By Craig Kwasniewski
Mitch Kupchak.... good for you!!!
Let's get off the topic of "Kobe shoots too much" or "the Lakers can't play defense" or "Leandro Barbosa is the greatest player in the history of the NBA" or "Steve Nash is basketball's version of Wayne Gretzky (pssst... The Great One won a few titles, how many rings does Nash have?" and talk about the real issue here...
The Lakers just plain suck!
Laker GM Mitch Kupchak.... good for you!!!!
GFY for trading Shaq for Odom, Brian Grant's rotting corpse (on the Laker payroll this year for $15.6 mil.) and Carron Butler.
(We'll use GFY the rest of the way, I'm too tired to write it out every time, and believe me I'll be saying it a lot here.)
GFY for signing NBA piece of shit and Laker rival, Vlade Divac to a two-year contract. Those 15 games were AWESOME!!!
I steal maw-nee from dee Lakerzz!
GFY for trading future All-Star Carron Butler for Kwame Brown (who can't catch a ball, has zero post moves and has the touch of a drunken Tom Cruise having sex with a female).
GFY for passing on Baron Davis back in 2005, when New Orleans was offering him up for a bag of doughnuts. Hey, let's ask Dallas how he's doing these days.
GFY for signing Smush Parker (a Detroit Piston reject at the time) to a free agent contract in 2005, introducing us to the worst point guard in Laker history (even beating out Chucky Atkins, another Mitch Kupchak specialty, in the process).
GFY for signing Aaron McKie to that amnesty clause. Translation, he was so bad that Phily paid him *NOT* to play for their future lottery-bound team.
GFY for signing Brian Cook to a 3-year $10.5 mil. extension before this season, outbidding nobody in the process. And why the hell not, the Lakers covet his lack of athleticism, the lack of a post game, the lack of defense, his poor relationship with Phil Jackson, his inability to move laterally and that flat quick-triggered jumper. AWESOME!!!
GFY for extending Sasha Vujacic thru 2008/09 before this season, also outbidding absolutely nobody in the process. Three seasons in the NBA and still no consistency on offense, still completely unable to drive to the hoop for a shooting guard, still completely unable to defend without fouling and still completely unable to... aw fuck it! After three seasons and ZERO improvement, why not extend the guy.
Who sucks more?
GFY for signing Vladimir Radmanovic to a 5-year $30.2 mil. contract. How does Vladi show his appreciation? Scoring 6.6 ppg., looking lost on the floor, having zero defensive ability and... oh yeah, injuring himself for 27 games snowboarding. Instead of voiding the contract (because snowboarding's banned in his contract and because he's a bust), the Lakers fine him, guaranteeing four more years of this shit.
GFY for not signing Scottie Pippen when the Lakers were reeling with injuries. Sure he may have been a little rusty, but what's better... 15 minutes of Brian Cook or 15 minutes of Scottie Pippen? Exactly!
GFY for not making any mid-season trade in your entire reign as GM. Despite several star players being available at the trade deadline (Jason Kidd anyone?).
GFY for actually claiming this season was a small success, pointing out in a radio interview that the record of 42-40 was almost in the top third of the overall league standings like it was something to be proud of.
GFY for saying in the exact same interview that the Laker franchise and their fanbase will be satisfied with advancing to the second round every year.
GFY for pulling out the injury card this summer when you loaded the roster with injury-prone players.
GFY for refusing to trade Andrew Bynum, killing any shot of Kevin Garnett coming to the Lakers in the process (and killing any Laker title chances during the Kobe Bryant era).
GFY for believing that the Lakers are just a minor signing from being a top team in the NBA:
Shaq, Wade, Haslem, Williams, Posey...
Nowitzki, Terry, Howard, Dampier, Harris...
Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Elson...
Nash, Stoudemire, Marion, Jones, Bell...
and
Bryant, Brown, Walton, Odom, Farmar
Hey A-HOLE, the Lakers are *NOT* one small deal from being a contender, they are one major and two minor deals from being a contender!!!
So a big middle finger goes out to the Lakers front office for killing the prime years of one of the greatest players in the history of the NBA and for killing one of the greatest franchises in the NBA.
Mitch Kupchak.... go fuck yourself!!!!
After watching last night's game I had a feeling upon comming here I would be subjected to an aritcle about a poor Laker performance or even a diatribe. And wow, I wasn't let down at all.
The Lakers looked like a High School team against the Sun's last night. I mean the Suns were strait owning them at ever aspect of the game. Even before the half was over you could see that Kobe had already lost faith (I'm sure being down 20 points could do that to a person.)
So what's next? A Phoenix Sweep? Why not, it doesn't look like the Lakers have what it takes to compete with the Suns. Which is too bad really cause I thought this series would be pretty competitive.
You would be right about the Lakers "descision" maker in Kupchak. If that's all the talent the man could build around Kobe than he should just be fired on the spot. It looks like the Lakers will be seeing more humiliating losses like this for years to come in the playoffs, and it's really sad.
Posted by: Schism | April 25, 2007 at 07:54 AM
Don't forget that Kobe shares the blame here. He used his contract status as leverage for forcing the team to trade Shaq and let Jackson go, and then he chased off Karl Malone. Bryant and Kupchak made this bed together. And Jerry Buss, who presided over the whole mess.
(For the record, the Gretzky comparisons were made regarding the relative success and fame of Candian sports heroes, not on the basis of titles, which makes them legit. Can you name the Top 10 Greatest Canadian Sports Heroes? Exactly.)
This is just what happens when the superstar gets put ahead of team. Happened in Philly with Iverson, because people just didn't get shots when playing with him. Look at how well they played after he left.
Posted by: basketbawful | April 25, 2007 at 10:07 AM
Dear Lakers and Lakers fans
Please stop embarrassing Los Angeles.
Sincerely
The team that actually beat good teams after the All-star break and would be in the playoffs except for getting screwed to the tune of 46FTA one jobbed night in November.
Posted by: John R. | April 25, 2007 at 11:28 AM
Or if they beat a Sacramento team with an alcoholic head coach that had mailed in the season at Staples Center with the playoffs on the line.
You controlled your own destiny and choked it all away.... and the refs had NOTHING to do with it.
Posted by: Craig | April 25, 2007 at 01:21 PM
Dear L.A. fans of both teams--
Please shut up. Both of your poorly managed and talent lacking teams can cry together after the first round is over. Lakers: You are wasting Kobe in his prime. Truly, GFY! Clippers: Sam Cassell is pushing 40. Really. Think about that. Also: glad to see Tim Thomas worked out so well.
It's times like this I wish the Los Angeles metropolitan area had a lot more population density. The whining wouldn't be so wide-spread. (thanks, I'll be here all night! tip your bartenders!)
Posted by: geebs | April 25, 2007 at 01:58 PM
In other news... I hope the Miami Heat get swept in the first round.
Posted by: Stix | April 25, 2007 at 05:30 PM
In other news... I hope the Miami Heat get swept in the first round.
Posted by: Stix | April 25, 2007 at 05:30 PM
C WEBB weed owner watch is on and popping...
http://www.unkut.com/weed/2007/04/nba-playoffs-2007-a-warrior-weed-owners-last-stand/
Posted by: Dallas | April 25, 2007 at 10:18 PM
yes. the lakers are one deal away from the nba championship.
a deal with GOD to bring back a young wilt chamberlain !
Posted by: coach | April 26, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Best thing I've ever read. I cannot stand Mitch Kupchak and if you ask any of my friends they will tell you that for the last 3 years I've said that he is the worst GM in the league. I mean in no time has he ever made a trade or drafted a player that has made the lakers better.
Posted by: greatness | June 20, 2007 at 03:14 PM
great post.
Posted by: Wolson Gustama | October 07, 2007 at 07:03 PM
With Andrew Bynum emerging as a dominant big-man (and Kidd still bitching it up in Jersey), Kupchak draftees Sasha, Farmar, Turiaf, etc...all playing lights out ball off the bench, and now a trade for all star Pau Gasol...I think history has show that Mitch Kupchak might be a little bit smarter than the average idiot internet bloggers that trash him. It could have gone your way, but it didn't. A as a Lakers fan for life, I'm happy about that. GFY Association!
Posted by: The Grinch | February 02, 2008 at 12:09 PM
So, buddy, whaddya think about Kupchak now? Surging Bynum, Gasol, Fisher, Kobe -- turned out Mitch made ALL the right moves...... ;course, i was saying the exact same thing as you last summer.
Posted by: magicbynum | February 04, 2008 at 01:08 AM
hey dumb shit look what the lakers are doing now...kobe is a distributer and a scorer...sasha vujacic is a great shooter and defender...and the small deal away from being a contender was pau gasol
Posted by: ffdfdsafds | June 08, 2008 at 07:58 AM