Page 1 of 7
Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:04 am
by WCDYNASTY
Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won’t Tank This Season
Posted by: Corey Hansford (January 08, 2014)
The Lakers are going through one of their toughest seasons in recent memory. Expectations were already low with such a young, unproven team, but with the number of injuries the Lakers have suffered this season, it is beginning to seem likely that the Lakers will return to the lottery for the first time since 2005.
Of course, with a draft as highly touted as this one, many believe that is a good thing. In fact many are calling for the Lakers to ‘tank’ in order for them to improve their chances at landing a top pick in this draft. Mitch Kupchak, however, says that is not going to happen as reported by the LA Times’ Mike Bresnahan:
[tweet]https://twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan/status/421047932394016768[/tweet]
Kupchak is obviously against the practice of making the team worse and he is not alone as Kobe Bryant has also spoken negatively about tanking and its effects on the culture of the organization. Even when the Lakers were attempting to trade away Pau Gasol, they were insistent on getting a player who could help the team now as opposed to just the salary cap relief of waiving Andrew Bynum.
Many teams in the league have obviously given up on the season and are positioning themselves to improve in the offseason, but the Lakers are not like every other team. There is sense of pride and mystique about the Lakers and doing something like tanking would go against everything that Dr. Buss built over the last three decades.
It is this mindset that separates the Lakers from every other team in the NBA. The Lakers don’t operate under the same rules as everyone else and that is why they are the Lakers.
SOURCE:http://www.lakersnation.com/lakers-news-mitch-kupchak-says-lakers-wont-tank-this-season/2014/01/08/
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:12 am
by Michael Lucky
that's what every gm of every team that is terrible are saying, so nothing newsworthy.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:14 am
by WCDYNASTY
If Mitch isn't thinking about tanking now then I bet you he will be after this long road stretch is over... and if he's not thinking about it after that then obviously he's smoking some of that good stuff.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:30 am
by The Laker Kid
When Kupchak says something, it's always the opposite that happens
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:31 am
by Kilroy
He said nothing about unintentionally sucking... Which we do...
Only thing that could turn this season around is a 2008 Kobe and a trade for another All-Star, and even then, we'd be hard pressed to get out of the second round in the West.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:32 am
by Frantik
what kind of GM would publicly agree to tanking?
nothing to see here... carry on...
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 12:50 am
by The Skyhook
Obviously we aren't tanking. Kobe wouldn't allow for it. When these injuries all added up these guys just weren't good enough to beat some of these other teams.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 1:14 am
by crazyeights
TBH, **** what Kobe wouldn't allow for.
In my mind he should be done running this team's agenda. They wrapped up his career in that last extension and now it's up to him to simply play it out. Maybe that means one last run, maybe it doesn't, but it's not up to him anymore. As Don Draper would say "That's what the money's for!"
If Mitch and Jimmy are running things to appease Kobe anymore then they are doing it wrong. The future needs to start now.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 3:22 am
by Dr Aki
PR spiele
say one thing, do another
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 3:36 am
by Desiderium
we're not tanking, we just suck
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 3:46 am
by Edrees
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 3:55 am
by Tiesto_Lakers
"Yes, we're tanking."
- something you'll never hear a GM say.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 4:59 am
by ArC_man
Mitch is just covering all bases in case "Basketball Reasons" try to prevent us from drafting Embiid.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 5:18 am
by Lakers24
I think Mitch is just trying to be nice or professional what ever you want to call it. But my opinion we should tank and fire Dantoni as the first domino effect. just my opinion...
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 5:47 am
by SlimShady83
WE ONLY SUCK BECAUSE OF ALL THE INJURY'S AND WAIT FOR IT ... Pau .. < lol on that one
If we were fully healthy all year long we would be 6th/7th seed at best liked I predicted but stupid injury's after stupid injury's are the main reason we are sucking balls right now
We sucked last season for pretty much the same reason, if we could go a season with out any injury's for once I bet you we could be right up there with Spurs/OKC - I'd say Portland too but we shall see how long they ride up the top for first ...
We had a bad season last season and again this season - next season we should have a full healthy new team to work with, full preseason etc ..etc.
So chill guys, just chill, let's all just have the laughs for this season and bring on the next season and the one after that < we will be back on top soon enough
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 5:50 am
by Kilroy
I don't think we're tanking, and I think Mitch plans to try to make moves to make us better at the deadline...
I have a feeling the Tank Krew isn't going to be too happy this season...
I think the lottery and avoiding the repeater tax etc are valid concerns, but I think the FO views them as last ditch options... And the trade deadline is the last chance to try to make significant improvements to the team.
So I think he plans to try... I doubt it'll work... But I expect something to happen and not just cost cutting moves either.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 6:16 am
by Speedlot
Uh duh. It's illegal to tank. At least overtly.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 6:29 am
by Michael Lucky
It's not even a matter of tanking at this point. Looking at the players playing atm, there isn't a single team's roster I wouldn't want to have more than the lakers if it's to win games. Half the players we're playing belong in the d-league or are the 12th man in a championship roster. We have one above average player playing heavy minutes in Pau Gasol and his D is horrendous. Point is we have no talent, and we'll keep losing as a result of it.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 7:41 am
by MagicMamba88
Kilroy wrote:I don't think we're tanking, and I think Mitch plans to try to make moves to make us better at the deadline...
I have a feeling the Tank Krew isn't going to be too happy this season...
I think the lottery and avoiding the repeater tax etc are valid concerns, but I think the FO views them as last ditch options... And the trade deadline is the last chance to try to make significant improvements to the team.
So I think he plans to try... I doubt it'll work... But I expect something to happen and not just cost cutting moves either.
make moves with what?
Michael Lucky wrote:It's not even a matter of tanking at this point. Looking at the players playing atm, there isn't a single team's roster I wouldn't want to have more than the lakers if it's to win games. Half the players we're playing belong in the d-league or are the 12th man in a championship roster. We have one above average player playing heavy minutes in Pau Gasol and his D is horrendous. Point is we have no talent, and we'll keep losing as a result of it.
THIS! ^^^
gotta have some type of talent to actually make moves.
Re: Mitch Kupchak Says Lakers Won
Posted: Thu Jan 9, 2014 8:11 am
by ROballer
Kilroy wrote:I don't think we're tanking, and I think Mitch plans to try to make moves to make us better at the deadline...
.
Check the schedule...January is brutal
We're 8 games under .500 right now and we'll probably be 12-14 games under at the end of the month
How the **** we can get better?It's not like we're a juggernaut even with our roster healthy and Kobe back, and we can rack up wins like nothing to get back
This ain't the East .....there's nothing we can do this year