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Exit Interview: Mitch Kupchak (4/15/16)

Mike Trudell

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.

exit-interviews-mitch-kupchak

Exit Interviews: Mitch Kupchak

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, head coach Byron Scott addressed the media at his exit interview on April 15.

Toward the end of Bryant's last game, Scott kept asking him if he had nine, then seven, then five minutes left in his body in the fourth quarter when he looked increasingly exhausted, asking him if he needed a rest. Kobe kept saying, in fewer words, that he was fine. He wasn’t coming out.

Scott was asked if the Lakers are a destination for players, and said: "This is still Los Angeles, a very attractive place to be, and this is still the Lakers, one of the best franchises in the history of sports.”

On if the young core can grow together in a league dominated by teams with cohesion: "They have to buy into playing for each other. That’s a thing we talked about a lot this season. They all have different gifts individually, but they learned a few times this season that when they forget about the name on the back of the jersey (and focus on) the front of the jersey."

Scott was extremely frustrated with the losing this season, and said Bryant was key to “getting him off the ledge” and talking to him about the future, telling him that it’s going to be OK, that the young guys need time.

Scott said he “absolutely” expects to return as the head coach next year.

Scott said his leadership style is very much straightforward: “As far as the communication standpoint, every player understood their roles and where I was coming from. That, to me, wasn’t something that was lacking.” He considers himself to be a coach as well as a mentor and father figure given the age of the young players. “You gotta get them to trust you."

Scott on D'Angelo Russell: “Like most rookies, he was up and down. … He showed improvements in a number of areas. Happy with the way he progressed.”

Scott on Russell from October to April: “He was 100 percent better as a player.” Scott said Russell made improvements in every area, but still has a ways to go.

Scott said there is a lot to digest and go through in the offseason to evaluate himself and the players, though he hasn't done so yet.

Scott on if Kobe’s final year hindered youth development: “It’s a possibility. But (after) 20 years and five (titles) -- I wouldn’t do it any different.”

Scott on the video incident between Russell and Nick Young: "That situation obviously hurt us. When you’re in that locker room, trust is a must. Whatever 15 guys you have in there is a family, and when that trust is broken, it’s very hard to recapture. Obviously with a young guy in D’Angelo and Nick, it didn’t help the team. As far as me talking to those guys, I looked at it like this: They’re two grown men, they need to (figure it out). What I can do, and did do, was give them enough information on how to handle situations in Los Angeles. We are in a fishbowl, and everyone on the outside is looking in."

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Exit Interviews: Byron Scott

exit-interview-byron-scott-4-15-16

Exit Interview: Byron Scott (4/15/16)

Exit Interview: Marcelo Huertas (4/14/16)

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In his first season in the NBA, 32-year-old Brazilian Marcelo Huertas averaged 4.5 points on 42.2 percent field goals with 3.4 assists and 0.5 steals in 16.4 minutes per game.

He averaged 7.5 dimes per 36 minutes, and his presence on the floor immediately improved the team’s ball movement.

Below is a summary of his exit interview:

On his first season in the NBA:
Huertas: Definitely. I think it's been a tough season for everyone -- for the team and for me personally. ... I know it's been tough, especially during the beginning of the season when we tried a lot of thing because we were losing a lot of game. ... I was always positive because I knew I was going to have another chance.

On whether he felt like there was something for him to prove this year:
Huertas: I think what I've done in my career was enough. I think a lot of people just didn't know me. ... I think what I've done in my career -- not only in Europe but with my national team ... -- I knew this is where I belong.

On Kobe Bryant's final game:
Huertas: I think it's so hard to talk about last night. What everyone witnessed last nights are memories that will be with us forever. ... What he did yesterday is just proof of what that man was as a player and as a character. You could tell he left it all out there. In the fourth quarter, he could barely breathe. ... He knew in that last quarter: Every time he got the ball, he was going to score.

On representing for Brazil when it hosts the Olympics this summer:
Huertas: This is really special moment for me and our team. I think we have a chance to fight for a medal. ... We've got to take this really seriously, enjoy the moment and work as seriously as we can to try to make history again.

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Exit Interview: Mitch Kupchak (4/15/16)

Exit Interviews: Mitch Kupchak

Exit Interviews: Byron Scott

Exit Interview: Byron Scott (4/15/16)

Exit Interview: Marcelo Huertas (4/14/16)

2016 Exit Interviews: Marcelo Huertas

Exit Interview: D'Angelo Russell (4/14/16)

Exit Interview: Anthony Brown (4/14/16)