I know you guys are pretty pissed off at Kupchak right now for failing to improve this team so I'm just wondering, do you think he's the worst GM in the league? Please explain your answer.
Remember seeing an SI article saying Mitch was #23 best GM of the league(?) Can't really confirm it since I didn't read the whole article.
<div class="quote_poster">Jordan-esque Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Remember seeing an SI article saying Mitch was #23 best GM of the league(?) Can't really confirm it since I didn't read the whole article.</div> How many teams are there in the league again?
He's competing with Isiah that's for sure. Well let's see: Kupchak inherited Jerry West's team which won 3 in a row. Since then: 1. Kupchak traded Shaq for Odom, Butler, and Grant. Grant is garbage. Traded Butler for Kwame Brown. Next season Butler is an all-star and Brown is still a bust. So in reality we got Odom and Brown for Shaq. 2. Totally drops the ball with Kobe. Long-term rebuilding plans on his part but Kobe was told help is coming to win now. Multiple opportunities to grab players and build a contender but he can't get anything done. 3. So now regardless of whether you believe Kobe is right or wrong with his demands, we probably aren't going to get much for Kobe either, or he will walk in 2 years. Either way, at this point in time we're at a lose-lose situation with Kobe. See it's not even about him failing to make Kobe-Shaq work. Fine, some things just can't work, but if you're going to break something like this up at least get fair compensation for it. Maybe Kupchak was taking lessons from former Magic GMs on how to let players slip(Shaq) and make bad trades(T-Mac)
Well if you count the type of move and career he has so far as a Lakers GM, he definitely deserves to be in the 20-30 range. #23 is about just right for his position.
<div class="quote_poster">Swish Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I know you guys are pretty pissed off at Kupchak right now for failing to improve this team so I'm just wondering, do you think he's the worst GM in the league? Please explain your answer.</div> Have you met Billy King? The man passed up on taking Derrick Byars twice today when he was the best player on the court to draft two international players both of which he later traded. Thank god for whatever divine intervention that took place which allowed us to still take Byars the third time our selection rolled around. So essentially this man traded Allen Iverson for Andre Miller and Jason Smith.
I'm very inclined to think that Mitch might be the worst GM right now. With the big trades going down on draft night (Ray Allen, Steve Francis, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson etc), Mitch couldn't get anything done...
Not his fault the Buss family limits his ability to fully perform the duties of his job... They cant keep out!
I'm not going to say he's the worst in the league, but he's up there. I think there are worse out there, mainly Isiah Thomas. I'll give him his props for unloading Francis, but he still took on the awful contract of Zach Randolph, and I personally don't know if that even makes the Knicks better.
<div class="quote_poster">bruin007 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Not his fault the Buss family limits his ability to fully perform the duties of his job... They cant keep out!</div> See I don't buy this. If Mitch was a competent GM, then he would have the confidence of the Buss family to have control over the Laker roster. They don't respect his ability, which is why Jim Buss is always meddling with the decision making. The Lakers need a GM who has a track record for success and can stand up to Jim Buss and put him in check. If the coaches, superstar player, and GM aren't on the same page, you're not going to be successful.
<div class="quote_poster">Swish Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I know you guys are pretty pissed off at Kupchak right now for failing to improve this team so I'm just wondering, do you think he's the worst GM in the league? Please explain your answer.</div> Start with the team that lost to Detroit in the finals and follow his progress(?) since then. What has he done if anything to make the Lakers a better team? One screw up after another and it keeps getting worse. If Kobe leaves he will have turned an NBA Finals team into the worst team in the western conference in five years.
Maybe I'm just being really optimistic cause of a good night, but As long as we keep the team together another year and get everyone healthy I would be happy. Sign a PG with the full MLE and maybe make a tiny trade to tweak the bench or work something out with walton + fillers for a risk at Artest. Kobe won't be going anywhere and be forced to play another season. He's under contract for a lot of money and the team refuses to move him. With a healthy lineup of: C: Bynum / Brown / Mihm PF: Lamar Odom / Turiaf / Cook SF: Walton / Rodmanovic (Hopefully work something out for Ron Artest ) SG: Bryant / Evans / Vujacic PG: MLE / Farmar / Crittenton We'll have a one year more mature Bynum and people forget how Brown when healthy was proving to be a reliable defender in the post. Odom was playing great for us before he got hurt and wasn't the same all season. Walton was solid, we can attain a solid PG with the MLE, Rad will be healthy. Make a minor move and let the team develop.
<div class="quote_poster">Phreeze Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Maybe I'm just being really optimistic cause of a good night, but As long as we keep the team together another year and get everyone healthy I would be happy. Sign a PG with the full MLE and maybe make a tiny trade to tweak the bench or work something out with walton + fillers for a risk at Artest. Kobe won't be going anywhere and be forced to play another season. He's under contract for a lot of money and the team refuses to move him. With a healthy lineup of: C: Bynum / Brown / Mihm PF: Lamar Odom / Turiaf / Cook SF: Walton / Rodmanovic (Hopefully work something out for Ron Artest ) SG: Bryant / Evans / Vujacic PG: MLE / Farmar / Crittenton We'll have a one year more mature Bynum and people forget how Brown when healthy was proving to be a reliable defender in the post. Odom was playing great for us before he got hurt and wasn't the same all season. Walton was solid, we can attain a solid PG with the MLE, Rad will be healthy. Make a minor move and let the team develop.</div> That team is 8th place at best.
