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Los Angeles Lakers News:

Mitch Kupchak Talks Lakers
04/02/08

The Los Angeles Lakers held their annual Town Hall Meeting at STAPLES Center on Tuesday night, opening the doors to an optimistic crowd of Laker season ticket holders.

Much has changed since last year's meeting in which General Manager Mitch Kupchak was viewed skeptically while the Lakers struggled through a difficult regular season.

Having survived the turmoil surrounding Kobe Bryant this summer only to orchestrate the Pau Gasol trade, Kupchak was greeted with tremendous support.

Kupchak told the group that his first contact with the Grizzlies was in February of 2007 around the All-Star Break. He had checked in with then President of Basketball Operations Jerry West about Gasol's availability. While nothing came of the initial discussion, the seed was sown.

Kupchak credited team owner Jerry Buss for making the move for Gasol's hefty contract. While a number of other franchises had interest, the Lakers were the one to step forward with the financial resources.

"A lot of teams didn't have the ability to do [the deal]," said Kupchak. "Their owners just wouldn't do it."

The combination of draft picks and young talent (Javaris Crittenton) along with Kwame Brown's expiring contract was the best package the Grizzlies were able to find at that moment in time.

Considering Gasol was on the block for many months, a number of teams had the opportunity to make their best offer. Last Town Hall Meeting, Kupchak had talked about finding the exact right player in the exact right moment when his value is at a low point.

When the time came, the Lakers acted decisively and were fortunate to land a significant piece at a fantastic price.

(Speaking of Jerry West, Kupchak said he didn't think the Laker legend wanted to work in the NBA again. At the same time he said West will go crazy doing nothing. Kupchak left the door open to the possibility that West could return in some capacity at a future date without suggesting anything was in the works at this time.)

After the team was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs last season by the Phoenix Suns, Kupchak found the Lakers in dire straits with Bryant demanding a trade.

"You can imagine how many calls I got this summer," he joked.

Kupchak was sympathetic to Bryant's plight this summer, saying the Laker star's sole motivation was to put himself in a position to win. The team is now confident they've provided Bryant with the best possible opportunity; both with the moves they made (Gasol and Ariza) and the ones they didn't (Bynum).

Kupchak reaffirmed, "I've always believed he'd end his career in Los Angeles . I told him this too. I can't imagine him anywhere else. That's what I believe."

He also talked of telling Coach Phil Jackson at STAPLES Center a couple of days before the trade that they had a chance to trade for Gasol. He said the deal ran into an unspecified glitch that made it take an additional day. Jackson didn't find out about it "until the deal was basically done."

The team couldn't be happier with Gasol and how quickly he's assimilated into the triangle offense. Kupchak credited his size and passing ability as key factors. Gasol would finally return from an ankle sprain the following night, Wednesday, helping the Lakers to beat the Portland Trail Blazers.

Kupchak described his inner circle as Assistant General Manager Ronnie Lester and ex-Laker Assistant Coach Bill Bertka. Also active in the process is Jim Buss who is very involved, but to date defers to the team's basketball people.

The Laker GM also noted his inclusion of the unofficially retired Aaron McKie in the Gasol trade wasn't the first time he'd used that loophole. Best guess he meant the inclusion of Chuck Person in the Horace Grant/Patrick Ewing/Glen Rice multi-team trade early in the decade.

Kupchak suggested the league might adjust that rule this summer but he admitted given the bylaws, he'll just find another loophole as needed.

Even when Kupchak's reputation was at an all-time low (after trading Shaquille O'Neal and Caron Butler), a number of league sources described him as one of the sharper general managers when it comes to understanding the nuances of the NBA's complicated salary cap.

While his drafting was once suspect, a big part of the Lakers' success has been the development of their young players.

Kupchak reminded the crowd that a couple of decades ago, prospects would finish college and sit for most of their rookie seasons. Now players come into the league so immature, it takes more time for them to emerge as consistent contributors.

"You have to have patience to wait. That's hard to do," said Kupchak. "[The fans] want to see the team compete and you want to be entertained today."

Kupchak noted how young Sasha Vujacic, Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar were when joined the team.

"I think the patience to wait a little bit was the key with Sasha. When we drafted him he was only 19 years old. Our coach had the courage to stick with him when he missed a lot of shots," said Kupchak.

"The good thing about Sasha is that he's a gym rat," he continued. "His first two or three years he didn't have a problem shooting the ball; they just didn't go in."

Kupchak said the team intends to keep both Vujacic and Turiaf who are restricted free agents this summer.

Bynum impressed Kupchak this summer when the Laker center had a complete plan prepared which included time at the team's facility in July and later an intensive individual workout program in the city of Atlanta .

When Bynum returned for training camp, he had "definition to the way he looked. He no longer looked like an overweight kid. He had a newfound confidence that we had not seen before."

"If he stays healthy and continues to work as hard as he did this summer," said Kupchak, "he's going to be a wonderful center in this league for years to come."

While Chris Mihm had just returned (ankle) and Gasol was on the precipice, Kupchak said Bynum was still a couple of weeks away. The team would rather get him back before the playoffs but that may prove to be impossible. Trevor Ariza (foot) is even further behind. At best he'll return midway through the first round of the playoffs.

Kupchak also praised the play of Lamar Odom, including him as one of the team's four stars (with Bryant, Gasol and Bynum). Kupchak noted that Odom's representatives have echoed that the Lakers haven't seen the real Lamar yet. He's had offseason surgeries and personal tragedies to deal with that have held him back. Kupchak said he's liked what he's seen from Odom the past couple of months.

Considering how much the team has invested in the current roster, Kupchak intimated he didn't expect the team to be a significant player in this summer's free agent market. At best they'd be looking for a veteran to play 10-15 minutes a game, assuming they keep both Vujacic and Turiaf.

While he said Dr. Buss is willing to pay the luxury tax, Kupchak wouldn't speculate what the future holds for Odom past his current contract (expiring after next season). The team would like to see what they have at full strength before making any long-term decisions.

As it is, the Lakers are amidst one of the most competitive battles in history for playoff position in the Western Conference. Kupchak admitted to scoreboard watching, expressing disappointment that the New Orleans Hornets had just beaten the Orlando Magic moments before he came out to speak to the fans.

He spoke very highly of Chris Paul though he noted that in his opinion Kobe Bryant is this year's MVP.

As far as the Suns, "I was as curious as everyone else was," said Kupchak. "You don't think that a player like Shaquille [O'Neal] will fit into a team like Phoenix ."

"I think the team's play the first two or three weeks after the trade reflected what everyone thought would happen. As of late they've played much better. I'm not prepared to say whether the trade has worked or hasn't worked."

If he had his pick of first round opponent it would be the Houston Rockets. While he complimented their play, especially during their tremendous 22-game win streak, Kupchak believes they'll miss the injured Yao Ming in the playoffs.

"If I was to pick a team, I'd pick one that is missing one of the best players in the NBA." said Kupchak. "Without that young man, the Rockets are one of those teams."

Unfortunately the Lakers fell upon hard times recently, losing back-to-back games against two non-playoff teams. If the Lakers aren't careful, they could forego home court advantage and face a more difficult matchup in the first round of the playoffs.

Kupchak gave his take on the recent slump.

"We've lost our best defensive player in Trevor Ariza and then we lost three centers. Chris Mihm was not really with us the whole season. Andrew Bynum went down in January and Pau Gasol about three weeks ago," said Kupchak. "When you lose your best defender and you don't have any centers left, you're forced to go to the next available player. Ronny Turiaf, who's not really a center and is a bench player, but he's been forced to start and guard like [Erick] Dampier with Dallas who 7'1" 310 lbs. There's really no adequate backup for Ronny Turiaf.

"First and foremost I think it's incredible that our coach was able to get these players to win as many games as they did (in particular the road trip in Texas when we beat Dallas and then we beat Utah ); two huge games for us without Pau , without Andrew, without Mihm and without Trevor.

"But when you do that, everybody on the team is giving a little extra. That's how you win games like that; you band together and everybody gives a little extra. After so many games of giving a little bit of extra, you kind of reach a point when you can't give anymore. There's a natural let down. In other words, your talent shows through. I think that's what happened with Charlotte and Memphis . We kind of got to the point where we just couldn't sustain it.

"Defensively if we can get Andrew and Pau back, if we get beat on the perimeter it's not going to be easy layups anymore. They'll be a Ronny Turiaf and Andrew Bynum - or a Ronny Turiaf and Pau Gasol - or Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the paint. Trust me, shooting percentages will go way down when you drive in the paint and are looking at Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol."

Now that the team is gradually getting healthy, the hope is that they finish in a favorable position for a long playoff run.

Ultimately the Lakers and Kupchak will judge this season's success on how well the team does in the playoffs.

"I would like to see our players get a chance to play together and to be healthy. I think we're as good as anybody if we're healthy. We're a little bit concerned about getting players back so close or into the playoffs," said Kupchak. "That's when it really pays to have a coach like Phil Jackson."

The Lakers at 51-24 are currently seeded third in the Western Conference slightly behind the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs (both teams they face before season's end). Despite having won nine more games than they won all of last season with seven still to play, the team has yet to clinch a postseason berth.

If they can get their full roster on the floor for the playoffs, the Lakers could be a very dangerous team in a seven game series.

Kupchak is confident.

"I think we have a great mix of veteran players. We have size and length. We have a player that when the clock is running down and you need to get a basket," said Kupchak. "I think the pieces are there. I don't think we're too young. I think we have a nice mix of players."

"I'll take my chances. I don't think we're outmatched by any team in the West."

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