kupchak

Kupchak was sympathetic to Bryant's plight this summer, saying the Laker star's sole motivation was to put himself in a position to win.

Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, Kupchak and Jackson will sit down in the next couple of days to assess the team's future.

With the door ajar , Kupchak peeked in. West was seated at his desk in the dark, staring straight ahead, eyes bloodshot.

When Kupchak got to work the next day, he recalled, he found West already in his office.

Kupchak said the Lakers would press ahead with the players already on their roster and hope Bynum returns sooner rather than later.

"The guy that deserved it got it, and I'm happy for him, " Kupchak said. "What he did there was just incredible. "

"Jerry [West] would watch me limp up and down the court and ice my knee, " Kupchak said.

Brown said he wanted to return to the Lakers, and Kupchak still hopes the high-flying guard will be back.

"When he arrived the team played better, even when he wasn't on the court for the first two games, " Kupchak said.

Kupchak also managed to make future negotiations with Bryant, who can opt out of his contract after the 2008-09 season, a lot more cordial.

As it ended Thursday night, Jerry West presented Kupchak with the Western Conference championship trophy.

If the Celtics turn down the Vujacic and Brown for Robinson trade, Kupchak can see if he can work out a deal for Watson.

All the while, Kupchak had the support of Buss, the only man who really matters.

Kupchak said the team's management decided Thursday night to make the move, a day after the Lakers lost a 95-86 game at Utah.

"That's not what you expect when you just won a championship less than 12 hours earlier, " Kupchak said.

Kupchak told the group that his first contact with the Grizzlies was in February of 2007 around the All-Star Break.

"We feel we picked up two players that could have upside, " Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said.

That's when general manager Mitch Kupchak waved his magic wand to come up with Pau Gasol from Memphis to man the low post.

The first domino has made all the difference. From the first moment general manager Mitch Kupchak made the deal, the Lakers responded.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak will be evaluating whether large-scale changes need to be made.

"It was certainly different than last season's exit meeting, " Kupchak said.

But Kupchak wins my unofficial designation as Executive of the Year.

He was reportedly unhappy with Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Jackson.

But instead of stopping there, he had to throw yet another backhanded compliment at Kupchak.

Bryant said he had his agent, Rob Pelinka, call Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and make the trade request official.

"I was told Kobe would let both clubs know his decision on the morning he was eligible to sign, " Kupchak said.

Kupchak kept Kobe Bryant and acquired Pau Gasol and what did it cost him?

"I didn't bring him into the decision-making process very often, " Kupchak said.

"I don't think there's any rush for us to do anything right now, " Kupchak said recently.

Walton played only 45 games last season, including playoffs, because of recurring back issues and might miss next season, Kupchak said.

"I felt confident we could get 50 wins, " Kupchak said.

I do believe the future for this team is bright going forward, ' Kupchak said.

I don't know that I've ever seen a better mid-season trade than the one mitch kupchak worked for this guy.

Last year, the Lakers were the trade deadline winners because Mitch Kupchak fleeced Memphis for Pau Gasol.