ESPN

I don't envy Mitch Kupchak's job in the slightest. The Lakers have slipped a notch below the league's most elite teams, and don't have many assets -- whether in draft picks, young trade prospects, or salary flexibility -- with which to improve the team, and are working against a very punitive CBA.

Meanwhile, the Kobe Klock is ticking.

No offseason in L.A. is an easy one, but an argument can easily be made this one provides Kupchak his stiffest test as Lakers general manager. I don't know how he gets it done, but fortunately he's better at his job than I am, so there's hope for fans.

Wednesday in El Segundo, Kupchak met with the media and relative to his normal "You'll never get the launch codes from me, reporter! Never!" standards, was frank about the need for improvements, and that the Lakers would explore just about every option available in order to facilitate them.

Here are a few choice quotes. Click below the jump for full video coverage of his press conference.

On Pau Gasol: "I don’t suspect that he’ll ever be the same based on what took place this year. I thought personally that he did the best anybody can do, being professional and saying the right things, being a good teammate and having a really good season up until I met with him a couple hours ago. He’s the consummate teammate, consummate professional. But what took place is hard for a player to deal with and I’m sure there’s a little bit of trust that’s not quite the same. But, like you said, he understands and our exit meeting with him was really good. I think he and I are on the same page. I have not met with ownership. I do not know what direction the team is going to go, what the parameters are going to be going forward so there wasn’t really anything additional to share with Pau or to share with you people about what may take place between now and the draft, or now and July 1st or post July 1st."

(Note: Asked what he meant by "I don't suspect he'll ever be the same," Kupchak said he was talking only about the trust issue between Gasol and the organization, not his on court performance.)

On whether the Lakers would be active in the trade market: "Why not? Sure. When you lose, and we went through it last year and we didn’t make really, other than at the trade deadline, we didn’t do anything last year, but when you lose before you think you should have lost, you have to open up all opportunities."

(Read full post)

This was no easy season for Pau Gasol, between the weight carried from a poor 2011 postseason, being traded/untraded for Chris Paul, hearing his name swirl around the rumor mill like a Hollywood Starlet in the pages of US Weekly, and a new role that didn't play to his strengths in a compressed season that offered little time to practice out the kinks. His streak of three consecutive All-Star bids came to an end, replaced instead by a streak of public comments from Kobe Bryant cajoling him to be more aggressive.

Beyond receiving the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, Gasol's reasons to smile were limited this season. And the rediscovery of a toothy grin may come while donning a different uniform. Even before Mitch Kupchak acknowledged later in the afternoon a shakeup could be coming, Gasol's demeanor and body language wasn't that of someone banking on a return next season. He was the odd man out of this year's system -- and a pricey one at that -- which could lead to being out altogether. For the time being, however, he remains in his customary state: Limbo.

"I wish I could have clarification, but they can't give it to me right now," said Gasol. "I think management still has talk to ownership to see what direction this thing will be going next year... If they knew it would be good to know obviously, but I understand. We just finished playing two days ago, things don't work that easily. I wont really worry too much about it. It's something I've been through already this year, so if something does happen, it does and if it doesn't I'll be happy to be back next training camp ready to go, and Hopefully have much more peaceful year, and just focus on our goal, which will be to try to win another championship."

Besides, as Gasol noted, he, Mike Brown and Mitch Kupchak didn't spend nearly as much time talking about the future as the recent past. The pow wow lasted about an hour, which is very long by exit interview meeting standards. But considering the chaos of Pau's season, it's not surprising extra time would be required to hash out matters. Unlike the airing of grievances that accompany Festivus, Pau didn't present the sitdown as heated or hostile. His recounting of events came with the typical Gasol-ian politeness. But it's clear he got some things off his chest.

"I told them it was hard for me at times," shared Gasol. "I never had to search for offense or for looks in teams I've been on. They've always been, not given to me, but I always had them because of what I bring to table. So to have to go and search, I have struggled at points, at times with that. But obviously when you have certain players are also very good contributors on the offensive end, you have to make sure combine all those weapons, make them work at their best. And that takes a little bit of time, too.

"I always like to be aggressive and proactive, but I was still trying to adjust to the fact it was different. I wasn't getting the same things I was getting before. I'm not used to attacking from different positions on the court. Analyzing a little more made me think of it a little more. But I don't like excuses at all. It's just analyzing and seeing the fact and understanding why things happen a certain way."

(Read full post)

When Jordan Hill arrived in L.A. as part of the Derek Fisher trade, his role was pretty clear, in the sense it didn't exist. Beyond a knee injury suffered shortly after getting his new uni, Mike Brown was committed to Josh McRoberts as the primary reserve big, with Troy Murphy getting occasional minutes as a situational lefty spreading the floor. Hill is undoubtedly more athletic than either guys and his credentials as a rebounder had been established. However, he's also young, fairly raw, and carries a reputation for mistakes on the court. And such players often don't crack the rotation as a late-addition to a team seeking a title.

But there are always exceptions to the rule. Phil Jackson, for example, threw Shannon Brown unexpectedly into the fire right before the 2009 championship run. And after an April 20 blowout loss in San Antonio, Brown decided a change was needed. Thu, he called Hill at 2 am to inform the kid he'd finally be getting some run. That PT resulted in a 14 point, 15 rebound double-double against OKC, along with a job for Hill. His playoff showing was the roller coaster one might expect from a role player with no postseason experience and still honing his craft. In a nutshell, Hill was all over the map. But he averaged 6.4 rebounds per contest in less than 20 minutes, and save starter-in-6th man's-clothing Lamar Odom, Hill's the best 4/5 off the Laker bench since Ronny Turiaf.

I wouldn't be surprised if the team was interested in retaining the impending free agent's services, and if that's the case, the feeling is mutual.

"Yeah, it's definitely one of, if not the best organizations in the league and I had great time here, with the short time I was here," said Hill during his exit interview. "The staff, players, everybody. I just enjoyed it.

"I just never thought I would be in this position, with the Lakers. All-Stars. Champions. Back-to-back championships. Different championships. I just wanted to go out there and if I get my opportunity, just take advantage of it. Just being around those guys, it was definitely a great feeling. Just having fun. Jokes. Hanging out. You feel like you can be a kid again, off the court. It was definitely a great feeling. I'm definitely forward to, if possible, more to come."

(Read full post)

Speaking to the media less than 24 hours after what might gently be described as a disastrous performance in L.A.'s Game 5 loss Monday night in Oklahoma City, Ramon Sessions made it clear he wants to stay with the Lakers.

“[I] definitely hope to be here," he said. "Hopefully, everything works out. It's not secret I have a player option that I have coming up, so we’ll just see what happens. It’s nothing I’ve thought about yet. The season’s just [ended], so I’ll just take some time off, reflect and go from there."

As for the organization, Sessions said their message to him was unambiguous. "It was definitely clear leaving the meeting they want me back. It was definitely 100 percent clear."

(Read full post)

The news is here.

The NBA released a statement regarding the suspension:

"The Lakers' Metta World Peace has been suspended for seven games without pay for striking the Thunder's James Harden in the head with his elbow, the NBA announced today.

The incident, which resulted in a Flagrant Foul Two and ejection, occurred with 1:39 remaining in the second quarter of the Lakers’ 114-106 victory over the Thunder on April 22 at Staples Center.

“The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at the head area," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "We remain committed to taking necessary measures to protect the safety of NBA players, including the imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations."

The suspension will begin with the Lakers’ next game at Sacramento on April 26. The remaining games of the suspension will be served over the next six games in which the player is eligible and physically able to play, including this season’s playoffs."

Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak issued a statement on behalf of the team:

"Metta has for the most part been a model citizen both on and off the court since joining the Lakers. Still, his most recent lapse in judgement is not to be condoned or accepted. His actions could have seriously injured another player, and his absence during this suspension will hurt our team as well. While we accept the league’s decision, we will be supportive of Metta and try to help him be more professional on the court.”

Blazers owner Paul Allen is a rich man, and according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Chris Broussard, has his eyes and giant wallet aimed towards Mitch Kupchak to fill Portland's currently unoccupied general manager gig:

"Kupchak is one of the Blazers' top targets, sources told ESPN.com, in their quest to land an executive with experience running a franchise's basketball operations.

It remains to be seen, however, whether the Lakers would be willing to grant Portland permission to speak to Kupchak, who has spent more than 25 years in L.A.'s front office. Kupchak took over for Jerry West as the club's lead decision-maker in the basketball department in the summer of 2000 before gradually ceding that status to Jim Buss, who serves as the Lakers' executive vice president of player personnel.

Blazers president Larry Miller could not be immediately reached for comment and Kupchak did not immediately respond to messages left by ESPN.com.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Kupchak's latest contract with the Lakers is a lucrative multiyear deal. But Jim Buss -- son of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss -- is widely perceived to have the deciding vote on basketball matters with the Lakers and is regarded as the driving force not only behind the drafting of Andrew Bynum in 2005 but also L.A.'s decision to hire Mike Brown as Phil Jackson's replacement over Rick Adelman. And that has spawned a growing belief among several of Kupchak's peers that the architect of the Pau Gasol trade in 2008 that ultimately led to two championships would have some interest in listening to outside proposals."

Two points: First, Portland showing interest in Kupchak makes sense (why wouldn't they be?) but doesn't automatically mean Kupchak showing interest in Portland. Second, In a zillion years, I can't imagine the Lakers giving Kupchak permission to interview with a conference rival, so in that regard it feels like a moot point. Still, the report isn't insignificant, because as long as Kupchak's name appears in the rumor mill it lends credence to the idea the Lakers' front office isn't a totally happy place, one where basketball personnel not named Jim Buss don't have the authority to run a department.

Whether that's fair depends on who you ask, but either way is definitely the type of narrative Buss wants to dispel.

Can the Lakers compete tonight against the Spurs without Kobe Bryant? If the answer is no, (a) should Mike Brown consider resting Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum and (b) does this mean The Mamba should merit more consideration for MVP honors?

These and other questions were tackled in today's chat. Here's the link to the room.

The Lakers bench was nearly outscored single-handedly, 13-14, on Tuesday by a player that could have been a part of it.

Gerald Green, a training camp invitee of the Lakers and big-time contributor to the Los Angeles D-Fenders this season, the Lakers’ D-League affiliate, was called up by the New Jersey Nets in February and has shined in a backup role.

Green came into Tuesday’s game averaging 11.5 points on 49.7 percent shooting from the floor and 37.3 percent from downtown for New Jersey. He scored 20 points or more in four of his first 19 games with the Nets.

The Lakers have lacked a consistent bench scorer this season, as they relied at times on unproven rookie Andrew Goudelock to fill that role and attempted, and failed, to secure a solid sixth man in Minnesota’s Michael Beasley at the trade deadline.

Green, a former first round pick of the Boston Celtics who has played for five NBA teams including the Nets and Celtics, played exceptionally well in his time with the D-Fenders, averaging 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22 games while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 45.8 percent on 3-pointers.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who considered signing free agent Gilbert Arenas at one point to satisfy the bench scoring need, said the team tracked Green closely but considered him more of a small forward than a shooting guard.

“If you look at him as a small forward, he would have been our fifth small forward behind Metta [World Peace], at the time Luke [Walton], Matt Barnes and Devin Ebanks,” Kupchak told ESPNLosAngeles.com. “So, as painful as it was to watch a kid really grow and you get to know a kid, there was just no way to bring him on the team and have him sit and justify it.”

Kupchak did not rule out the Lakers revisiting Green when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

“I’m happy for the kid,” Kupchak said. “I hope he plays well for the rest of the year and based on how things play out, we’ll take it from there.”

(Read full post)

Not a happy Tuesday for the Lakers' All-Star center. To begin, as reported by our man Dave McMenamin, Andrew Bynum won't play in Tuesday's game against the visiting New Jersey Nets as the result of a moderately sprained ankle sustained Sunday against the Golden State Warriors. Not many medical specifics were offered, but considering how an MRI hasn't been deemed necessary, this feels like both a precautionary step and a reflection of the Nets starting Johan Petro at center. In theory, the Lakers should be able to win this game with Bynum in street clothes. Wednesday's contest against the Clippers, however, is a different story. But Bynum expressed hope he'd be available in another 24 hours, so despite his extensive bouts with the injury bug, I'm actually not terribly concerned about a lingering health issue.

Instead, I'll worry about another matter regarding Bynum. As McMenamin shares...

Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum might not have attempted any more 3-pointers after being benched last week, but his team's disciplinary actions against him didn't end there.

Bynum was recently fined an undisclosed amount for "numerous infractions," multiple sources confirmed to ESPNLosAngeles.com. One of the stunts that warranted the fine from the team was Bynum blowing off a meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

Bynum told ESPNLosAngeles.com he was unaware of the fine before getting into his car outside the Lakers practice facility and driving away following the team's shootaround in preparation for their game against the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday.

Presumably, the other stunts in question include:

- His high-fivin' antics while leaving the court upon being ejected on March 20 against the Houston Rockets. He then offered little accountability for getting the boot, instead insisting his absence had nothing to do with the eventual loss.

- 3-pointer-Gate against the Warriors on March 27, which was compounded by behaving poorly upon getting benched by Mike Brown. He sat slouched on the bench looking disinterested, then refused to take part in the huddles. Afterward, he said he didn't get up from the bench because that's where Brown put him, and maintained that 3-pointers will remain a part of his "expanded" game. Factor in how Bynum has criticized Brown's rigorous practice/shootaround schedule, and it doesn't take a psychology expert to figure out he and his coach aren't jelling. I've never believed the players as a whole have truly bought into Brown as their coach, so in that sense, elements of Bynum's disenchantment are perhaps shared by others. But he's the only one acting out at the moment, which makes his situation more problematic.

- Recurring bouts of on-court indifference, which have resulted in a string of games low on rebounds and/or hustle. Don't believe me? Just ask Bynum himself, who copped to "loafing" after the March loss in D.C.

- His recent declaration of not participating in huddles, whether led by Brown or Kobe Bryant, because he's "getting his zen on." (To the best of my recollection, Phil Jackson did prefer players listen in the huddles, for what that's worth.)

And finally, he skipped a meeting with Kupchak, which is a pretty much guaranteed way to lighten one's wallet.

It's also important to remember these aren't the only instances of questionable behavior. There was his flagrant foul against J.J. Barea 2011 playoffs, exacerbated by the WWE-style removal of his jersey while heading to the showers. (That elbow was basically a carbon copy of previous infractions to the ribs of Gerald Wallace and Michael Beasley, the latter of which had already earned him a suspension.) He's also obsessed in the past over touches to the point where it admittedly affected his defense. He's displayed a penchant for parking in handicapped spots.

As Brian and I have both mentioned many times over the last few weeks, Bynum's been in "petulant" mode recently, and we're not the only folks taking note. Pau Gasol expressed disappointment in Bynum's recent behavior, and formally addressed the matter. As did the front office. Talented and intelligent as he is, Bynum's maturity has been called into question a lot over the last few years. This disciplinary action taken by the team does nothing to quell those concerns.

Following a very busy morning for the Lakers ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline, Mitch Kupchak spent about 35 minutes with the media. The addition of Ramon Sessions to L.A.'s backcourt was obviously a topic of conversation, but not surprisingly Kupchak's time was dominated by questions related to the departure of Derek Fisher. In his opening remarks, Kupchak welcomed Sessions, along with Jordan Hill and Christian Eyenga. He thanked Jason Kapono, and had some very nice words about Luke Walton, the other long time Laker sent packing today.

From there, he talked about Fisher:

"It’s hard to put into words what he’s meant to this organization on the court, off the court. If you’ve seen or read the release that our owner Dr. Buss put out, I think that puts it as succinctly as possible what he means and what he meant to this organization. From the bottom of our heart, my heart, I thank him for his contributions and I wish him well...


...I have not talked to Derek yet. I’ve talked to his representative and representatives and as you might expect, he’s probably not quite ready to have that kind of discussion. I don’t know if he’s spoken to anybody else in the organization. I do expect to speak to him shortly, perhaps today. Maybe tomorrow. I understand completely. It’s hard. It’s one of the hardest parts of a job that a general manager has – separating the emotions of a relationship that you built for many, many years, in this case over 10 years. He was drafted by Jerry West I believe in 1996 and now here it is in [2012] and he went away for a year or two and he’s been with us for many, many years. So, it’s a hard thing to do, but that is what general managers do. Part of our job is separating the emotion and keeping the franchise moving forward and that’s what we tried to do."

Rightly, as I wrote this afternoon. But it doesn't make the decision any easier. And as Kupchak notes, the void Fisher leaves in the locker room is significant:



Click below for more video and quotes from Kupchak, on Fisher's contributions and his personal connection with him, the reasons the Lakers felt they needed to trade him, roster balance, and more.

(Read full post)

While Los Angeles Lakers fans’ sentimentality certainly took a hit on Thursday with the trade that sent beloved franchise figure Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets, from a pure basketball analysis there is no questioning that the Lakers improved.

Upgrading from the 37-year-old Fisher to the 25-year-old Ramon Sessions to better equip the Lakers to contend with the league’s wave of dominant point guards (one of whom, Chris Paul, they intended to have on their team of course) made it a pretty successful day regardless, but the Lakers came ridiculously close to landing Michael Beasley as well.

How close?

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the Minnesota Timberwolves backed out of a three-team deal also involving L.A. and the Portland Trail Blazers at 11:53 a.m. PT, just seven minutes before the noon PT deadline. The trade that was in place would have sent Fisher to Minnesota and the Lakers’ first-round pick acquired in the Lamar Odom trade with the Dallas Mavericks back in December to Portland. Portland, already engaged in a full-fledged fire sale, would have sent Jamal Crawford to Minnesota and the Timberwolves would have sent Anthony Tolliver to Portland. Minnesota would have also been receiving cash considerations from both L.A. and Portland as well.

But, Minnesota owner Glen Taylor and general manager David Kahn pulled out of the deal at the last minute (well, eighth-to-last minute), leaving L.A. officials “puzzled and disappointed” according to a source. Who knows what changed Minnesota’s mind. Maybe it didn’t feel comfortable being on the hook for $3.4 million for a 38-year-old Fisher in 2012-13. Maybe it was concerned that Crawford would opt out of his relatively bargain price of $5 million for next season. L.A. didn’t have time to wallow in the uncertainty trying to figure out the answer. Instead, it scrambled to put together a secondary deal with the Rockets before the trade deadline passed.

Ironically enough, the Rockets were one of the Lakers’ dance partners (along with the New Orleans Hornets) in the vetoed Paul trade back on the eve of training camp. The Rockets took Fisher and the Lakers’ first rounder and sent back 24-year-old big man Jordan Hill, a former lottery pick by the Knicks, in exchange.

Beasley, an athletic and offensively gifted 6-foot-10 forward, would have filled the void left by Odom as the Lakers’ primary bench scorer. Even though he would have required a financial commitment from the cap-conscious Lakers, it was a calculated risk. If he worked out as a rental player for the remainder of the season, this offseason Los Angeles could have extended him a qualifying offer of approximately $8.172 million, making Beasley a restricted free agent and opening the door for him to remain a Laker next season. They could have, however, simply allowed Beasley to enter unrestricted free agency by not extending an offer and let him walk.

But it wasn’t to be. Minnesota pulled out, for whatever reason, and L.A.’s great trade deadline day was downgraded to merely very good.

Here are some other tidbits to consider, gleaned from Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak's news conference on Thursday as well as from conversations with others familiar with the Lakers' plans leading up to the trade deadline:

• The Sessions deal was agreed upon in principle on Wednesday afternoon. Once that deal was in place, the Lakers pushed to get the Beasley deal in line as well. Beasley had been on the Lakers' radar since December as L.A. wanted to follow the Paul deal by adding Beasley much the same way this time around the Lakers wanted to follow Sessions with Beasley.

• Despite reports to the contrary (including my own), a source familiar with the Lakers' thinking insists that Steve Blake was never being considered in the three-team deal. It was always Fisher. There was genuine concern with how Fisher would handle losing his starting role to Sessions. He had a streak going of 416 consecutive starts. He was half responsible for there ever even being a season in the first place as president of the National Basketball Player's Association. He had teamed with Kobe Bryant in the backcourt to win five championships. It's just not easy to bench a guy like that.

• While the Lakers like the fact that Hill balances out their roster and gives them a fifth big man, there is not an expectation he will suddenly move up the depth chart past Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy in backing up starters Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. That's not to say that the Lakers wouldn't be pleasantly surprised if he came in and competed so well in practice that he'd earn playing time in games, but if he doesn't end up being an impact player that's OK with L.A. because his contract is up at the end of the season.

• The Lakers were comfortable with using both their first-round draft picks (one in the Sessions deal and one in the Fisher deal) because they figured their own pick would be somewhere in the early to mid-20s, as they currently have the sixth-best record in the league, and they wouldn't be able to get a player of Sessions' caliber that late even in what's considered to be a stocked draft. As for the Dallas pick, it was top-20 protected and there are currently 11 teams with better records than the Mavs, so L.A. might not have been able to even use it this year. Rather than wait to find out it possibly have to save the pick for the future, the Lakers decided they weren't going to wait any longer in getting younger and quicker at the point guard position.

Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.

We always hear athletes, media and fans alike talk about how sports is a business. This summer, we witnessed a harsh reminder of this reality when the season was jeopardized by a lockout that often turned ugly. Millionaires and billionaires squabbled over more money than most people will earn over 10 lifetimes. Nobody was destined to come out of this situation looking good. But were the season lost, the damage would have been horrific.

Among the key principles who sat in a room, day in and day out, to discover the middle ground necessary to ensure basketball would be played: Derek Fisher.

As president of the Players Association, he put himself through the physical and mental wringer as his peers caught up with their families, took vacations and solidified overseas options should the meetings many didn't attend prove fruitless. His offseason was spent grinding out a win, life-imitating art as we've come to expect from the veteran point guard.

And in return for helping save the season, Fisher has been shipped unceremoniously to the Houston Rockets in a move that's as cold as the Arctic. Not necessarily cruel and definitely not unreasonable, given the severely reduced role he faced with Ramon Sessions in the fold and the economic upside to shedding his salary. But it's nonetheless cold, a reminder to us how professional sports, for all the glory, wealth and privilege provided to its fraternity, is occasionally just like the job the rest of us punch in and out of. Every now and then, the gig feels pretty thankless.

Ultimately, this turn of events symbolizes what Fisher's career has always been about, even in a scenario outside of his control: strapping on your metaphorical hard hat, then doing what's necessary because of the bigger picture and what it means to others first, rather than yourself. In adopting that mentality from the moment he entered the league, Fisher has managed to carve out one of the most unique, special and memorable careers of any role player in recent memory.

Clichéd as it may sound, Fisher's strength has never been found in the numbers. He has been a double-digit scorer at times, but more often than not, he has been pegged a streak shooter whose inconsistent production requires offsetting, particularly in recent seasons. He's not an assist machine. He has never been fast nor overly athletic. His best days as defender are behind him. Frankly, at 37, so are his best days as a player.

However, what Fisher brought to the table above all else was character.

(Read full post)

With the trade deadline approaching so many questions about Dwight Howard... Pau Gasol... Andrew Bynum... Deron Williams... Michael Beasley... Ramon Sessions... Ray Felton... and why the heck the Lakers haven't amnestied Luke Walton yet. (Although really, fans would be asking about the latter issue even without March 15 looming.)

Here's the link to the room.

Monday afternoon, Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times sat down with general manager Mitch Kupchak, talking about this week's trade deadline, Pau Gasol, and the team's relationship with Magic Johnson. What has garnered the most headlines, however, are his comments about Jim Buss:

"Jim gets way too much criticism and not enough credit with the success this team has had," Kupchak said. "He is following in the footsteps of the most successful owner maybe of all time, which is hard to do. But since he's gotten more and more involved, which has been about seven or eight years, we've had some pretty good moments."

These are things Kupchak has said before, and you'd expect him to say again, particularly because he's talking about his boss. Even if he was monumentally frustrated with the dynamics of the front office and feel he's not given the freedom to shape the roster as he'd like, to his credit Kupchak would never say so. It's just not how he operates.

L.A.'s G.M. also says it's unfair to pin every decision on Jim Buss:

"It is inaccurate because there are three of us that are involved in all the basketball decisions," Kupchak said. "Dr. Buss still makes, to my knowledge, all the final decisions in the organization. He's always deferred basketball decisions at some level to his basketball people, and Jimmy is a part of the basketball people."

While I do think fans aren't always completely fair, there are plenty of totally legitimate reasons to question Jim Buss and harbor concerns. The smoke coming out of El Segundo certainly has many ready to call the fire department, even if the flames aren't actually visible yet, and I think Buss does himself a horrible disservice by so rarely putting himself in front of media and fans.

Still, the biggest reason for chewing induced cuticle destruction comes at the end of the second quote: "... Jimmy is a part of the basketball people."

That Jim Buss isn't widely respected as a personnel guy/talent evaluator isn't the point. In professional sports, it's very rarely a good idea for the same guy to sign the checks and decide who should get one. Dr. Buss has never been a passive bystander with the Lakers, weighing in on different moves and always providing the final say. But never have I ever heard him referred to as one of "the basketball people."

Had he, I suspect Dr. Buss wouldn't have led the team to such great heights. The same principle holds true for Jimmy.

What's been circled for months with a giant Sharpie on a giant calendar is finally here, more or less. Thursday marks this season's NBA trade deadline. That's March 15 (beware!) to you and me.

It's a huge day for the Lakers, not just in how it shapes the fate of this season's team, but what it might say about the direction of the franchise this summer and beyond. Nothing in sports is completely cut-and-dried (including everything you'll read below) and because the Lakers can't make teams agree to trade with them on fair terms or force free agents to sign, matters of player personnel aren't totally in their control. But as I see it, the Lakers have three basic courses of action from which they can choose in the very and reasonably near futures.

Each position has merit, but no matter what side of the fence you fall, the Lakers have some very difficult choices to make now and down the road.

1. Go for broke this season.

PRO -- In the great high rise of roster construction, the Lakers' penthouse is filled. They have three All-Stars, giving them an elite player on the wing along with size and skill in the frontcourt most teams can't match on either side of the floor. They have some reasonably capable role players occupying the bottom floor apartments, as well. The problem is the vast empty real estate in between. An improvement at point guard and the addition of reliable bench scoring (to name two things) could have profound benefits, and can be addressed without moving superstars. Not only would the Lakers tick some empty skill-set boxes, but opposing defenses would be less able to load up on L.A.'s Big Three, comfortable knowing that (more often than not) nobody else can make them pay with any sort of consistency.

CON -- The Lakers aren't exactly rich with high-end assets outside Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. L.A. has a generous traded-player exception and an extra (likely late) first-rounder, thanks to the Lamar Odom deal. Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris and Devin Ebanks have some appeal, but aren't high-end prospects for whom teams move mountains. This creates a few complications. First, there's no guarantee the Lakers have enough good stuff to get a Ramon Sessions-type if another team wants that player more. Not without overpaying, at least. Second, chips cashed in smaller deals can't be used in a potential blockbuster, whether at the deadline or beyond. Third, for an aging team with a closing window, there's a price to pay for giving away access to cheap, young talent. Trading picks and prospects extends the deal with the devil L.A. has been making for a few seasons.

Fourth, there's a very real chance the Lakers could make the moves and still not win, leaving them facing a still-uncertain future with fewer assets available.

2. Hold tight for a superstar.

PRO -- Obviously, it could be a smokescreen, but Orlando continues to say it won't move Dwight Howard at the deadline, and there are plenty of compelling reasons for them to hold tight. As long as Howard is in play, so is Deron Williams.

(Read full post)