Kupchak on Lakers' Pick: “It's Going To Be My Decision”

After working out three of the top four prospects for the 2014 NBA Draft, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak answered questions on the Lakers' extensive draft workouts. For nearly 20 minutes, Kupchak responded to a variety of questions, but the biggest takeaway was that the Lakers' G.M. would be making the decisions on whom the Lakers would pick and if the team would make a trade.

"It doesn't have to be a consensus (on what to do with the no. 2 pick)," Kupchak said bluntly on Tuesday. "Really, it's going to be my decision with the support of ownership. And I report directly to Jimmy (Buss), and that's how we'll do it. I'll talk to our scouts and Jimmy, and I will talk. We talk every day. And he'll give his opinion. It's rare when we have varying opinions. I know, basically, in the last three workouts, our opinions are very similar to each other, so I don't expect anything to be different. But we don't take a vote."

Kupchak did say that discussions within the basketball operations group would often involve ranking players, but ultimately, those rankings would only serve an informational function when Kupchak eventually made his final decision.

"At the end of the day, somebody has to be accountable, and for better or for worse, that would be me," Kupchak said to remove all doubt.

Almost immediately after, the former North Carolina Tar Heel said he had not yet made any decisions on who the Lakers would take with the pick. Asked if the workouts had any impact on whether the Lakers would hold onto the pick or trade it away, the gray haired 61-year-old answered, "Everything is still on the table."

Kupchak has never been one to leak secrets or slip information. Continuing to hide his hand, Kupchak stated that a big body talent like Jahlil Okafor would not be available in the second round. However, he also iterated that selecting a big man while ignoring a great basketball player would be a regrettable decision. The example that immediately jumped into Kupchak's mind was the 1984 NBA Draft when the Portland Trail Blazers selected center Sam Bowie at no. 2 and missed out on Michael Jordan at no. 3.

Guard D'Angelo Russell out of Ohio State currently projects to go third with Okafor expects to go to the Lakers at no. 2. Kupchak and the Lakers will need to decide whether size and skill for Okafor trump the shooting and creative ability of Russell. The guard versus big debate came up with Kupchak again playing both sides. The Lakers' GM acknowledged the great centers on the walls of the Lakers' practice facility and spoke of the Lakers' history of winning with big men, but he also reminded the microphones that the 2015 NBA Finals did not feature a dominant center on either team.

After a bad year, Kupchak shared his hopes and expectations for the upcoming Lakers' season and off season.

"Julius Randle is still an untested rookie," he assessed his team. "We're hoping that he can play in summer league and play well. We talked about Jordan Clarkson (earlier)."

"We have a lot of flexibility in free agency this summer," Kupchak said after including the hopes to add another draftee that could contribute right away. "I'd hate to go into training camp with just rookies and Kobe (Bryant). I would hope to add a veteran or two this summer. If that's the case, I think we'd have a nice mix."

Speaking of Bryant, what would be the expectations for the 20-year veteran? What kind of positive impact would the grizzled shooting guard have on the young kids running around the locker room?

"Kobe is going to have a presence in training camp," Kupchak said after initially saying Bryant would not factor in the draft pick. "I'm sure he'll try to impart his approach to the game on the players in camp. He's never been great with rookies. Rookies have come to expect Kobe's glare, Kobe ignoring them in the locker room, saying things. Rookies need to go through that."

Bryant may extend that demeanor and mode of operation beyond only rookies, but the 36-year-old would probably answer questions by asking critics to count to five, i.e. the number of championships he has won.

"At the very worst, Kobe's going to impart a work ethic in training camp that would be beneficial to any player we bring on board," Kupchak made a valid point.

"I think they can make it fun for him again," the Lakers' G.M. said when asked what the young players offered Bryant. Hopefully, that also means the Lakers can make it fun for the fans again, because it's been a while.