Jerry Buss is not handing over the Larry O’Brien trophy to Miami. At least not willingly.

Good luck prying the NBA title out of the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss was in Vegas to watch some Summer League ball (and play in the World Series of Poker; and probably not in that order) when Sam Amick from FanHouse asked him if LeBron James in Miami scared him at all.

You’re going to have to do better than that.

“Somebody in the East will come out, and our job is to beat them, whoever it is,” he said. “There are a lot of good teams over there. I don’t automatically hand them the title. I think Orlando is very good. I think Chicago is going to be better. Boston, certainly, is tough. We know about that. So let’s wait until things get going.”

With the Lakers, the core of the roster is set. Will be for a few more years. The only real big question is if Derek Fisher will join newly acquired Steve Blake in the backcourt. Fisher is meeting with Miami as well.

“We’re working on Fisher now and I think we’ll probably have him back in the fold soon,” Buss said.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak was optimistic as well.

“I just continue to have a dialogue with (Fisher’s) representative,” he said. “Both sides are motivated, so we think it will work out. We hope so.”

Think about the Lakers/Heat matchup for a second. It could be fun. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade matched up. Ron Artest defending LeBron James. Pau Gasol and Chris Bosh.

But here’s why the Lakers feel confident: Who matches up with Andrew Bynum? Who off the Heat bench can match up with Lamar Odom? Even if the Heat land Fisher, Blake is better than him right now.

And good luck prying the trophy out of Kobe Bryant’s hands. Jerry Buss should feel confident.