In Mitch We Trust......Might not be such a good idea
by EmmCeee on Dec 13, 2011 10:26 AM PST
Email
PrintIve been hearing the above quote quite a bit recently so i decided to take a look at Mr. Kupchak's illustrious career as the Lakers GM. Im not an expert and may miss a few things but here we go anyway.
His 1st major move was to bring in Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Generally regarded as great moves at the time. He got both to take less money for the chance to team with Shaq and Kobeand possibly win a chip. The fact that GP was trash that year and Malone who never got hurt was injured arent his fault. They made it to the finals and lost to the Pistons. It was a bittersweet win/loss. Verdict B+
His next Big Move....Trading Shaq. No Trading an at the time dominant Shaq for...wait for it....Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant? Really? That's all we landed for an all world center? Laughable and Miami eventually Laughed all the way to a chip. Remember this trade as it was a disgruntled Shaq who wanted out and we gave him up for peanuts. That trade left the Lakers preparing to usher in the darkest era in Lakerland. Verdict F
The above trade paved the way for the Lakers make another deal. Trading Caron Butler for Kwame Brown and bringing in Smush Parker to team with Kobe. We all know how that ended and it also created Kobe's public trade request. Verdict F
Next Big Move....Bringing in Pau. By all accounts this was a great move capitalizing on The grizzlies wanting to get rid of salary and Gasol by giving them scraps and cap room. We won a few titles AND he didnt do as Kobe wanted by trading Drew for Kidd.. This deal came at aperfect time because Drew had gotten injured. What some dont remember is Drew was dominating at the time of his injury and the Lakers were rolling. The deal would have still been made minus the injurybut the end result is an A++
Now we're at the end or at least to the present day Kupchak. He just traded the reigning 6th man of the year to The Dallas Mavericks for all intents and purposes a bag of skittles and a couple of snicker bars. Remember the Shaq trade i mentioned above? Disgruntled player seeks trade and gets wish granted for scraps? History has repeated itself here in Lakerland to an extnt. Lucky for us the team as a whole is light years better than the one that lost Shaq so a descent of that nature isnt likely. The question needs to be asked where do we go from here?. There are still moves to be made and once everything is done we will all see how this plays out. He could ultimately get an A+ or he could wipeout and hit F status once again.The verdict at this time is an Incomplete.
In Kupchak we trust? I dont know about that. The future is partly cloudy for the Lakers with an aging roster, Big contracts and no cap space as we move closer and closer towards life without Kobe. We havent developed any young players or made any moves to get any on the roster. He could channel his inner genius and make another Pauesque trade and all will be well. Or he could pull a Kwame Brown out of his hat and well we all know how that ended.
77 comments
|
1 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Tebow?
How does he fit into this?
2010 Official DBN League Fantasy Football Champion
by TheDriveStillHurts on Dec 14, 2011 11:43 AM PST up reply actions
...........
Shannon Brown trade…..
Trevor Ariza trade…..
Its baffling to me that you are casting judgement on Mitch when the preseason isn’t even over. We MAY miss out on CP3, but we still have a great chance at landing Dwight Howard. And even if that doesn’t happen, we still have plenty of other options. No, they wont be All-Star caliber players, but they will be young players who can contribute to the bench. We will be much deeper than simply relying on Odom to carry the bench.
Odom trade exception
Sasha trade exception
Mini MLE
That is 3 solid bench players, or a possible starting PG, to help solidify the roster and prevent us from being so top-heavy.
I just heard on ESPN radio, on an interview with a reporter in the Orlando area, that he thinks Dwight is going to LA. He seems unhappy in Orlando, and the Magic have even asked Dwight to stop speaking to the media. He think the talks of staying and wanting to go to NJ are all a front, so it doesn’t seem like he is picking the team he wants to go to.
"What we want to remember—what we will remember—is the indelible vision of Kobe, his arms outstretched, delirious with joy and disbelief, running after and grabbing hold of Lamar Odom’s floating downcourt pass, while all the purple and gold streamers in the world are raining down on the hardwood." - Brian Tung
which is why gave an incomplete.
Everybody is so win now with a disregard for the future so im wrong for wanting a little bit of both. Pointing out the bad along with the good is just wrong huh lol I didnt make any of that up. Just because the facts are what they are and dont paint the perfect picture everybody wants is not my concern. I know he’s not gonna stand pat and do nothing. It’s not even about the Odom trade. I would have been perfectly happy to keep the team as is and go for a decent PG
Da Bears....enuff said
How quickly people forget that shannon Brown was a throw in player. The trade was for Ammo...
Da Bears....enuff said
The trade was to dump Vlad Radmanovic's bad contract
Which Mitch is responsible for.
That doesn’t mean he didn’t see untapped potential in Shannon Brown that helped the club.
by ObscureSportsQuarterly on Dec 13, 2011 5:18 PM PST up reply actions
lol to be honest he missed on ammo and hit with brown
The Lakers got production from Brown so its a win. And Brown ended up getting a nice payday from the Suns so we all won in the end. + for Mitch
Da Bears....enuff said
hm
He could channel his inner genius and make another Pauesque trade and all will be well. Or he could pull a Kwame Brown out of his hat and well we all know how that ended.
yes, it ended with us getting pau…
Lol xD
"I don't mind being the goat. I don't mind being the villain, hated. I've been that my whole career, so it's not like that's anything new. I don't mind people jumping on the bandwagon or jumping off. I just focus on playing the game." -Ron Artest
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Confucius
Kobe made his trade demand in the summer of '07. Pau came to us in February '08.
Every team has to go through some ups and downs, and the Lakers are no different. We had dark years after Magic retired, and a few after Shaq was traded. It goes with the territory, but you act like we’re the fucking Celtics, who spent 23 years without a trip to the Finals. Jesus, give Mitch a break.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
The GM doesnt get a break. It's part of the job he's paid to do.
Great moves and he’s applauded. Bad ones and he’s criticized. I put it out there for people to make their own opinions. Good or bad. You choose to give him a break, good for you. Doesnt change my opinion on the job he’s doing currently and the future outlook for the Lakers as a whole. You act as tho criticism of him is unwarranted. I disagree and made a fanpost. You support him so much write about it and put it out there for people to see and form their on opinion. Give him a break HA. Not till the end of this offseason and i see what the end results are.
Da Bears....enuff said
LOL, you act like he pissed in your Cheerios or something. The bottom line is that he's the one paid to do the job, not you.
And as stated before, if you make a fanpost, expect comments; not all of them will agree with you. This is where they can form their own opinion. If you only want people to agree with you, you’re in the wrong place.
I’m hardly acting like he doesn’t deserve criticism, but I’m also not blaming him for global warming.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
No You act as tho i pissed in YOUR cheerios for openly criticizing him.
Like i said before I dont care who agrees or disagrees.Im not attacking anyone with a different opinion regardless of how ridiculous i may feel they are. You along with anyone else are entitled to it. For some reason tho you think im mad? lol no where near it. It does seem like you love to assume alot and you’re entirely off base with your assumptions regarding me and the like or dislike of my opinion. And you know how the old saying goes. We can stick to basketball or we can go into a war of assumptions which you obviously so love to do. Id personally prefer to stick with basketball talk.
Da Bears....enuff said
yes, but to suggest that one would have happened without the other is not possible.
so kwame, however terrible of a time that was for us, ended in pau gasol. i only meant that your statement pretty much contradicted itself in suggesting that two things were different, even though one was the result of the other.
not to mention, i mean, dont get me wrong – and im sure kobe agrees – i’d rather have championships than any individual player achievements. but without those years, and that load kobe had to carry, we dont see some of the greatest individual performances we’re likely to see in our lifetimes. it may have been like driving a freeway on a moonless night for a few years, but fuck all if there werent a few of those violently bright roadworking lights that blind you along the way.
and then of course – destination pau gasol.
by tiger child on Dec 13, 2011 3:42 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
Beautifully stated.
it may have been like driving a freeway on a moonless night for a few years, but fuck all if there werent a few of those violently bright roadworking lights that blind you along the way.
and then of course – destination pau gasol.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
bats eyelashes
the only time i almost crashed driving was because kobe hit a game winner on the radio simultaneously as i passed one of those lights. :/
Well if you wanna take that route Then technically credit goes to Jerry West
HE brought Shaq in which eventually led to landing Odom ,Butler and Grant which led to Kwame Brown which then lead to Gasol…..If you wanna look at it like then West would get credit for all the titles since shaq being that he made the ttrade for Kobe. One couldnt happen without the other…Doesnt really amount to much huh
Da Bears....enuff said
Actually using your logic it was all Shaq because he was a free agent
And was most likely gonna end up here regardless of who was the GM. Using normal logic, what GM did the Shaq trade?
by Fin Fan Forever on Dec 13, 2011 4:06 PM PST up reply actions
now the point is just getting diluted.
i was only discussing the players that you mentioned in the end of your post. if you want to get into a history of the lakers, and how every single player came to be, and how sometimes things got bleak until a good trade was made, we can do that another time. for now, pau wouldnt have happened without kwame. so the way you worded it – “and we all know how that ended” – it ended in pau gasol.
I simply used your own logic to show how much of a never ending cycle it can be.
You dont agree with my opinion of the job he’s doing then disprove it. It’s not like he was a psychic and picked up Kwame Brown with the full intent on trading him and scraps for Gasol in the end. That’s the whole in your logic. Each of those ,oves were independent of each other. Had Kwame actually blossomed into his number pick status with the Lakers things would no doubt have been different. They werent and he was traded in what i said was a great move. What more do you want as far as congratulations on that trade lol
Da Bears....enuff said
and i agree its a black hole of a conversation. thats why i said, save it for another time.
i dont agree with your opinion because i had a lot of fun during those years. just as i had a lot of fun during the 90’s when we werent winning championships but had nick van exel and eddie jones and even magic for a time. i love basketball, and more, i love the lakers – and sometimes there are going to be dark years. but you cant blame the GM for those in their entirety. but if you’re going to blame mitch for kwame, then you have to applaud him for pau and know that if he didnt have the pieces he had, whoever was responsible for them, he wouldnt have been able to pull the trigger on moving those pieces. that is why i havent lost my faith in him. because he’s made mistakes, but he’s solved them. he’s made curious trades, but he’s brought us championships. i’ll wait to say he’s failed us this time. no matter how much my heart breaks for losing lamar.
See and i agree with that.
But for the record i did say he gets an incomplete until this offseason is done.
Da Bears....enuff said
sigh
Holy Crap, we get it already, you aren’t optimistic about our offseason.
So i guess its time for us fans to ask for him to be fired
Faith is remaining certain in the face of doubt. You’re not sure how it’s going to end, but you’re constantly of the belief that it will end the way you want it to and the way you always believed it to end, and that’s on top - Derek Fisher
It wont be the 1st time it happened.. Or Pre pau-Post Shaq was all a dream...
He gets the ultimate credit for getting Pau but there’s a reason before that Kobe said he went from an F to an A
Da Bears....enuff said
So he's back to an F for trading Lamar? Wow.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
Not what i said....So quick to disagree
You dont have to read the whole thing just scan to the bottom and you will clearly see an incomplete on this offseason
Da Bears....enuff said
I didn't disagree, just asked a question. You have to expect some feedback, EmmCeee, otherwise why make a fanpost?
And I read the whole thing, as I always do.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
I love the feedback lol
I especially hafta be ready for it being that alot of my views arent generally agreed with lol
Da Bears....enuff said
Actually.... love the post.
I personally think your accessment was spot on. But, more important, I think a lot of the dissent you’ve been getting comes from just plain ESPN fatigue and frustration.
If the world were perfect, I believe we all would feel a ton better if the trades Kupchack had in store for us had gone as planned. We would have traded Odom and Gasol for CP#, which would have secured our awful PG position, and gotten rid of Bynum and Ron Artest (I refuse to hail him with that ABA nickname) Luke Walton and some other considerations for Howard. By now the Hollywood Block party will be stretching into it’s 2nd week, and Kobe would be all smiles as we unvailed OUR version of The Big 3!
Unfortunately, Stern deceided to wear his tyrant pants to work after getting shown his balls in the labor dispute, plus, he knows full well Chris has wanted OUT of NO for the past 3 seasons already. So, he had to show how big and bad he could be by blocking it. Speaking of wanting out, Dwight is playing his usual “nice guy” image to a tee. There is no doubt in my mind he WANTS to be a Laker. That news was leaked 3 seasons ago as well. But, Orlando knows that he is their best and ONLY drawing piece, so they want to pillage the Lakers for a ton and anyone else who comes calling. Give Kup this much credit, he isn’t willing to skuttle the entire organization for either of these trades. Especially when you consider we could just as easily pull a Miami and convince both guys to stay where they are for a measly 66 games and pick up BOTH at our leasure with NO INTERFERANCE next year when they’re FA’s. By then, Kup will have put only menial players on the roster, gut them and REALLY stick it to the league for another 4 years!
However, I digress, for the most part….I agree with everything you wrote. Nice piece.
K.C.Edwards -AKA- "THE" DarkkStarr
It's kind of unfair to pin this on Mitch
What David Stern did to the Lakers was both unprecedented and completely out of the blue.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
Right? Never in the history of sports.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
That's why i didnt inclyde that.
I dont blame him for that as he was trying to make a big deal and simultaneously trying to get Howard
Da Bears....enuff said
But what David Stern has directly led to everything else, including Lamar's trade. It's all tied together.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
I understand that. I jut dont particularly agree with who we trade him to and what we got for him
Da Bears....enuff said
Do you know what other options we had?
Lamar had to be traded ASAP because he was refusing to play.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
I breakdown the blame like this:
50% stern, 40% lamar, 10% mitch
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
i dont think anyone would agree with those elements as a stand alone trade.
but the off-season isnt over yet. so you cant judge it. plus like SCG said, everything that happened, happened because of what stern did. it was a domino situation.
now, if not another move is made during the offseason using the draft pick and trade exception that truly makes us better, then yes, it will be viewable as a bad move. but not a move to drop all faith from mitch. lamar asked to be traded. and who knows what else was on the table for mitch at that point regarding odom? we cant be sure.
now, should we stay relatively the same, i know most people out there, especially opposing fans, and fly by night fans of the purple and gold dont believe we have a good enough squad to get back to the trophy, but the thing is…
…they are wrong.
by tiger child on Dec 13, 2011 11:58 AM PST up reply actions
Im not completely sold on the team especially with Fisher at the point
BUT if Mike Brown can work his defensive magic we might be ok. Moves still have to be made to make our bench much much better. That gets done and we just might see the Lakeshow back in the finals….assuming Bynum stays healthy for the next 61 games…fingers crossed
Da Bears....enuff said
right. well of course we have to fill out the roster.
and regarding point guard, there’d be no reason we couldnt use our exceptions to get a serviceable player. we dont need a great PG. we just need one who’s a bit swifter.
i just have a lot of faith in the core of this team still. last year was a weird year. thats not who these guys are though. and yes, a lot of that will hinge on bynum’s health. because without a backup, and without LO, that puts pau in an even tighter spot than last season if something were to happen. but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, hoping we never ever do. but im sure mitch wont leave us with that thin of a bench by the opening tip off.
Mitch said "pursuing big deals"
Gerald Green, Josh McRoberts and Malcom Thomas. Ooh real big there. Patiently waiting Mitch…
by LizzakeShizzow on Dec 13, 2011 11:50 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
On the bright side,
Laker fans now have ammo against any future whiners if they get another Pau Gasol-type deal.
“Unfair? Where were you when the Lakers gave Lamar Odom to Dallas for a pick?”
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
when the guy has good ideas a umbrella appears above his head?
Czheck Productions
Beatsforyounow.com music community
I've never done anything good for the world, and I'm not about to start now-DF
Follow @Czheck
I think this should be Caracter's team photo this season.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
lol
pancake storms are coming
Czheck Productions
Beatsforyounow.com music community
I've never done anything good for the world, and I'm not about to start now-DF
Follow @Czheck
Come on, photoshop his face onto the bunny. I know you can do it.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
but mitch is still the one responsible for it
it’s not as if ownership doesn’t have possible influence over mitch’s other decisions
True. I have no problem giving him credit for the good moves he's made
I also dont have a problem criticizing him when i feel its warranted
Da Bears....enuff said
loooooooool
this is pretty funny…….. I needed a laugh, thanks for this
"Where Yo Curleh Mustache at!?"
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." -Gil Meriken
bait? as in we're going fishing?
"Where Yo Curleh Mustache at!?"
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." -Gil Meriken
I'm kinda curious
what you think we could’ve traded Lamar for. What were some of the players you felt Mitch should’ve explored trading for with LO’s favorable contract?
"These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the end game." - Charlie Wilson
"I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence." -Lupe Fiasco
Im not sure....It just seems like Mitch took the 1st deal and ran with it
I wouldve looked around for a PG maybe a backup Big. Offered Drew and LO for Dwight in a formal trade offer. I just find it hard to believe that was the only trade offer on the table for LO.
And just to be completely clear I wasnt against trading him. I just feel like we couldve gotten more in return.
Da Bears....enuff said
Kobe money
The problem is Kobe makes too much money. His contract is for $24 mil, $25 mil and then $30 million, no matter how much Jerry B takes in on TV contracts he won’t want to pay the luxury tax, that is why LO went bye bye.
The luxury tax would've been no issue for Buss
if LO had not demanded a trade as a form of controlling his own situation. Mitch only mentioned salary when addressing the fact that they don’t want pay luxury tax for a disgruntled player
"These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the end game." - Charlie Wilson
"I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence." -Lupe Fiasco
LOL, oh my.
You're only a success for the moment that you complete a successful act. - Tex Winter
Tweetness
the fucks???????
"Where Yo Curleh Mustache at!?"
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." -Gil Meriken
and coming out of left field...
ABE FROHMANN!
Kobe: "Listen, if you told me at the beginning of the year that we’ve got two games at home to win a championship, yeah, I’ll take that shit"
I'm not and won't doubt Mitch. He deserves more respect than that.
I trust and believe that he will do whats best for the team. Why? Because of his past success. But especially because I am 100% sure he is trying his hardest to improve the Lakers. As a fan, that is all we can ask for.
"Hate me or love me. Its one or the other; always has been. Hate my game, my swagger. Hate my fadeaway, my hunger. Hate that I'm a veteran. A champion. Hate that. Hate it with all your heart. And hate that I'm loved for the exact same reasons." - Kobe Jelly Bean Bryant
Well you are right about missing some things.
I mean, like ten years. I know Wikipedia says those were his first moves, but he was pretty insturmental before that before that. Jerry West deservedly gets a ton of credit for his drafting and his ability to sell guys on the team, but he also had transitioned out of contract negotiations and the logistics of making trades by the end of the Pat Riley days. West convinced Shaq to come in perhaps, but Buss was the one who created the cap space in the first place. And for better or worse, most of the transactions made pre-Phil Jackson can be directly attributed to him.
by Derek Fisher Fan on Dec 14, 2011 3:36 AM PST reply actions
Well i didnt want to do an autobiography of Mitch Kupchak
I just focused on his actions as The GM not as the sidekick of the GREAT Jerry West
Da Bears....enuff said
Mitch got to do something quick because running out of time
Lakers need Dewight Howard to make our team better because losing Odom and Shannon brown was a lost and got nothing really good…With we don’t get nobody yes we are still a problem and win games, but in the playoffs is where it will sink in…I think if we get Dewight Howard, and get Arraon Brooks as our pg we be a great team to win it all, but we have to trade some good players, but want them to keep Pau
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on Silver Screen and Roll
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Create-a-Caption: Jeff Pendergraph scares his Pacers teammates
- James Harden is a cake now
- Mike Miller loses shoe, plays two possessions without it, Pacers don’t score (VIDEO)
- Larry Bird calls his Indiana Pacers ‘soft’ following the team’s physical Game 5 loss to Miami
- Dexter Pittman’s elbow to Lance Stephenson’s throat is just one of three nasty hits in Miami/Indiana’s Game 5 (VIDEO)
