His Leaning Power Should Worry Buss

Venga prego a casa, Jerry Buss.

That's "Please come home, Jerry Buss" in Italian, which is what they speak in Italy, which is where the Laker owner just flew for his annual summer vacation, as opposed to his fall, winter and spring vacations.

Of course, Buss is used to better times when the Lakers ran themselves. For years, they had the great Jerry West. By the time West left in 2000, they had Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Now Jackson is history, Bryant is a free agent and O'Neal is upset, which leaves a lot for GM Mitch Kupchak to do, indeed.

Buss boarded his plane, assuming his people would carry on as they always have. Of course, this season the job isn't just filling in around O'Neal and Bryant. It's filling in around Bryant.

Like everyone else, Buss assumed Bryant would be staying, after all the Lakers did to keep him.

You may have noticed Bryant hasn't said anything. Ominously, sources say he's unimpressed by the new Laker program and hasn't committed himself to returning.

Still intent on staying in the area, Bryant's alternative remains the Clippers. For the Clippers' part, their alternative to their entire history remains him.

Once more around the piazza, Mr. Gondolier, and do you know "That's Amore?"

Not coincidentally, everything the Clippers have done this spring has had one purpose: cap room.

They could have stayed at No. 2 and drafted Emeka Okafor. Instead, they traded down to No. 4, saving $600,000 in salary. Sending Predrag Drobjnak to Charlotte in the deal saved $2.8 million. When Melvin Ely and Eddie House go, which is expected to be momentarily, they'll save another $2.5 million, dropping them $16.7 million under the cap -- enough to max Bryant out.

Meanwhile, Derek Fisher and Karl Malone opted out, Gary Payton said he'd return and the Lakers said they would trade O'Neal. Because Malone was like their den father, Fisher had a great postseason, Payton an awful one and O'Neal is still a giant, none of these can be considered a coup.

Nor can Bryant be sure of what he'd be returning to.

At present, the Dallas Mavericks seem to be the leaders in the Shaq Derby, although owner Mark Cuban, an expert in self-delusion, thinks he can somehow get the Lakers to do it without Dirk Nowitzki.

Let's assume for a moment that Cuban wises up and throws Nowitzki into the deal with Steve Nash and Josh Howard. Then what do the Lakers have?