Mitch Kupchak reacts to lottery position, talks Lakers coaching search
By Jacob Rude
Mitch Kupchak hosted a conference call Wednesday afternoon to talk his reaction to the Lakers landing in the 7th spot in the NBA Draft and to also comment on the head coaching search, which got underway immediately following the Draft Lottery.
First, comments on the draft lottery, the prospects available, and the probability of trading the pick.
Mitch Kupchak: "We were hoping to get lucky but it could have been worse."
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 21, 2014
Mitck Kupchak on No.7: “We think there’s going to be a good player available there."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 21, 2014
Kupchak on likelihood of trading the pick: “The higher the pick the more value it has, but a 6 pick or a 7 pick...certainly has value"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 21, 2014
Kupchak said LAL started calling agents last night to set up work outs with basically the top 20 players in the draft.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 21, 2014
Not shockingly, Kupchak and the front office will do their due diligence when it comes to the NBA draft. The team will bring in nearly all of the top 20 players for workouts, preparing themselves for any scenario that might arise. He also did not rule out the possibility of trading the pick, which has been long rumored to be an integral part of a Kevin Love trade, no matter how unlikely that may be.
Kupchak also talked about the coaching search, which is now officially underway as the Lakers are set to start interviewing candidates.
Kupchak on the coaching search: "We've started our process. We intend to continue to talk to potential coaches (formally or informally)."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 21, 2014
Mitch said he doesn't anticipate hiring coach in two or three weeks
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 21, 2014
Kupchak declined to share what variables he will measure to determine if Lakers will hire veteran or young coach
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 21, 2014
Mitch Kupchak says Lakers have begun interviewing coaching candidates, but will interview more than three or four potential coaches.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 21, 2014
Kupchak on how this coaching search process will be different: "clearly it will be a longer process for obvious reasons."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 21, 2014
Mitch Kupchak says that a top priority in the next coach is being able to get the “most productivity” out of @KobeBryant
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 21, 2014
Kupchak reiterated that LAL do not have a timeline (other than that it won't be in the next 2-3 weeks) for the coaching search.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) May 21, 2014
Mitch Kupchak says he is "not anticipating" the Lakers going after another team's coach, but did not rule it out.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 21, 2014
The Lakers were rumored to have already begun with interviews of coaching candidates this morning, when they reportedly interviewed Mike Dunleavy, former Lakers head coach. Most notable of the comments made by Kupchak are that they do not intend on having a coach hired in the next 2-3 weeks. Considering the NBA Draft is just over a month away, it’s unlikely the Lakers bring in a head coach before June 26.
The general take away from Kupchak’s comments is his neutrality. He neither confirmed nor denied anything, not ruling out any possibility. Considering that the last two Lakers head coaching hires were major flops, it’s not surprising to see the Lakers moving forward with more patience this time while hoping that the third time is a charm. Expect to hear many more rumors concerning the Lakers head coaching search within the coming weeks, but don’t anticipate an official announcement anytime soon.