Lakers Rumors & News Recap: Why Mitch Is The Man, And Other Trade Rumors

Arielle Moyal

12 years ago

I love Mitch Kupchak. He happens to run one of the best franchises in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers and has been doing so since he ended his NBA career in 1986, after playing for the Lakers himself for 5 years. It wasn’t until 2000 when Kupchak became the official Lakers GM after the departure of Jerry West. Since Mitch started managing this L.A. team, the Lakers have won seven NBA championships. They also won two with him as a player.

Despite his sometimes controversial career, with things like trading Shaquille O’Neal, and last year’s trades of Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher, Mitch always manages to come out on top. The man is smart; not only has he had a long standing basketball career, he’s a Bruin graduate of the Anderson School of Management. The key to much of his success hasn’t been to play to the norms, but to think outside the box. The last time the Lakers drafted a player in the first round of the NBA draft was 2007, and yet L.A. has been to the Finals three times and won two championships within those five years.

Pretty impressive.

In the draft, once you get past about pick 17, the risk of drafting a quality player between 18 and 60 is pretty much the same. But there’s a pretty big difference between first and second round picks as far as money is concerned. Lakers Nation writer Andrew Ungvari breaks down what it could be that Mitch knows, that no one else does. It is very interesting to try and figure out a mind like Mitch’s, who’s career has been a success and, when even at it’s worse, has a team better than most. I mean, he is responsible for this guy: Steve Nash.

Mitch has upgraded the starting lineup and the bench for this coming season tremendously. Now, 24 year-old Jodie Meeks from the Sixers may be heading to L.A. soon to help the shooting guard position. It is rumored that his interests lie with the Bucks, Wizards, and Lakers. Acquiring Meeks will be all about what he wants as a player; the Bucks and Wizards can offer him considerably more money, but L.A. can give him a potential championship.

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