Jim Buss has taken more power and control of the Lakers, but he has also received more criticism.

Mitch Kupchak came out on Monday in defense of the way Jim Buss has been categorized.

"Jim gets way too much criticism and not enough credit with the success this team has had," Kupchak said. "He is following in the footsteps of the most successful owner maybe of all time, which is hard to do. But since he's gotten more and more involved, which has been about seven or eight years, we've had some pretty good moments."

Kupchak also disputed comments from Magic Johnson that Jim Buss is essentially running the team.

"It is inaccurate because there are three of us that are involved in all the basketball decisions," Kupchak said. "Dr. Buss still makes, to my knowledge, all the final decisions in the organization. He's always deferred basketball decisions at some level to his basketball people, and Jimmy is a part of the basketball people.

"[Johnson] played at a time when this sport was taking off. There was one scout and a GM. Here we are almost 30 years later and it's different today. There's a lot more people involved and a lot more at stake [now].

"[Johnson] is a fan now too. He's no longer a part of ownership. He and I still speak, but we used to speak a lot, bouncing ideas off each other and stuff that he would hear. Like the rest of us, when you lose a game you shouldn't lose, or lose a couple, you get emotional. This is the only thing he's ever loved — the Lakers. It all comes from the heart with him."