New Arena Site Likely Next Week

A decision may be reached as soon as next week on the proposed site for a new arena to be shared by the Lakers and Kings, Laker owner Jerry Buss said Monday.

Buss, who will be a tenant in the building that will replace the Forum, met with King co-owner Edward Roski and others last week before coming to Honolulu for Laker training camp. Buss said a self-imposed deadline of Oct. 15 has been set for their selection between Inglewood and downtown Los Angeles, but noted that a Sept. 15 deadline also came and went without a resolution.

Roski and Philip Anschutz are known to favor a downtown site near the Convention Center for their proposed arena and entertainment complex, scheduled to open in September of 1999. Buss, however, is openly pushing for Inglewood because of emotional ties and that the location has worked well for so long.

In his annual training-camp meeting with reporters, Buss also said the Clippers have talked to Forum officials and to Roski about the possibility of replacing the Lakers there.

“But like we all know, nobody can guess what Don’s really thinking,” Buss said of his Clipper counterpart, Donald T. Sterling.

There was more.

Buss, on what happens to the Clippers if the Lakers practically move next door to the Sports Arena: “Well, you know, Don does things by whim rather than by reason, so trying to reason out what would happen is a fruitless exercise. I could make the definite statement, ‘They will play wherever Don wants them to play.’ Period. And perhaps without any of our reasons.”

Buss, on the decision by Sterling not to move to the Pond of Anaheim: “I just simply can’t understand it. Economically, it was an extremely sound move and I think almost anybody in the world would have jumped at it. But like I say, Don is wealthy enough to make his own decisions [Buss chuckles] and he’s going to play where he wants to play. I didn’t really care that much. I don’t look at them as that much competition for the Lakers.”