Boom. Roasted!

In reference to opponents…they’re about to be roasted…….Booom,,slam, DUNK

Yeah I think I condensed it in my head into one season. regardless my point was we settled for karl malone because he paid George for no good reason the full mid level, when we could have had an athletic power forward instead.

…unless Jerry West was still our gm at that point?

I’d recommend that you watch the lakers town hall just uploaded on the lakers.com website. It is in 3 parts, 20 minutes each with both Phil and Mitch fielding fan questions regarding all sorts of issues. During it they cover some of the jobs Mitch does that has nothing to do with personnel.

One quick comment about Mitch. Over the years I’ve been a big critic of Mitch. The Tayshaun Prince and Lindsey Hunter for Kareen Rush and tracy Murray (in effect) trade – when he worked out Prince several times and never worked out Rush comes to mind. But he has learned and improved.

Watching the town hall, I’m reminded what a forceful personality Phil is. My theory is that in the beginning, the personnel moves were tailored to PJ and the triangle. Luke Walton, Cook, and even Rush (spot up shooting) indicate this. After PJ’s sabbatical, Mitch started to get athletes and players (Bynum, Trevor, Shannon) that can play in any system. I like his improvement and growth.

Switching to broadcasting… Those of you who have international league pass will have seen the last game in full starting from the lockerroom, to the pre-game warmup (Sasha and Fish do not miss in warm ups) until the very end with no breaks, unedited and without commercials. The banter between Collins and Kevin Harlan was fun to hear. First of all, they both practice the lead in during every break. Harlan is also quite salty with his language…

- … “when I was growing up, we were so poor that my father used to cut holds in the pants pockets so we would have something to play with…”

Also, the last few minutes of the game was occupied with logistics and planning for the restaurant they were trying to go to for dinner after the game.

Speaking of GM’s, I had the occasion to attend a few European basketball games and once Jerry West was over scouting when he was the GM of Memphis. First impressions: Jerry is tall. A legitmate 6’4″ barefoot and if he played today would have been listed at 6’6″… a really nice guy and a horndog (details omitted)…

Criticism is welcome, because after all, this is the Internet. I am only suggesting that we hold off on praise or scorn, because EXPECTATIONS for the Lakers will always be higher than for most other clubs. The Lakers are a marquee franchise so Mitch gets measured by what happens in getting to the NBA Finals. For the Lakers and especially Mitch & Phil, anything less is a disappointment.

Gee, we should have gotten ‘X’, instead of ‘Y’, after the fact is really not the issue.

Nevertheless, the plan was they signed Vlade and were counting on Karl Malone coming back. That would have made a starting lineup of Vlade, Malone, Odom, Kobe, and Chucky Atkins, with Mihm, Brian Grant, Butler, Walton, and Kareem Rush on the bench. That team if intact could have made some noise in the playoffs. Unfortunately Vlade got hurt and Malone got into a tiff with Kobe, and things went downhill from there.

I somehow read “being a marquee franchise” as “having a marquee franchise player.” Sorry.

Being a large market marquee franchise has a lot of benefit I think. It’s easier to get players like Malone and Payton, as you mentioned- but it also allows you to not worry as much about the salary cap because of revenue.

And in a general way, not necessarily related to Kupchak’s work, it makes it easier to get franchise players. Would Shaq have left Orlando for Milwaukee? Didn’t Kobe basically say he wouldn’t play for CHarlotte when they drafted him? (Am I making that up?)

Consider the LBJ situation now. Had he been originally drafted by the Knicks- and they were as a result as good as the Cavs are now, would there be any talk about him leaving in 2010? Would Cleveland have a chance of getting him from the Knicks (in my bizarro world example)?

I just think it’s something that needs to be taken inot account when analyzing the worth of the GM.