Is Kupchak That Bad?

Is Mitch Kupchak, GM of the Los Angeles Lakers, that bad? Two writers support and defend him.

Bill Plaschke from the Los Angeles Times writes about how he'll be cheering for Kupchak this season after endearing the public ripping down of by Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, and the Laker fans. He challenges him the figure out how to help this team be more of a contender.

Travis Heath of Hoopsworld likes the small tweaks of this season and the players from the past that Kupchak has drafted. He talks about the young players progressing, and even says that Coby Karl will be a very nice player and will likely beat out Sasha Vujacic for playing time.

Bryant Expected For Lakers Training Camp

The Lakers media day starts on Monday before the Lakers head to Hawaii for training camp that will start on Tuesday. Team spokesman John Black says, "Without mentioning specific names, appropriate people in our organization have been in contact with Kobe, and we have no reason to believe he won't be in Hawaii for training camp."

This, along with a posting on Bryant's official site would seem to indicate that he will show up. From his site: "The countdown to tipoff is on. Summer is gone, fall is upon us and that can mean only one thing: NBA training camps are just around the corner. While some teams are holding their media days today, the Lakers will invite the media to their practice facility on Monday and will depart shortly after for training camp in Hawaii. kb24.com will be at media day to bring you the sights and sounds as the team prepares to kick off the 2007-2008 season." It has also been reported that Bryant has also set up a time for his pre-camp physical exam.

More On The Odom/Marion Deal

As a followup to the report that the Lakers and Suns have been working on a deal involving Lamar Odom and Shawn Marion, it is still being worked on, and is not done yet. The holdup seems to be that Marion wants an extension, which would be in the $65 million range over three years, and the Lakers are wary of giving the extension. Marion didn't get the extension that he was looking for in Phoenix. If the trade does go down and the Lakers didn't give Marion an extension, Marion could become a free agent after this season, and possibly leave, meaning that the Lakers will have lost both Odom and Marion.

Marion has said that he "wants the deal to go down, and he sounded genuinely excited about the possibility of changing scenery. Marion also said he spoke with Kobe Bryant over the weekend and was left with the impression that Bryant supported the trade." If Marion does not end up getting traded, he has said that he will still show up for training camp with Phoenix.

Odom To The Suns For Marion?

The Lakers and the Suns are discussing a trade that would bring Shawn Marion to the Lakers, while sending back Lamar Odom and filler (most likely Brian Cook to make the salaries work) to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are unwilling to give Marion a contract extension, which is part of why he wouldn't mind leaving the Suns. The source says:

"One sticking point with the Suns is that Marion was told that if he does opt out, he will not be re-signed. Another goes back to before the draft, when the Suns had a deal in place to send Marion to the Celtics -- Boston had agreed to extend his contract if the trade went through. 'I didn't like that,' Marion said. 'It was like they were trying to force my hand by taking the Boston deal. I have been with this team my whole career. I was like, wow.'

I asked if the team's refusal to give him an extension played into his unhappiness with the team. 'It was part of it,' Marion said. 'It's not like that was the last straw or anything. It was just part of everything that has gone on. People have made assumptions about me, but I don't think all those people know everything that has gone on.'"

The trade helps both teams. The Suns get the better all-around player in Odom. Odom adds more height than Marion, and Odom is a better playmaker, helping to relieve Steve Nash. The Lakers get a more consistent player in Marion. Marion is more high energy, and plays better defense, which the Lakers definitely need. The deal is being called a 50/50 chance of going down. If this deal goes down, both teams get help that they are looking for.

Open Letter To Lakers Guard Coby Karl

Here's a funny article from the Los Angeles Times' Lakers Blog:

"Dear Coby:

So here's the deal. Mitch Kupchak has expressed a desire to cap the roster at 14, in case a veteran they'd like to add becomes available down the stretch. There are 14 players with guaranteed contracts. Yours is only partially guaranteed. And while such deals have worked out for Lakers past (Smush Parker) and present (Ronny Turiaf), the roster makeup isn't nearly in your favor as it was for them. Sure, you had a nice Summer Pro League in Vegas, complete with a 20-point game, a blazing 47% clip from behind the arc and some nice all-around skills. Then again, you battled the likes of former Lakers scrub Jelani McCoy, '06 Lakers SPL foul machine Eddy Fobbs and Lakers Blog icon Von Wafer, who was likely too busy mapping out his next five shots to guard anyone. It would be understandable if the powers that be weren't necessarily convinced that showing merits clearing space for you via trade or waive. Thus, you're gonna have to wow them in a big, bad way.

Since I'm all about rooting for the underdog, I've been brainstorming strategies for making that 'wow' happen. Then I noticed how you haven't been issued a number yet, according to the Lakers website, and it hit me. You want Mitch, Phil Jackson and the Buss family to know that nothing intimidates you? That you're ready to make your presence known with a ginormous splash?

Request to wear No. 8.

Do it, man."

Read the rest of the article here.