Buss’ Decision on O’Neal Leads to Heavy Discussion

I was telling the wife the other day, whenever you see Jerry Buss, he’s usually with someone who has a very nice body.

She wasn’t all that impressed, but now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Buss with a fat person, or even someone pleasantly plump like Shaquille O’Neal a few years back, so I wasn’t surprised when Buss dumped Shaq.

Most people disagreed with Buss’ decision to trade Shaq, and still believe he made a mistake -- blaming, of course, Kobe Bryant for that.

(I think it goes without saying around here that if anything goes wrong with the Lakers, it’s Kobe’s fault, and it’s probably Kobe’s fault that everyone feels that way.)

Now I happen to think Buss had it right when he looked at Shaq’s body and decided it would give out sooner than later, and now thanks to Pat Riley’s return, we’re going to find out.

“I think Laker fans are going to say, ‘OK, let’s see now who was right,’ but to me it’s obvious I did the right thing,” Buss said, while watching his team take on Memphis. “I’d make the same decision 100 out of 100 times. To me, the risk-reward ratio wasn’t there.”

Laker fans know what kind of taskmaster Riley can be, and how relentless he is in demanding the best in practices and games -- night in and night out -- and so now Shaq’s body is going to be put to the test.

“I know how [Riley] worked, but whether he’s mellowed or not and will make some accommodations [for Shaq], I don’t know,” Buss said. “But I know what Magic used to say about Riley: ‘You better be able to run the extra mile.’ ”

Shaq scored 30 points in his first game for Riley, Riley making sure Shaq had the chance to dominate. “We’re going to make him earn his money,” Riley said, and I would have liked to see the reaction on the face of the Big Sensitive One when he read that in the paper.

Shaq had two years remaining on his deal with the Lakers when he insisted on a contract extension for megabucks, which in part prompted Buss to trade him.

“It was not only a question of whether the man was going to be in shape, but what were his true salary demands going to be,” Buss said, while saying he still doesn’t have a clear idea of what’s involved with the reported $100-million, five-year extension Shaq signed with Miami.

“I was looking at the number of games he missed over his career, and if he missed this many when young, wasn’t it more likely he was going to miss this many when he was old? It was my simplistic calculation, but coupled with his salary demands it put me in an untenable situation.”

Once traded to Miami, Shaq got himself into South Beach shape, and finished just behind Steve Nash in MVP voting. A thigh bruise and an injury to Dwyane Wade sabotaged the Heat’s playoff run last season.

This year, Shaq broke down early, losing five weeks because of an ankle sprain. A sign of what is to come, or a fluke injury?

“I love the guy, and if he plays until he’s 42, God bless him,” Buss said. “Some people think I had a problem with him because of things he said, but I called him several times wanting to sit down, have lunch and explain what I was thinking.”

Shaq never got back to Buss, and now he’s going to be busy as Riley’s workhorse. At season’s end, if Riley is still getting big-time production out of Shaq, the Heat might compete for the NBA title, which would certainly rekindle talk that Buss let Shaq go prematurely. Kobe’s fault, of course.

A broken-down Shaq, however, who is unable to keep pace with Riley’s physical demands and carry the Heat to the finish line, would certify Buss a visionary.

My money is on Buss, and although the wife might disagree, knowing his eye for young talent -- I think you have to go with the experience he has when it comes to knowing just the right time to trade in the old for the new.

I lack that experience.

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AND SO what does Buss think about his 2005 Lakers?

“I was screaming and hollering so much the other night [against Dallas], I forgot to finish my dinner,” he said. “You have to give it to Phil [Jackson]. For millions of years, it’s been, ‘Is it Phil? Or isn’t it Phil? If this doesn’t convince people [he can coach], come on. If he continues to improve this team, can you imagine?

“What if Kwame Brown turns out to be a legitimate No. 1 choice? What if Andrew Bynum develops into something special? What if Kobe has the best five years ever? What if Lamar Odom learns to adapt? And how about Smush Parker?”

As Buss knows, the Lakers began the six-game trip they completed Wednesday night with most people expecting them to get smushed.

“I’m flabbergasted too,” Buss said of the Lakers’ 5-1 trip. “But I sure like what I’m seeing.”

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YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS UP

The Dodgers signed former Red Sox and former Giant Bill Mueller, making him the perfect player for the Boston Parking Lot Attendant and the new GM from San Francisco.

As for Dodger fans, they get a third baseman with a career batting average of .157 in Dodger Stadium. Sound familiar? The Dodgers signed shortstop Rafael Furcal last week, who also has a .157 batting average in Dodger Stadium.

Throw in Sandy Alomar Jr., and the Dodgers’ off-season acquisitions collectively have 26 hits in 162 at-bats in Dodger Stadium with no home runs, three runs batted in and 22 strikeouts.

Nice to know they will fit right into the Dodger lineup that we’ve become accustomed to watching.

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T.J. Simers can be reached at

t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.