Mitch Kupchak is trying to avoid being judgmental just yet – NBA Update
The Los Angeles Lakers were just 5 games into the season when general manager Mitch Kupchak pulled the trigger to fire Mike Brown, and in the very next week, the organization decided to hire former New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni,
doing so by bypassing the legendary Phil Jackson.
When D’Antoni was hired, the instructions to him were clear – win us the championship this very season. Mike started 2-2, but his team has now lost 8 of the last 11 games and at 9-13 it is at the 12th position in the
Western Conference. There are many issues that have plagued the Lakers during the turbulent opening quarter of the season. From Steve Nash getting injured in just the second game, Pau Gasol blowing hot and cold, reserves failing to fill in the stat sheet,
Dwight Howard having a nightmare from the free throw line, to a defence which seems like a wall of tissue paper, the Lakers have seen it all, and as such there is no solution but to take on the problems head on.
The effort has certainly not gone well with the Lakers fans and the bosses, and while talking to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News recently, Kupchak admitted the frustration. However, he was quick to add that it is just
not the right time to assess the team;
“I can’t sit here and say I’m happy with our record. I don’t think that’s a stretch for me or any Laker fan to say that. That’s just stating the obvious. But I’m not sure how you assess this team until you get key players back.”
Kupchak said
While stressing that Pau Gasol was always supposed to be a part of the Lakers new setup, Kupchak indicated that the final word on the power forward, who is presently nursing tendinitis in both his knees, can come after seeing him
play along Steve Nash, who is still about two weeks from returning to match fitness.
“I’m curious to see how the team gets through the next two or three weeks until Steve gets back,” Kupchak said. “Once he gets back, then I’m curious to see how he fits in with everybody.”
Nash is a master playmaker and his presence can mean a lot of balls for Gasol in the low post, something the Spaniard needs to get rolling. Having said that, Nash return’s will only be a part of solution, not the whole of it.
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