mitch did an interview with sam amick, last night. some of the q and a's from it:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nb ... s/7496069/on mike d'antoni's future, if kobe will have a say in it, how kobe's public comments affect him, and if they can turn it around by next yr:
Q: Will (Kobe) factor in on the decision about Mike?
A: We will not consult with him. No, we won't consult with him.
Q: Because when he was asked about Mike last week, the perception was that he didn't go to bat for him publicly. That started the storyline of "Well, Mike's not coming back because it doesn't seem like Kobe wants him back."
A: We won't consult with him. Our decisions going forward — we're not going to do knee-jerk stuff. We'll let the season end, and take some time. We've got a lot of injuries and surgeries to sort through. That's a lot to accomplish. We have the draft coming up?
Q: Do you have clarity on that (D'Antoni) decision yet?
A: No. No. In fact, I told Jimmy let's get to the end season, take some time off…then review the season. Look at our roster. I mean we have a plan. We've aligned our contracts in such a way where we're at a position where we're not financially stuck. But there's a lot we don't know. We don't know where we're going to get our pick. Are we going to be sixth, are we going to be eighth, are we going to be two or three? We don't know. We know who may be a free agent, but we don't know for sure until June 30.
So we know a lot, and we're set up to take advantage of the situations — whether it's to make a trade, take back a player, get a good draft choice, pursue free agency. But once again, it's a different world than it was 20 years ago. And as much as we'd like to be very competitive and competing for a championship next year, it may or may not happen, ok?
Q: So how's Kobe going to handle that?
A: He'll be fine. He's got no choice. He'll be fine. When we lose, he'll rant and rave and be upset and be hot and won't talk to anybody, but that's the way it is. You've got to take the good with the bad.
on fans wanting phil to basically replace him:
Q: But with all the talk about Phil here, those people don't often talk about how you're still here and what you've accomplished. Does that ever hit your ego, that idea that there's not more talk about "In Mitch we trust"?
A: Well the people that I need to know trust me, and they made it clear that they do. I understand from the public's point of view that Kupchak doesn't hold a candle to Jackson. Once again, it's a good story so that didn't really bother me. But the people in the organization certainly — Jimmy, and I know Jeanie — trust me too. And for over 30 years, Dr. Buss showed incredible trust and loyalty to me. So to me, that's what was important. That was it.
more stuff at the link, mostly about being patient, not making knee jerk moves, the added challenges of the new CBA, and the financial flexibility that allows them to make moves but that also must be guarded
"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish, Harry, but battle on." - Dumbledore
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