Stress of Title Run Takes the Best Out of West

Not in person. Not on television. Not on radio. And maybe not ever again.

In his customary method to alleviate the stress of the moment, Laker Executive Vice President Jerry West stayed away from the Lakers’ NBA championship-clinching victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, and said he didn’t even watch it on television.

“I find out about it when it’s over,” he said Tuesday. “I have a friend who calls me. He knows when I want to know.”

West, though, was furious about the disturbances that took place outside Staples Center late Monday night, when celebrating fans burned a police car, threw rocks at cars and police and broke store windows.

“We had a bunch of criminals there,” West said. “Those are not Laker fans. And I’m embarrassed for them and what they did last night. It was a time for celebration, not for them to ruin the evening.

“I’m sure they’re all walking around, talking to themselves today about, ‘Oh, did you see me break this or burn that?’ They should be ashamed. It’s sad.”

West also acknowledged that he is once again mulling the possibility of resigning from his position with the Lakers, so worn down is he by the pressure to succeed and the complaints of those who demand more and more from him and the franchise he has come to embody.

“I’m not thinking about anything, OK?” West said. “I’m just telling you that at this time of year, we’re all worn, we’re all fragile. Yet we have a lot to do here in the next two weeks.

“But I’m very proud.”

Amid the victory celebration Monday, owner Jerry Buss conceded he didn’t know if West would return. In previous West-could-retire moments, Buss has lightheartedly insisted that West would stay.

But Buss went out of his way to say he hoped West wouldn’t quit.

“You know, what he wants and what I want are two different things,” West said. “I’m going to take a breath of fresh air and see what’s best for me . . .

“If you look at my mail--they complain about everything. And sometimes it gets pretty old.”

General Manager Mitch Kupchak, one of West’s closest associates, said he knows this season has taken a toll.

“No one takes it more seriously than him,” Kupchak said. “His heart and soul is in this organization. I suspect he’s a little better today than he was yesterday, but, you never know . . .

“I think when he coached the team [in the late 1970s], Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] was already here. When he was the general manager, Magic [Johnson had already been acquired]. Kareem was here, and [West] built the team around some players that were already here.

“He built this team from scratch. Every player on this team was a Jerry West acquisition. In that regard, I would think that this is much more meaningful to him than the championships in the ‘80s.”

So does that mean winning the titles makes it more or less likely that West will walk away?

“I don’t know,” Kupchak said. “You’ll have to ask him--I feel I know him so well and sometimes . . . you just have to wait and see.”