Mitch Kupchak expected better Lakers start, surprised by lowly record

The Los Angeles Lakers have the worst record in the Western conference (2-13) and second worst in the league overall. The team is bad offensively(97.7 offensive rating) and defensively (107.9 defensive rating) ranking third to last in the league in both categories. This has led to the purple and gold possessing the second worst net rating in the NBA, being outscored by an average of 11.2 points per 100 possessions.

During his pregame press conference to talk about Kobe Bryant's impending retirement, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak expressed surprise at the teams' struggles. "We were hopeful we'd get off to a better start this year. I thought we'd be better than two wins into the season," Kupchak told reporters, as transcribed by Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. The long-time leader of the Lakers' basketball operations even thought that these struggles might have contributed to Bryant's decision to call it a career after the 2015-16 season comes to a close.

Mitch on Kobe retirement announcement: "We didn't make it easier for him" because of the team's struggles & roster

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 30, 2015

Despite the team not living up to his expectations, Kupchak was unwilling to comment on Lakers head coach Byron Scott, citing that the press conference was about Kobe. Earlier this week, Scott said he still felt the support of Lakers management. However, given Kupchak's admission that the Lakers have played below his expectations, it's easy to see why there could be speculation about Scott's seat getting warmer.