Now let’s discuss the much criticized Lakers’ management:
The Front Office (Grade: C+): This grade is given out perhaps not based on the moves that were or were not made, but more in terms of how the moves were made. First, let’s start with the dismissal of Assistant GM Ronnie Lester.
Lester was GM Mitch Kupchak’s longtime assistant, and was let go following the 2010-2011 season. His contract, along with many other longtime employees, expired at the end of the season. However, Lester claimed that Mitch Kupchak wanted to keep him, but there was conflict involving Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss’ son, Jim Buss. It has widely been reported that Jim Buss has been taking over more of the basketball related decisions and holds more authority than Mitch Kupchak. According to Lester, “They’ve done a great job for us and it’s just sad that the organization is letting people go without communicating with these people during the course of the [lockout] situation…It affects people’s lives. Not only those scouts, but they have families too and it affects their lives. That’s what is so depressing about it, so sad about it.”*
That was the first gaffe. The second was not at least consulting Kobe Bryant during the hiring process of the new coach. Management obviously went with Mike Brown, but Bryant verbally supported former teammate and assistant coach to Phil Jackson, Brian Shaw. Bryant has maintained that he trusts Mitch Kupchak and Lakers’ management, but it would have been a nice gesture for them to at least consult their franchise player and hear his opinion, regardless of the ultimate decision.
The third involved the events surrounding Lamar Odom. With today’s real time information availability, it is only a matter of seconds before big news can break out. In the case of the Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom for Chris Paul trade, who knows how much time passed between deal being finished and the deal being all over the internet. Odom found out from a reporter who called to ask him about the trade.** It is not the responsibility of management to tell a player that he is being shopped around to other teams, as this happens all the time, but it should be their responsibility if the trade goes through. Who knows if management had the intention of reaching out to Lamar after the trade or not. Perhaps they knew they still needed the approval of David Stern, and didn’t want to say their goodbyes until it was official, but either way it essentially backfired for the Lakers. Odom felt disrespected and demanded to be traded, and management felt their hand was forced and traded him for a trade exception. Bryant felt that Odom would have eventually gotten over it, and has voiced his displeasure with the deal because it didn’t bring anyone in return for Odom. Most Lakers fans were just as baffled at this, but held on hope that perhaps management had a different mega-deal in place. No such deal has come yet, however.
If Jim Buss is truly running the show, then he deserves some credit. Yes, you read that correctly. Fans have continually voiced the need for a new point guard, and management (whether it was Jim Buss or Mitch Kupchak) pulled off a deal to bring the best point guard in the league to the Lakers in Chris Paul. But, as we all know, David Stern killed that deal in an unprecedented move. Had the deal gone through, most fans would have absolutely loved the deal, and the Lakers would have pulled off yet another incredible deal and secured a franchise player for years to come. Some didn’t want to see Gasol and Odom go, especially because at the time Andrew Bynum would have been the sole big man, and have to be relied upon to be a healthy low post presence. But, the deal itself would have been great for the Lakers, having freed up tens of millions of dollars in cap space, and allowing for more big moves and financial flexibility for years to come.
Mitch Kupchak has proven himself to be one of the league’s best GMs in recent years, but at this point nobody knows who is truly calling the shots. Fans expect a big deal, but we all have to understand that big deals like the Chris Paul one don’t come around every day. No one truly knows what deals have been presented since that deal didn’t go through, so it is hard to speculate on what they should or should not have done. Similarly with the Odom decision, management obviously felt that Odom would be a distraction if left unmoved, and perhaps felt that getting his contract off of the books would help in the immediate future if they looked to attempt another big deal. Only time will tell whether or not that deal should have been handled the way it was; Either by the March 15 trade deadline or in the summer. But, essentially, Lakers’ management was put in a very tough position after the trade was vetoed, and not many other GMs would have known what to do either.
Therefore, the ultimate moves did not result in this grade of management. It is nearly impossible to grade the moves, because the move that didn’t go through (which many would have lauded management for) resulted in a seemingly forced move (which many are angry about). There are just too many variables regarding the actual moves. The facts are that the team is 20-14, has a new coach and system, and is in a bit of a restructuring phase.
However, the communication between management and players/employees does not seem to exist. Even Coach Mike Brown doesn’t seem to have much communication with management. Had management consulted him, perhaps he would have convinced management to keep Odom. Again, this is all speculation. But the facts are that there seems to be a communication barrier between management and everyone else.
Long gone are the days of Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson assessing a team’s structure together.
Now, let’s look at our final grades for the first half of the season.
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