Mitch Kupchak Q&A on Kobe

[Slava]

Probably a more frank interview than anything he has done so far.

On his expectations towards this season:

I'm not going to say I thought we could win 50 games this year; even 45 would be something on the upper end. If we got to the point where I felt we could win half our games, that would be a good season, and that was our expectation going into the season. This is a process with the roles as they are today and us drafting players who are 19 years old. It's a process. And you really can't hurry the process. We're trying to push it along. You really can't make it happen by snapping your fingers anymore, not that we ever did. I was hoping at least -- and I still am -- that we can reel off some games and make this season pretty competitive, but there were never expectations that this was going to be a season where, hey, we can win 50-55 games, Kobe, and you can play a small part.

On Kobe's shooting volume:

Want him to change his approach and not be so shot-heavy?

Kupchak: I gave up hoping he would change his approach like 15, 18 years ago. He is what he is, and I'm thankful for it.

On his experience watching Kobe struggle this season:

Kupchak: Like everybody else, I go back and forth. I talk to Kobe about it and he says it's timing and getting my legs under me and conditioning, getting used to playing with different players. And I buy in. Then I watch the games on TV and I read the paper and I remind myself that he's 37 years old, and maybe it's more than that. So I go back and forth on it.

Baxter Holmes | ESPN

[FrozenIceCubes]

Mitch and Co still have hopes for this season so the tank talk should be out the door...

We all know Mitch isn't actually hinging his hopes on the current squad going on a winning run.. He's probably gonna try make trades..

[Slava]

Quite interesting that you read all that and came to the same conclusion that's been on your mind since forever.

[Spens1]

the tank is strong in this one

Lets get Ben Simmons for next season at least

[miggs]

sounds like Mitch is looking to create some noise heading into free agency by trying to develop our young core as much as possible to lure some quality FAs more so than looking at keeping the top 3 protected pick.

[slifersd]

Did Mitch actually think this team could come anywhere close to 0.500? I mean, it's always good to be optimistic, but looking at this poorly constructed mess of a squad, 500 is a laughable target. I do wonder if Mitch has been smoking the same stuff Jim's been on since high school before he did this interview.

[NikolaPekovic]

You don't put Swaggy P, Kobe, and Lou Williams on the same team unless you were deliberately trying to tank.

[madmaxmedia]

It sounds so much better when he's honest, when they try to pull a snow job they only come across as idiots or liars.

I think Mitch's expectations for the season were based on Kobe making more than a third of his shots, and more than a fifth of his 3-pointers.

[Kilroy]

You don't put Swaggy P, Kobe, and Lou Williams on the same team unless you were deliberately trying to tank.

Without those 3 guys, this team would have no 'shooters'... The problem isn't those 3, the problem is the rest of the team plays no defense, doesn't share the ball enough, and relys too heavily on one of those 3 to carry the offense. We shoot way too many 3s for a team with this level of talent.

None of those guys has been useless at what they do... Kobe has been shooting too much and they haven't been falling as much as we like, but it's not like we're winning games when he doesn't play... Young has been quietly effective actually, the problem is the ball finds him first instead of like 3rd or 4th... Lou has been OK... But we're asking way too much of him.

If we're tanking, the primary indicator is our lack of recognizable offensive or defensive system... Not a player or group of players.

[NikolaPekovic]

You don't put Swaggy P, Kobe, and Lou Williams on the same team unless you were deliberately trying to tank.

Without those 3 guys, this team would have no 'shooters'... The problem isn't those 3, the problem is the rest of the team plays no defense, doesn't share the ball enough, and relys too heavily on one of those 3 to carry the offense. We shoot way too many 3s for a team with this level of talent.

None of those guys has been useless at what they do... Kobe has been shooting too much and they haven't been falling as much as we like, but it's not like we're winning games when he doesn't play... Young has been quietly effective actually, the problem is the ball finds him first instead of like 3rd or 4th... Lou has been OK... But we're asking way too much of him.

If we're tanking, the primary indicator is our lack of recognizable offensive or defensive system... Not a player or group of players.

They're chuckers who don't offer anything else. You don't win that way.


Why do you think there hasn't been any word from Mitch about firing Byron? Fans have been vocal and management hasn't really put him on the hot seat.

It's because he doesn't want to win. Not only does he not want to win, he wants to be so bad the Lakers are ensured a top 3 pick. And he's doing a great job so far.

[slifersd]

I am just going to be flat out honest here, this team would still be crap and will have a hard time getting 30 wins even if Kobe is still averaging 20 points a game. The team simply does not know how to actually play defense. Russell, Kobe, Randle and Clarkson are all atrocious defenders who lets their man score on them almost at will. Add in Hibbert and his complete inability to actually rebound the ball, and you have a team destined to lose a lot of games.