Jim Buss is in over his head.

Of course, with the Lakers’ predicament, Jerry Buss, his father, would be in over his head, too.

Actually, that remains to be seen. But it goes back to their last time at such a crossroads, after trading Shaquille O’Neal to keep Kobe Bryant, when I wrote, “Mitch Kupchak is in over his head,” adding, “Jerry West would be in over his head, too.”

Amazingly, Kupchak and the Buss family tunneled out of that one and were back winning titles in 2009 and 2010, and that predicament was a lot worse than this one!

So much for the good news in Lakerdom, where this predicament is bad enough.

The Lakers returned to work Wednesday, mowing down Minnesota-minus-Kevin Love with all their people back, even if Kobe Bryant had to be cleared by a veritable medical faculty before playing with a plastic mask over his broken nose, and Andrew Bynum was obliged to go more than the six minutes he played Sunday in Orlando after getting his oft-injured knee shot full of lubricants.

via Mark Heisler of Sheridan Hoops