The Los Angeles Lakers have began making their necessary roster reductions by cutting both Robert Upshaw and Michael Frazier II.
With the latest two cuts, the current roster stands at 17 players, meaning that the Lakers will have to cut at least two more players before Wednesday’s Season Opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Though the Frazier decision was not much of a surprise, the Upshaw choice is likely to cause an uproar from Lakers fans nationwide. From the get go, fans quickly took a liking to the raw rookie, with chants of his name echoing at nearly every preseason game.
For diehard Lakers fans, at least at this point, it looks like the Lakers have chosen Robert Sacre over Upshaw. In last night’s game against the Portland Trailblazers, Sacre showed “promise” while Upshaw struggled heavily to chase around opposing players, picking up four fouls in only 12 minutes of play.
Lakers announce they have waived Robert Upshaw and Michael Frazier. That answers that.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 20, 2015
Coming into the league, it was a given that Upshaw was a raw talent, but he had tremendous potential. Earlier this week Coach Byron Scott made it clear that he was more concerned about the present than the future, saying, “I’m going short-term. We’ll take the best 15.”
The silver lining remains in the fact that the Lakers’ D-League Affiliate can still sign Upshaw. Having said that, so can the rest of the NBA.
Through his short tenure as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, Scott has made decisions that are suspect at best. While labeling himself a “defense minded” coach, the Lakers have yet to make any significant progress on that front. That said, it’s interesting that Scott cut a player who has the potential to become an elite defensive enforcer in years to come.
Have the Lakers made a horrible mistake by letting Robert Upshaw walk or was he a necessary cut? Further, what does this mean for Jonathan Holmes who was injured in last night’s game?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.