clippers announced plans to explore building an arena in Inglewood, business mogul Irving Azoff floated an idea to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and top advisor Linda Rambis about a move that could undercut the Clippers and prompt a seismic shift in the Los Angeles sports landscape.

“Heres my dream,” Azoff emailed Buss and Rambis on June 14, 2017. “Rebuild the forum from scratch. Lakers plus music. boom.”

The Lakers now say that vision won’t be realized, and they are believed to be discussing an extension to their Staples Center lease that runs through the 2024-25 season.

“MSG approached the Lakers about the possibility of returning to the Forum following the end of our Lease at Staples Center in 2025, but nothing came from the discussions,” the team said Wednesday in a statement.

But the emails obtained by The Times reveal the depth of the business competition between L.A.’s two NBA teams, and that Buss didn’t hesitate to discuss a move that would have left Staples Center — and downtown Los Angeles — without its marquee tenant.

Excerpts of emails that were part of the discovery in Madison Square Garden's lawsuit against Inglewood show a 2017 conversation between Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, team executive Linda Rambis and MSG associate Irving Azoff. The highlighted portions are reproduced below. (The Los Angeles Times)

Buss responded a half-hour later to the email from Azoff, who has close business ties with the Forum and its owner, Madison Square Garden Co., the New York-based sports and entertainment giant.

“I think about the vision you and [wife] Shelli had when you re-imagined the Forum and how you made it happen,” Buss wrote. “I believe you can do anything.”

Rambis chimed in: “That’s an incredible dream count me in!”

The Forum was home to the Lakers starting in 1967, after the franchise played seven years at the Sports Arena following the 1960 move from Minneapolis. The team won six NBA championships at the Forum before moving to Staples Center in 1999.

The emails are among tens of thousands of documents produced during discovery in MSG’s lawsuit against Inglewood in L.A. County Superior Court over the potential Clippers arena. MSG claims Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. tricked the company into terminating its lease to use city-owned land for parking in order to clear the way for the arena. The mayor denies the allegation.

In a statement, MSG said it “approached the Lakers about the possibility of repurposing the Forum in the future to accommodate basketball once again, but ultimately nothing came of it.”

Participants in the email thread between Azoff, Buss and Rambis refer to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer as “Ballz” or “Balls,” express shock about his plan to build an arena, and appear to mock the chances for success.

“We were blind sided and not involved in the process,” Azoff emailed Buss and Rambis on June 14, 2017. “It’s a long way to fruition but we should talk about how it impacts the lakers, forum, etc.!”
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:34 am    Post subject:

^^^thank you for posting
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:34 am    Post subject:

Lakers' lease is up in 2024 I think.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:35 am    Post subject:

they refer to Ballmer as "ballz" in email communication
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:37 am    Post subject:

the rest of article

Quote:
After discussing former Lakers player, coach and executive Jerry West joining the Clippers front office, Buss savaged the potential arena.

“They are all crazy,” she wrote. “This is a joke. Why would Adam let this happen?”

“Adam” is presumably NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

“He has no vote unfortunately,” Azoff responded. “It will be a long legal fight.”

Buss used a nickname for Azoff when she wrote back.

“We need to see you Nugget!!” she wrote. “Didn’t Ballz see what we did to my brother?? He will have nothing but Clippers basketball. Whoopee.”

(2) This 2017 email excerpt, part of the discovery in Madison Square Garden's lawsuit against Inglewood, is between Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, team executive Linda Rambis and MSG associate Irving Azoff. It comes as the Clippers were set to announce plans to build an arena in Inglewood:
>>>>
>>>>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 6:50 PM, Irving Azoff wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Ghost town! I'm in ny. Back next week.
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 9:48 PM, Jeanie Buss wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We need to see you nugget!! Didn't Ballz see what we did to my brother?? He will have nothing but Clippers basketball. Whoopee.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>>

The “brother” reference hints at the dispute between Buss and her brothers Jim and Johnny over control of the Lakers that spilled into public view earlier that year. Buss fired Jim as vice president of basketball operations, called him “completely unfit” in a court filing and the brothers eventually agreed under legal pressure that their sister would serve as the team’s controlling owner for the rest of her life.

Azoff later emailed Buss a prediction about the potential Clippers arena: “Ghost town!”

The conversation turned to the Forum. The Lakers have shared the Anschutz Entertainment Group-owned Staples Center with the Clippers and Kings since 1999. Further complicating the relationship is the ownership structure: the Buss family owns 66% of the Lakers while AEG controls 27%. The company also has the first right of refusal to purchase the Lakers if they are sold. (Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is another minority investor, owning less than 5% of the team.)

An AEG spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment.

MSG purchased the Forum in 2012 and invested more than $100 million in transforming the venue into a destination for concerts, award shows and entertainment other than big-time professional sports.

Azoff asked Buss in an email when the Lakers’ lease was up, speculated on where they might go, and noted that AEG chairman Phil Anschutz could be “an impediment.” Azoff theorized if the Lakers ended up in Inglewood, the move “would force ballz and phil back together and staples.”

When Buss replied that the lease at Staples would expire in 2025, Azoff wrote: “Just around the corner!”

He expanded on the idea of the Lakers returning to the Forum in a subsequent email, writing that “Jd” — MSG executive chairman and CEO James Dolan — “loves the idea too.”

“We will either keep it exactly as it is or build a beautiful new building for lakers and music,” Azoff continued in the email to Buss. “We have years to decide but we are going to design it now anyway just in case.

“Our experts say there is zero chance balls can build on the other site and century [boulevard] can’t handle the extra traffic. We are nearly positive it’s a non starter.”

(1) Emails that were part of the discovery in Madison Square Garden's lawsuit against Inglewood show a 2017 conversation between Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, team executive Linda Rambis and MSG associate Irving Azoff about a potential Lakers return to the Forum:
>> -----Original Message -----
>> From: Jeanie Buss
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 8:27 PM
>> To: Irving Azoff
>> Cc: Linda Rambis
>> Subject: Re: RE: RE: RE: RE:
>>
>> 2024/2025 season is last.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 8:21 PM, Irving Azoff wrote:
>>>
>>> Whens your lease up. ? I know dodger had been discussed but the neighbors there are already up in arms about four concerts a year. I think entitlements there would take forever. I know phils an impediment too! This would force ballz and phil back together at staples.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message -----
>>> From: Jeanie Buss
>>> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2017 8:17 PM
>>> To: Irving Azoff
>>> Cc: Linda Rambis
>>> Subject: Re: RE: RE: RE:
>>>
>>> I think about the vision you and Shelli had when you re-imagined the Forum and how you made it happen. I believe you can do anything.
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On Jun 14, 2017, at 7:47 PM, Irving Azoff wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Heres my dream. Rebuild the forum from scratch. Lakers plus music. boom
>>>>

In a deposition taken last year in the MSG lawsuit, Azoff testified that Dolan supported “the idea of selling the Lakers half the Forum.”

The Clippers want to build an arena on about 22 acres of vacant land across West Century Boulevard from the 298-acre development centered on the new stadium for the Rams and Chargers. The arena project, the subject of a three-year exclusive negotiating agreement between the Clippers and Inglewood, is under environmental review.

Ballmer has said one of the reasons for the possible move is that he wants the Clippers to control their home dates — they get third pick at Staples Center — in an arena designed for basketball.

It isn’t clear from the emails, or Azoff’s deposition, how serious the discussions with the Lakers were or whether they continue.

But during the deposition on July 31, 2018, Azoff testified he had asked Lon Rosen, chief marketing officer for the Dodgers, to help woo the Lakers. Rosen didn’t respond to a request for comment.

“This is the start of what I’ll call the marketing effort to convince the Lakers to come to Inglewood,” Azoff testified. “He’s a key adviser.”

Asked about Rosen’s role, Azoff said he was “mostly making his feelings felt that it would be a good move for the Lakers to go.”
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:39 am    Post subject:

Ugh
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:39 am    Post subject:

Staples will be 25 years old - no longer cutting edge/state of the art - when the lease runs out. The team is smart for looking at options. The ideal outcome is for AEG to do major renovations at Staples, but they likely won't rush to do them unless the Lakers have somewhere else to go.

A ground up rebuild of The Forum will stain a lot of underpants at AEG.
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Last edited by Dr. Laker on Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:41 am; edited 1 time in total
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:40 am    Post subject:

Quote:
“We need to see you Nugget!!” she wrote. “Didn’t Ballz see what we did to my brother?? He will have nothing but Clippers basketball. Whoopee.”

The “brother” reference hints at the dispute between Buss and her brothers Jim and Johnny over control of the Lakers that spilled into public view earlier that year. Buss fired Jim as vice president of basketball operations, called him “completely unfit” in a court filing and the brothers eventually agreed under legal pressure that their sister would serve as the team’s controlling owner for the rest of her life.


Jeanie makes me want to vomit
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:44 am    Post subject:

adkindo wrote:
Quote:
“We need to see you Nugget!!” she wrote. “Didn’t Ballz see what we did to my brother?? He will have nothing but Clippers basketball. Whoopee.”

The “brother” reference hints at the dispute between Buss and her brothers Jim and Johnny over control of the Lakers that spilled into public view earlier that year. Buss fired Jim as vice president of basketball operations, called him “completely unfit” in a court filing and the brothers eventually agreed under legal pressure that their sister would serve as the team’s controlling owner for the rest of her life.


Jeanie makes me want to vomit


Why? Because she fired an under-performing employee?
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:51 am    Post subject:

adkindo wrote:
Quote:
“We need to see you Nugget!!” she wrote. “Didn’t Ballz see what we did to my brother?? He will have nothing but Clippers basketball. Whoopee.”

The “brother” reference hints at the dispute between Buss and her brothers Jim and Johnny over control of the Lakers that spilled into public view earlier that year. Buss fired Jim as vice president of basketball operations, called him “completely unfit” in a court filing and the brothers eventually agreed under legal pressure that their sister would serve as the team’s controlling owner for the rest of her life.


Jeanie makes me want to vomit


Not a good look Jeanie. Threatening to Jimmy a shark like Ballmer? That's a little delusional. Considering going into business with Dolan? Ugh.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 am    Post subject:

Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:12 am    Post subject:

numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.


Don't give them any ideas. I can just see the cross-over series too, Jeanie and Linda meet the Balls.... :lol:
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:12 am    Post subject:

numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.
you blame the lakers fo, without placing the blame on the media and the leakers. you can't keep things in house when you're the best basketball franchise in the nba, and one of the best sports teams in the world. not these days. everything is leaked and reported.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:16 am    Post subject:

splashmtn wrote:
numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.
you blame the lakers fo, without placing the blame on the media and the leakers. you can't keep things in house when you're the best basketball franchise in the nba, and one of the best sports teams in the world. not these days. everything is leaked and reported.


There were no leakers or media involved here. There was the idiotic decision to consider going into business with Dolan, followed by some regrettable comments via email. You should always assume all of your professional emails are open to discovery in court cases--which is precisely what happened here. Thus, you keep your professional emails professional so you don't look like an idiot when you have to turn them over to the court.

And actually the Lakers did keep things in house when they were the best basketball franchise in the league. I am going to guess that both Mitch and West kept minimal paper trails or electronic trails of anything that would reflect poorly on them or the franchise, and chose their words carefully in any formal correspondence.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:18 am    Post subject:

numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.


Uh, dude - this came out as discovery in a lawsuit between MSG & Inglewood. The Lakers weren't even a party to it. That's not a leak.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:20 am    Post subject:

Well, you can't spell "leakers" without using "lakers."
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:21 am    Post subject:

Dr. Laker wrote:
numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.


Uh, dude - this came out as discovery in a lawsuit between MSG & Inglewood. The Lakers weren't even a party to it. That's not a leak.


That said, one can't but help to notice how leaky the ship is these days versus the Mitch era. Everyone in the org is willing to spill to a reporter now.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:27 am    Post subject:

in emplay's recent podcast, he made the case that Magic should have just lied to the players and fans about offering the whole roster for AD...he supported his belief by claiming there are certain fans that are so gullible that they will believe anything Magic and/or the Lakers ownership tells them.....it is pretty clear he was correct.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:28 am    Post subject:

RG73 wrote:
Dr. Laker wrote:
numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.


Uh, dude - this came out as discovery in a lawsuit between MSG & Inglewood. The Lakers weren't even a party to it. That's not a leak.


That said, one can't but help to notice how leaky the ship is these days versus the Mitch era. Everyone in the org is willing to spill to a reporter now.


Could it be the younger Busses? More social media savvy, possibly interested in knifing big sis (who has a different mom) in the back and leading a coup?
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:34 am    Post subject:

adkindo wrote:
in emplay's recent podcast, he made the case that Magic should have just lied to the players and fans about offering the whole roster for AD...he supported his belief by claiming there are certain fans that are so gullible that they will believe anything Magic and/or the Lakers ownership tells them.....it is pretty clear he was correct.


Yeah since lying to players is the best way to gain trust and build a cohesive team.

I prefer owning up to facts instead of calling them fake but I must live in a different generation.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:38 am    Post subject:

splashmtn wrote:
numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.
you blame the lakers fo, without placing the blame on the media and the leakers. you can't keep things in house when you're the best basketball franchise in the nba, and one of the best sports teams in the world. not these days. everything is leaked and reported.


Nothing was leaked, maybe read what you are talking about before posting next time. What is evident is that the Clippers are deep into the Lakers heads. There is fear.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:42 am    Post subject:

venturalakersfan wrote:
splashmtn wrote:
numero-ocho wrote:
Is there a worse NBA franchise at keeping secrets in-house than the Lakers? They may as well make a Lakers front office reality show.
you blame the lakers fo, without placing the blame on the media and the leakers. you can't keep things in house when you're the best basketball franchise in the nba, and one of the best sports teams in the world. not these days. everything is leaked and reported.


Nothing was leaked, maybe read what you are talking about before posting next time. What is evident is that the Clippers are deep into the Lakers heads. There is fear.


can you imagine Dr. Buss giving two (bleep) about the Clippers
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