After a season that saw the Lakers say goodbye to Kobe Bryant, develop their young core of players and stumble to the worst record in franchise history, General Manager addressed the media at his exit interview on April 15.
Below is a summary of the press conference's most important moments.
Kupchak opened his meeting describing how he tried to erase Kobe Bryant’s name from the whiteboard where he lists the entire roster. When he rubbed it with the brush, it didn’t come off. So Kupchak had to get some spray in order to finally remove it from the spot it’s occupied for 20 years.
On Kobe’s final game: "I can’t imagine a better sendoff than what he gave us on Wednesday night. I’d put that up there against any final game, any championship at the end of the season. That was a special, special evening. If you were there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s something I don’t think we’ll ever see again. If you put it all together: one player, 20 years. We saw his talent from the moment the game started, but we saw snippets of what Kobe really is. A player that played injured. One that missed five or six shots but continued like he didn’t. It’s that focus, that fight, his determination."
Really, the game ended up being about 60 points and willing a team that didn’t win many games to win a game. Clearly, we don’t win that game without his will, and how many times have we seen that? I don’t know how he got through that game – the fatigue level, putting the team on his shoulders one last time. It was spectacular. Having said that, the chapter closes, the name is off the board.
On the cap space: "We may use it all, we may only use what’s prudent. We feel we’re in a much better situation than last year (or two years ago)."
Kupchak said that head coach Byron Scott is still under contract. Kupchak and Jim Buss plan to discuss everything, from the roster to the coaching staff. He said he thinks Scott did an excellent job under the circumstances around the team.
On if Kobe’s presence impacted how they could evaluate the young players: "The good thing, when he did miss games, is it did free up minutes for other players. That helped. Going forward it’s tough. … If Kobe were in his 10th year, it’s a little bit easier to evaluate your team. We knew he wouldn’t be there beyond this year, so it does make it a little more difficult in some ways … I thought it was tough to really evaluate progress through the season. Overall, in this league, the toughest thing for young players that are drafted high is getting playing time. Coaches really only have their record to fall back on, and naturally, they want to play veterans."
On free agency: "Anybody that watched the game Wednesday night knows what it’s like playing in Los Angeles and what it is to be successful here. We are selling the city, the franchise, our fanbase to potential free agents. This summer, we could get two max players, or a max player and two or three other veterans. You could get multiple players, whether they talk amongst themselves or figure out who wants to play (with whom), come July 1. We’re in a position to add multiple veteran players to the existing core we have."
Kupchak said Metta World Peace was huge for equaling and balancing out the locker room, and that he was steady and important for the young guys.
Kupchak said no matter what happens in the front office, he isn’t just going to go out and spend $60 million on veterans that are mediocre and won’t really help the team longterm.
On D'Angelo Russell’s hot eight-game stretch in February: "I don’t think it’s a fluke. He can do two things: he can score, and he has a unique gift to pass the ball. Not just being a willing passer on an entry, but a guy who can see the court (in a way where not many players can)." Kupchak said the Lakers have to decide whether or not to emphasize his passing or his scoring.
On adding some wings: "I think our backcourt is better than our frontcourt. I think we do have to address the frontcourt."
Kupchak said Kobe’s 60-point night was very impactful for the franchise: "It was a surreal evening. Something that started out with five missed shots turned into a dramatic, unpredictable performance in a game that was meaningless. Utah wanted to win that game, and they didn’t want Kobe to score. They even doubled him at times. When Kobe had his 81, that wasn’t the case. The fact that the players gave it all up -- their only goal was to make sure the guy on the court went out the best way he possibly could -- but he put on a performance for the ages. In the locker room after the game, Byron spoke, Kobe spoke, Gary (Vitti) spoke also. There’s no doubt there was a different vibe in that building after the game. I think every player had a difference sense for what it’s like to play in that building for those fans."
On Larry Nance, Jr.: "Everybody loves Larry. His physical ability is off the charts. Really the only minus that anybody said about Larry was that he’s too unselfish. We do need him to be more aggressive offensively. He can make shots. I think he can go into the corner and make 3s.”
Kupchak compared Randle and Nance to Draymond Green as far as positions go: "Today, you’re just trying to get basketball players that can interchange, and if you play the style that’s being played in the NBA, that (can be a good thing).”
On position-less, more free-flowing basketball: "The game has changed for the best, and it’s an awful lot of fun to watch."
Kupchak said he thinks that there are more than two potential All-Star players in the upcoming draft.