Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak hopped on a conference call Wednesday morning to discuss getting pushed down to the seventh pick in the NBA draft. Kupchak also spoke at length about their current position in the coaching search, including how their main priority in a coach is getting the most productivity out of Kobe Bryant. Check out the full transcription of the conference call below.
Question: Danny Ainge (President of Basketball Operations for the Boston Celtics) was quoted saying he didn’t think there was anyone who could come in and change the face of the franchise. With Boston drafting one spot ahead of you do you feel the same way with the seventh pick?
Mitch Kupchak: “I wouldn’t say it was bad luck. We were hoping to get lucky but as you know we could have dropped down to number nine. You know, we were hoping to get lucky or in worst case stay where we were, but it could have been worse. And, as far as what Danny said that’s up to him. We think drafting at No. 7 there’s going to be a good player available there. Maybe Danny is talking more about a guy that changes the face of an organization from the get go. But, you know you can’t really evaluate these things until years later when you look back on it. Damian Lillard is a great example. I don’t think anybody thought you know looking through the draft he would turn into a player as quickly as he did. But looking back on it, it’s a heck of a selection. So we’ll be able to get a good player and we’re hoping that three or four years from now we can look back on it, and he’s even better player than we thought.”
Question: When you look at that field. What kind of impact do you think a player at #7 could make for you guys?
Kupchak: “Well it depends. Most of the players in the draft for the last 15 to 18 years, there have been young developing players. And, some of them make a contribution quicker than others. There’s certainly a couple guys that played more than two years. There’s some kids who played four years that might make a contribution quicker. I’m not saying he would be somebody we would consider or not consider at seven. My point is, typically we’ve kind of gotten used to it over the years that you do have to work with the younger player. Those are the guys that get drafted the highest. Whether they’re freshman or sophomore it may take a year or two.”
Question: Could such a player be a starter on your team?
Kupchak: *Laughs* “Right now. We only have four guys on contract.”
Question: How does the lottery happening effect the rest of your off-season? You kind of indicated that would be the starting point for evaluating a coach and the start of free agency?
Kupchak: “Yeah, it’s another piece of information. It doesn’t get us any further along in hiring a coach. But, it is another piece of information. And, right now the day after the lottery, it doesn’t really affect our approach to the off-season beginning July 1st.”
Question: Do you see yourself becoming more immersed in the coaching search beginning next week. Maybe early June? Or do you feel the wheels have already started turning pretty substantially?
Kupchak: “I’m sure names will come out within the next couple of days, but we started our process and we plan to continue the process in terms of talking to potential coaches whether they’re informal or formal interviews. We’ll do both and I would not anticipate hiring a coach within the next two or three weeks, but we’ll interview definitely more than three or four probably.”
Question: Could you characterize where you are in the process. Have you begun interviewing coaches or are you still in the gathering stage?
Kupchak: “Yes, we have begun.”
Question: In regards to the coaching search, when you are looking at the candidates, what variables are you considering when it comes to hiring a veteran coach or a young coach? (Click next page for the answer)
Next Page: Kupchak On The Likelihood Of Trading The Pick
Kupchak: “Well, I think right now our interviews will be formal in terms of sitting down and talking for a couple hours but at some point we’ll probably have to sit down a second time. I think that’s where we are right now, at the beginning of the process. And, whether it’s a veteran coach or a rookie coach that’s not something we’re prepared to comment on right now.”
Question: Going back to the draft, was there anything you were able to zero on in for guys that are going to be in this range. When are you going to start having players come in?
Kupchak: “Well, the combine has evolved over the years and the most useful information at the combine is really the interview process and the testing and medical/physical process. There’s very limited basketball activity. The guys that did work out really aren’t lottery players at least this week. Based on workouts going forward maybe somebody could jump in there but right now they were just not that quality of player and it’s not to say the other guys that worked out at the combine wont be in the NBA or be drafted in the first round, but as you know, most of the lottery guys quote unquote did not play.”
Question: With the guys now, do you plan on zeroing in with this pick or keeping it broad still?
Kupchak: “We started last night calling trying to set up workouts, with probably everybody in the top 15 to 20. Some of those guys don’t think they are gonna be there at seven so they won’t come in, nothing we can do about that. But, some guys that are drafted later you may say why bring a guy who might go 20. Well you never know, number one, and number two, you have the opportunity to develop a relationship with a player, so you know why not do it? So, that started last night.”
Question: On the coaching front, I know you don’t want to talk specific names, but could your situation be impacted by somebody like Derek Fisher or another assistant who is still in the playoffs? Are the playoffs going to come into play here timing wise?
Kupchak: Right now, its not a factor. Like I said, I don’t see the process ending in the next 2-3 weeks. And, it depends how the process goes. We may want to open it up and consider other people. It’s kind of a roundabout way to answer the question but right now that’s all I can answer.
Question: Do other teams openings and hires impact your search?
Kupchak: “No.”
Question: How does knowing that you have the number seven pick compared to a top three pick influence the likelihood you will trade the pick?
Kupchak: “Well it speaks to reason, the higher the pick the more value it has, but you know a 6th pick or 7th pick, which is where we ended up certainly has value. And, we’ll evaluate that between now and the draft and July 1st.”
Question: Is your pick important when you look and building a team from scratch with a handful of guys? Is there extra value in getting young talent that you can control with a rookie contract?
Kupchak: “Well, that’s one of the benefits of having draft picks. There’s a salary scale going forward, you know if it’s a first round pick, you can basically pencil in four years of salary and then if in the fifth year he signs a one-year deal, you can pretty much know that number two. So really you have salary certainty for five years with a first round pick. Second round is a little bit different. So yeah, it’s a factor, but it’s not really that much of a factor with us because we’ve only got one pick this year and we know what that picks going to be, but we still have to fill the roster with seven to eight more players.”
Question: Having gone through this coaching search a couple times is there something you will do differently this time around? (Click next page for the answer)
Next Page: Kupchak On How Kobe Bryant’s Productivity Is Priority In Coaching Search
Kupchak: “Well, I think clearly it will be a longer process for obvious reasons. And, I assume you’re alluding to our last hire, which really took less than a week. You know, Mike D’Antoni. This process will be considerably longer, for a bunch of different reasons. Number one, we have a lot more time, number two, we don’t really know what our team looks like and there is no urgency right now so it will be a more deliberate process.”
Question: With the coaching search, are there any offensive or defensive philosophies you are looking for in a candidate?
Kupchak: “I wouldn’t use the word philosophy, but we have a player on our team right now who’s proven, in this league offensively, he can score. That certainly is a consideration. Obviously, I’m talking about Kobe. He’s under contract for two more years and we think he’s a very integral part of this team so we have to make sure that whomever we hire as a coach really gets the most productivity out of him. Whether it’s scoring the ball or playmaking or the threat that he may score, is probably a primary importance right now.”
Question: Are there any philosophies that come to mind that would be best for Kobe in these last two years for him?
Kupchak: “What do you mean by philosophies?”
VIDEO: NBA Draft Combine: Kupchak On Kobe Not Weighing in On The Coaching Search
Question: Just in terms of how he is used offensively?
Kupchak: “Well, we haven’t seen much of him in the last year. He’s been over here working out and he looks good. Over the years his game has changed from really a game where he’s pretty wild and athletic and at times out of control, this is in the early part of his career. And I would say for the last seven or eight years he has become more deliberate and of course he’s gotten a little bit older. And, I think he’s become most effective and I think you’ll see a lot of him posting up. I think you’ll see him with the ball in his hands making plays. Late in games he’ll have the ball in his hands, he’s gonna get a call, he’s gonna make free throws. So you know Kobe today is different than Kobe 15 years ago and I don’t think that’s a secret and I think Kobe knows where on the court he’ll be most effective, whether its playmaking, being a decoy or scoring the ball, and I think we know where those places are.”
Question: On the coaching front, how wide of a net are you casting here? Any chance another team’s head coach could come into play and I ask that in light of the fact that Dave Joerger is going to interview with Minnesota. And then you have seen stuff like Doc Rivers last year, where one team has interested in another team’s coach and things work out. Is that a possibility for you guys?
Kupchak: “Well why wouldn’t it be a possibility? We don’t have a timeline, and if we had a timeline for tomorrow or Friday or the weekend, then I would say that is remote. But I mentioned earlier this is going to go on for at least 2-3 weeks, and I’m not anticipating what you just mentioned being a part of the process, but we’ll just monitor how it plays out with the teams that are out there and see what the playing field provides and make decisions accordingly.”
Question: What are your general thoughts on a player going straight to coaching? Would this person need to have been a head coach before?
Kupchak: “Not necessarily but by my understanding we are leaning towards the type of coach we would want I would say there would be experience involved, certainly at some level. But not necessarily, you know it’s just too early in the process.”
**Thanks to JJ Baccari and Nick Barbarino for assisting with transcription
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