Mitch Kupchak has a plan. It’s very blurry in terms of what that plan is. But he has a plan.
The plan revolves around Kobe Bryant. That well storied 2-Year deal is key to the Lakers flexibility in terms of cap room. But Kobe needs to play. Kupchak and Jim Buss didn’t give Kobe the deal if they didn’t think he’d play.
Which is why. Unsurprisingly. Mitch Kupchak has told ESPN.com that he thinks Kobe will return next season.
“I don’t think he’s retiring,” Kupchak said Thursday after Lakers’ shootaround. “He said he’s looking forward to training camp. That’s what we expect.”
Bryant is expected to need nine months to recover from his third straight season-ending injury, a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder suffered last week that he had surgically repaired Wednesday.
Kupchak shot down the notion that Bryant’s heavy minutes load earlier in the season — he played a team-high 35.4 minutes per game through the team’s first 27 games — led to his injury.
“I don’t think that had anything to do with anything [and] certainly not the injury,” Kupchak said.
And when asked what the Lakers could do to help Bryant play out the final year of his contract, Kupchak said, “I think a big key will be [that] we have to improve the talent level on the team.”
He added, “As you get older and you experience injuries in this league — and he’s played what will be 20 years — it’s difficult to play when you’re going to lose three or four games or five games.
“When you’re winning games, it’s a lot easier to get ready to play and play through aches and pains. To me, a big part of Kobe’s contribution next year is if we can improve this team during the offseason.“
If Mitch Kupchak creates a team during the offseason that has some sort of a future. I’d be amazed. If they restore the Lakers to the classic Purple and Gold that were used to. I’d be amazed.
