<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Interview with GM Mitch Kupchak - Part 2 Lakers.com sat down with General Manager Mitch Kupchak to get some answers about all the work the team does in preparing for the NBA draft, this year taking place on June 28th. This is a 3 part interview, check out Part 1 and be sure to check back for Part 3. Lakers.com: When looking at a player's experience, does the system the player played in matter in your evaluation? Mitch: We like to know who they played for and what system that was. And also did they win. If a kid was very successful or if their team's record was 2-24 for 4 years in a row, that's something we take note of. You don't want to take a player that has, unfortunately, had a habit of losing for 3 or 4 years. That doesn't mean that he can't play at a certain level or be on a championship team, but it is a factor. Lakers.com: Does our use of the triangle make it difficult to project how a player will perform, since we're pretty much the only team that uses it? Mitch: It can and we do take it into consideration. I am not sure that we would pass on a player that was so gifted if we didn't feel that he had the perfect ability to pick up the nuances of the triangle. But we do try to see how they might do at fitting in to our offense and take that into consideration. Lakers.com: How much do you rely on outside scouting services, or is it pretty much entirely what you or the staff sees? Mitch: The only reports that we compile and put into our database are those gathered by our staff. There are so many websites and scouting services and we do read those, just to make sure that we aren't overlooking a player, so that we know every name everywhere. We do spend a lot of time because there are so many places to get information, but the only reports that we will put into our database and compile are those gathered by our scouting staff. Lakers.com: Does viewing a player live in a game make a big difference compared to seeing them on TV? Mitch: Only reports from games and players seen live are put into the database. Lakers.com: How do you evaluate a guy who won't work out against other players? Mitch: Those are typically guys who are high lottery picks. We have not had a lottery pick for as long as I can remember. Thinking back, the last high lottery pick that we had was James Worthy. In truth, because of that it is tough for me to say how it would matter for a high draft pick. For where we are in the draft, for what we can get, a guy in the teens, yes I would consider it a red flag, because what does he have to hide. Lakers.com: When assessing foreign players, how important is it to you to get one who will play immediately vs. one that can grow a few years abroad and then come over? Mitch: The players from abroad have some unique constraints since they are already under contract, unlike the players in college. That means they have specific terms that we, since the NBA and FIBA respect each others' contracts, do have to honor. Players have buyouts that vary in amount, that have to be paid by the team or player and that has an affect on whether you can get them. Once you draft a player and they decide not to come over, we retain their draft rights in the future, for whenever they do decide to come play in the NBA. Lakers.com: Does it matter to us if a player comes out (all other things being equal) as an underclassman or having played more years of college? How does that matter in light of having a more developed player (for players that stay in) when you have to offer the next contract? Mitch: That's largely the situation we had with Andrew. He, since he played so little in high school, had minimal development in his skill set. But when we worked him out, we saw a big man with a good body, nice hands, a good feel for the game, but not very refined in terms of his basketball skills. So the task becomes for us to figure out how these unrefined skills project down the road and against other players that are equally gifted physically. Since the NBA changed the rule, and high schoolers now must attend at least one year of college, our task has gotten much easier. We no longer have to go and look at a 16 or 17 year old player and try to guess what they will be in 5 years and how their ability to play against high school level players reflects on their ability to play against professionals.</div> Source: Lakers.com Look at the stupidity of this guy... <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Lakers.com: How do you evaluate a guy who won't work out against other players? Mitch: Those are typically guys who are high lottery picks. <font size=""5"">We have not had a lottery pick for as long as I can remember. </font>Thinking back, the last high lottery pick that we had was James Worthy. In truth, because of that it is tough for me to say how it would matter for a high draft pick. For where we are in the draft, for what we can get, a guy in the teens, yes I would consider it a red flag, because what does he have to hide. </div> Andrew Bynum ring a bell numb nuts?
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Source: Lakers.com Look at the stupidity of this guy... Andrew Bynum ring a bell numb nuts? </div> lol, I read this earlier and thought the exact same thing.. and to think this guy is in charge of our roster..
<div class="quote_poster">illmatic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe he doesn't consider #10 a high draft pick?</div> That might be it, he might think 1-5 is a lottery pick.
<div class="quote_poster">illmatic Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe he doesn't consider #10 a high draft pick?</div> but he figures #19 is a high pick??
Lol, what a tool. I don't understand, to me a lottery pick is 1-10. Some people however, do think lottery is 1-5.
<div class="quote_poster">Master Shake Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Lol, what a tool. I don't understand, to me a lottery pick is 1-10. Some people however, do think lottery is 1-5.</div> 1-8 I would say!
Damn, how stupid...uhh maybe he's overwhelmed by the kobe situation or doesn't remember Bynum because he's traded him in his game of NBA 2K7 for Kidd?
