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Owning the Lakers these days may be a reason to drink, but it's NOT an excuse to drink and drive.
Of course, trojans don't usually worry about laws, and neither do the Mega-rich. So a mega-rich trojan is definitely not concerned about a little annoyance like Felony Drunk Driving.
So Dr. Jerry was out with a female friend who was less than one-third of his age, just tooling around Carlsbad in his gold (plated?) Mercedes station wagon -- at one o'clock in the morning -- driving the wrong way down the street. As Buss was cruising on the wrong side of the double-yellow, he apparently didn't notice the Police cruiser sitting there watching him. Is it possible that there was a 23-year old head below the dashboard, distracting him? After all, not all those Viagra-type pills last 24 hours.
But for whatever reason, Buss didn't see the Black & White, and he got pulled over.
Jerry and his Granddaughter/date (pick one) were given field sobriety tests, and Jerry was arrested for having over .08 blood alcohol content.
It sounds like Buss is at least admitting that he did it, unlike another famous trOJan Sports figure, and not just in a book of hypotheticals. Buss apologized for his mistake, and said that it will never happen again.
Of course, no trojan can ever fully take the blame for something without some kind of weasel-y excuse. Buss' excuse was that he was making just a short trip. Hear that kids? It's not that bad to drive while you're intoxicated, as long as you're not going far.
Buss was already having a rotten week, as Kobe has been delivering near ultimatums to him to quickly rebuild the Lakers. Kobe says that it's just a "suggestion," but he wants Buss to put Jerry West back in charge. West was the man who made Kobe a Laker, and is "retiring" from his job in Memphis next month.
West says that he's always been a Laker deep down, so that there's a chance that he'd be interested in a reunion. However, he said that he won't take the gig if it is at the expense of Mitch Kupchak. So Buss will have to find a new niche for Kupchak, with the Lakers or someone else, to clear the way for West.
West, whose silhouette is the NBA logo, has EARNED his reputation as the NBA's Executive of the Decade, and would be a huge upgrade over the rather mediocre Kupchak. Kobe wants the Lakers to be a viable power in the immediate future, and West is the man who can do it. The Lakers just need one or two key guys to be instant Title contenders. Hopefuly, West won't let Jordan Farmar get away in the shuffle. Doubtful that he would, because a Basketball-smart Guard like West, who has come to Pauley to see Farmar's Bruins play, certainly recognizes the value of a heady player like JF. A Warrior like West might even get the Lakers to draft Defensive stopper Arron Afflalo to help the Lakers where they need it the most.
But in order to hire West, you have to be making good decisions... and drunk driving is one of the stupidest decisions there is. Right up there with going to South Central for Grad School, and grooming your SON to NEVER BE what Jerry West STILL IS.
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