Lakers GM Kupchak backs up coach's goal: 'To win a championship,' says Kobe looks good
Apparently insane goals aren't just the domain of new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott, who suggested the first thing he'll tell his new team is that the goal is to win a championship.
On Friday, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak echoed that sentiment, despite all evidence pointing to it being a relative impossibility.
GM Mitch Kupchak: "Our goal every year is the same. To win a championship."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 26, 2014
Helping with that goal, according to Kupchak, should be the health of superstar Kobe Bryant, who he expects to be the pre-injury version of Kobe Bryant. Bryant has missed most of the past two seasons with leg injuries and could have his minutes managed this season as a result, but Kupchak said Bryant has looked good and has even trimmed down.
Kupchak said he's watched Kobe workout throughout the summer, and he "Looks really good, feels great. No ill effects on either injury."
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 26, 2014
Kupchak said Kobe is down 10-12 pounds from last year: "Couldn’t tell he blew out an Achilles tendon or broke a bone in his knee last year."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) September 26, 2014
Maybe just as important with a team that now skews younger than the Lakers are used to, Bryant's mere presence is something the organization puts a lot of stock into.
Kupchak: "Byron's been great. One thing he's going to do is hold people accountable."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 26, 2014
Mitch on Kobe: "He gives you the chance to be really good no matter the circumstance."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 26, 2014
That's all good and well, and it's more than fine for Kupchak and Scott to preach lofty goals as a means of breeding a championship culture for future years (and to get fans excited). The reality, however, is that the Lakers are nowhere near a title contender on paper, and a more attainable goal may be a playoff berth with a "then we'll see what happens" attitude.