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LOS ANGELES -- Mitch Kupchak is normally quiet this time of year. Alone with his thoughts. The risks and rewards of standing pat or making changes churning in his gut.

But this year feels different. This year, he already has put his team on notice that he might have to make changes and wondered aloud whether the Los Angeles Lakers have hit "rock bottom."

None of what he said would make Mark Cuban's Twitter feed or even one of George Steinbrenner's press releases, of course, but for a guy who has dutifully taken as much public flak as Kupchak has over the years, his public comments in the past month have been striking.

He admitted to being frustrated when I caught up with him for a phone interview over All-Star weekend.

He sounded like a man who wants to do something but knows he might not be able to do it.

"You mean, like going to Cabo, but because I have to work I can't go?" he joked.

Yes, um, exactly like that.

"Look, nobody in the NBA is looking to help the Lakers," he continued. "And nine times out of 10 or 49 times out of 50, to get a good player you have to give up a good player. So keeping those thoughts in mind, you may not be able to do something that improves your team.

"That said, if we think there's something that would improve our team in the next week, then we'll probably do it."

The pressure on Kupchak is intense.

There are very few franchises in all of professional sports with expectations as high as they are for the Lakers. And there are very few seasons with as much riding on them as this franchise has riding on this one.

"We have an owner that wants to win," Kupchak said. "He wants to accumulate trophies. He wants to have more than the Celtics have. We have a coach who is not into rebuilding. He wants to win this year and for his legacy. We have players, veteran players, who want to win this year.

"No one is looking two or three years down the road. The mindset of the organization is to win today."

"Look, nobody in the NBA is looking to help the Lakers," he continued. "And nine times out of 10 or 49 times out of 50, to get a good player you have to give up a good player. So keeping those thoughts in mind, you may not be able to do something that improves your team.

The Skyhook wrote:The pressure if on the players to play up to their expectations. Mitch basically did the best he could this offseason to put the Lakers in position to get back to the finals. Just by watching the Lakers on T.V. you can see the lack of energy and urgency from their body language.

So Gutta wrote:We just need to bring Artest off the bench.

iamworthy wrote:Kupchak has done a great job of building this team. Im sure the team realizes this. I recall Kobe saying that Mitch has done his job now its up to the players to do their part.

LApwnd wrote:

So Gutta wrote:We just need to bring Artest off the bench.

hed be even more useless then he is now as a starter, might even be a cancer in the locker room if he demoted.


as for this year, I am not as annoyed or mad at Mitch, his hands are tied, to get talent you have to give up talent and everyone outside of the core aren't talented enough if at all to garner any talent in return.

laduane1 wrote:Artest needs to bring back the head shrinks and get his mind back in order. Or what ever is regular in ron ron's world.