How long will Jeanie Buss give her brother? (Getty)
How long will Jeanie Buss give her brother? (Getty)

Jeanie Buss is in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers as a business, while her brother is in charge of the team as a sports organization. Her brother, Jim Buss, has said he'll step down if the team doesn't contend for a title in "three or four years,"and that was last April, so two or three years now. That wouldn't be a big deal, except Mitch Kupchak recently said that the team wouldn't prioritize immediate improvement to prolong Kobe Bryant's title window over the youth movement and a patience towards rebuilding. 

“I’ve been assured by our basketball operations that the team will be back in contention soon. If we are not meeting those goals, then changes have to occur,” Buss said in a recent interview with Los Angeles News Group in her office at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo. “I have no reason not to believe them when they tell me that’s what they can deliver. I don’t see what would be holding them back.”

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak recently reported he will prioritize the team’s financial flexibility and youth this summer over signing veteran free agents, a strategy that might compromise Kobe Bryant’s quest to win his sixth NBA championship in the 2015-16 campaign in what could mark his 20th and last NBA season. Lakers executive vice president of player personnel Jim Buss, who is Jeanie’s brother, has promised the Lakers would reach the Western Conference Finals within three years.

And if not?

“Then we owe it to our shareholders, fans and partners that we have to move in a different direction to get this team back into contention,” Jeanie Buss said. “We made a commitment that we would operate the team the way Dr. Buss ran it.”

via Tough love: Jeanie Buss promises changes if Lakers don’t hit timetable.

So which is it? Is Jeanie Buss just placating her shareholders, business partners, and the fanbase by saying that they're going to do what they've always done and try and shortcut their way to the title, while the club has a longer plan? Or do the Buss siblings believe they can rebuild faster, using big free agent signings this summer or next, and Kupchak isn't of the same mindset? Is Jeanie Buss growing tired of how pitiful the team has been and how many times her brother has whiffed in his time as the head decision maker for the club? 

A misunderstanding? A smoke screen? Miscommunication? 

It's confusing, and it doesn't appear to be a good sign. People have questioned Jim Buss' leadership since he decided to oust Phil Jackson four years ago. Oh, hey, and who is Phil Jackson engaged to? Oh, that's right. His sister. 

Remember, the Lakers are losing their first round pick either this year or next year (it's top five protected this season, top three protected next year). There's no incentive to tank next year like there is this year unless they are truly awful. This is a dicey situation the Lakers find themselves in, with a big star on a big contract with big injuries, very little to offer stars, no real stars on the market until 2016, a fanbase that's used to every year being a title contention year, and a VP who's getting tired of hearing the fanbase talk about what they're used to. 

You wonder how long this is tenable.