HoopsHype.com Rumors

Mike Trudell: Mitch Kupchak said that Jim Buss is more involved than Dr. Buss was, but said that both generally defer to him on basketball decisions. Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss, Jim Buss 

Kevin Ding: Kupchak said Jerry Buss' Lakers involvement decreased in Dec/Jan: "He was very involved with the decision to change coaches." Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss 

Mike Trudell: Kobe is "very confident" that Dr. Buss' children will carry on the tradition he built. "In their own way, they'll have success, for sure." Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss, Jim Buss 

Mike Bresnahan: Kobe: Buss tried to "put the Celtics in the rear-view mirror. It’s something that was driving him + something that’s driving me." #Lakers Twitter @Mike_Bresnahan

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Buss 

Mike Trudell: * @Pau Gasol on Dr. Buss: "He's an owner that did everything he could to make sure his team had the best chance possible to win the title." Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Pau Gasol, Jerry Buss 

Kevin Ding: Mitch Kupchak on Jerry Buss' lifestyle: "You might see him LEAVING the office at 9 in the morning ..." Twitter @KevinDing

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss 

Mike Trudell: Kupchak stays in much closer contact with Jim and Jeanie Buss than he did with Dr. Buss, who was "different in his approach to business." Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss, Jim Buss 

Mike Trudell: Kupchak said he hasn't seen Dr. Buss since October, but knew that Dr. Buss watched every Lakers game from the hospital. Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss 

Mike Trudell: Kupchak said he couldn't find a place where he was comfortable yesterday. A room, a car, anywhere. He's beyond sad, personally. Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss 

Mike Trudell: Mitch Kupchak on Dr. Buss: "He brought me here in 1981 as a player, and here it is 32 years later ... yesterday was an empty day." Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, Mitch Kupchak, Jerry Buss 

Wizards forward Trevor Ariza helped deliver one of the those titles for Buss during 1½ seasons with his hometown Lakers in 2009 and was understandably touched to hear about his passing. “That’s tough man, that’s tough for the Lakers organization, the Buss family and city of L.A.,” said Ariza. “It hurts. It hurts bad that a legend like that is gone. I knew him pretty well. He came down to a lot of the practices, always at the games. Matter of fact, he lived down the street from me so I saw him quite frequently.” Washington Post

Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Jerry Buss, Trevor Ariza 

“He definitely enjoyed his life. He had a great life. It’s a sad day today that it had to come to the end,” Ariza said. “Definitely, he was an unbelievable owner. For what he did for that franchise and the city is just unbelievable.” Washington Post

Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Jerry Buss, Trevor Ariza 

Sasha Vujacic: "Today we lost a very special man, the legend, dr. Jerry Buss, "began on his official Facebook profile Sasha Vujacic wrote, and then continued:" I am grateful because I had the opportunity to meet and get to know, but it reminded me, as the best possible owner, which can be a team. " Kosarka.si

Los Angeles Lakers, Sasha Vujacic, Jerry Buss 

Dwain Price: Dennis Rodman just choked up and cried and told Jay Leno that the late Dr. Jerry Buss was like a dad to him. #southoakcliff Twitter @DwainPrice

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss, Dennis Rodman 

Royce White: R.I.P. #JerryBuss... Pioneered competitive sports as being fun & entertaining. His impact is felt & noted across generations. #LakersNation Twitter @Highway_30

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss, Royce White 

Vincent Goodwill: Sources called it a "done deal" before Kobe and Dr. Buss killed it Twitter @vgoodwill

Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Trade, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Buss 

With this season's Lakers struggling at 25-29 and 10th in the Western Conference entering the second half ot the season, team spokesman John Black said Buss had prepared the franchise for the transition ahead. His son Jim, the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel, has been running the basketball operations since 2011. His daughter, Jeanie, has overseen the business side. "The future of the organization will remain unchanged. Dr. Buss set it up years in advance — he planned for the team to remain with the family," Black said. "As far as the operation and running of the team, that will be unchanged." USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss 

But it remains to be seen who will be the dominant voice in running the Lakers' show, a job Buss did masterfully on the marketing and basketball side. Hall of Famer Magic Johnson clearly is aligned with Jeanie Buss. "Now (Buss) leaves and incredible organization to his kids, and Jeanie Buss is so smart and intelligent," Johnson said Monday in an interview with ESPN. "He sent her to (University of Southern California) business school, and he knew that he wanted her to be a major factor and be a part of the Laker organization and probably run it one day." USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss 

So when he took over the Lakers, he had no intention of being a Jerry Jones by meddling in the intricacies of personnel decisions. For that, he had Bill Sharman, Jerry West and a string of competent coaches. Buss focused instead on marketing the team. Magic Johnson had already been drafted by the Lakers by the time Buss took over the club, but it was Buss who envisioned that the unorthodox point guard with the brilliant ball-handling skills, flashy style and ebullient personality could not only be the central figure in a championship run, but also for a unique brand of basketball that combined sports and entertainment. Long a fervent supporter of his alma mater, USC, Buss took two successful elements from Trojan games – cheerleaders and a band – to build his brand. Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss 

Like any successful product, Buss' brainchild needed a name. For that, he reached back to his nights at a Santa Monica nightclub named The Horn. The evening's entertainment there would begin with one, then two, then three singers rising from tables spread around the room, each proclaiming, "It's Showtime." So Showtime it would be for the Lakers. "At that time," Buss recalled, "people were saying, 'Don't bother to go to the game. Just pop in on the telecast for the last three minutes and you can see the whole thing.' We wanted to change that, and one way was to have entertainment all the way through the game." Yahoo! Sports

Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry Buss