It came as a bit of a shock to most basketball fans that Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss had been battling cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the past several months, but some reports from his family indicated that he was “doing fine”. Sadly, it turns out that was not the case.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss passed away this morning. A sad day for L.A.

— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) February 18, 2013

This is obviously a sad day for Lakers fans and NBA fans in general, and there will be plenty of information and reports coming in today and this week as to what happened, as well as the well wishes of the countless players, coaches and fans that he has touched along the way. Prior to the NBA All-Star Weekend, Kobe Bryant touched on the enormity of Buss’ presence in the grand history of the league, and I think that the Mamba’s words were a great start in helping people truly understand the Buss legacy.

“It’s beyond measure,” Bryant said. “I don’t think there’s any way to really define it. What he’s done, it’s tough to really find a match for that in any sport. He’s been a model of consistency.”

“He’s meant everything to me in my career, taking a risk on a 17-year-old kid coming out of high school and believing in me my entire career,” he said. “For the game itself, the brand of basketball, ‘Showtime’ carried the league. You think about the rivalry that took place between the Lakers and the Celtics, and what that did for the global outreach of the game.

“It reached me, and I was in Italy.”

Much respect.

wasn't exactly guarded with his feelings:

"It demonstrates that they're not a model of intelligent management. There were many checkpoints along the way where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue."

Mind you, that's only a statement on the organization's culture.  When asked about how Isiah Thomas assembled an overpaid, borderline mediocre team, Stern said, "Oh, that guy. Total dipshit."

In other news, remember how Jerry Buss got busted for DUI back in May?  Well, he got convicted, and Stern rewarded him with a $25K fine and a two-game suspension.  Oh no, not a suspension!  But who will sit in the owner's box and watch the game from afar through a monocle?  They're going to have to sign some poor millionaire without a team to a ten-day contract or something.  Maybe they can grab Starbucks CEO/former Sonics owner Howard Schultz for a couple days.  "Okay, dude, just sit back and relax, maybe look down to the court once a quarter.  And try not to sell the team to a shithead from Oklahoma, huh?"

Lakers owner Jerry Buss joined the ever-growing list of fabulously wealthy people who can afford to have a personal driver but still get behind the wheel after drinking, as he was arrested for suspicion of DUI late Tuesday night.

The 74-year-old Buss was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m. after he drove his gold Mercedes-Benz station wagon the wrong way on a street… "Although I was driving only a short distance, it was a bad decision and I was wrong to do it," Buss said in a statement issued by the Lakers. "It was a mistake I will not make again."

Well, yeah.  Of course he's not going to make the mistake again.  He's 74 years old.  He may be dead by the time I finish writing this sentence.  Still alive?  Okay, whatever.  He's got, like, a week.

Also of note: an unidentified 23-year-old woman was with Buss in the car when he got arrested.  Please God let that be his granddaughter or his secretary.  Because any other explanation… ew.  Just ew.  Old people are gross.