MITCH!! Kupchek finish runner up to Danny Ainge for NBA Executive of the year.
MITCH!! should have won it after all he was put through this offseason, after having his judgement, character, and work ethic questioned by the franchise player, MITCH!! decided to stick to his plan, and stick to his guns.
"I don't see why he shouldn't finish first," forward Lamar Odom said. "Thinking of some of the guys that he picked, people kind of wondered about that. To understand what Bynum was going to do and what he was going to bring, he's definitely deserving of it. And then, to be able to pull off that Gasol trade was amazing, especially in the middle of the year like that."
And, Odom added, "He did a great job by keeping this team together."
-LA Times
Strangley, no quote in the article from said face of franchise.
Great job MITCH!! maybe if the laker organizaiton had promoted a "Kupchek for Executive of the year" campaign he might have pulled through. Oh well.
However, Ainge put together 3 top players, none of whom have ever won anything of note, and all of which have been "the man" on their respective teams, and took a chance they would jell. Could all of these egos co exist? Could Pierce and Allen be content to let Garnett take top billing? Well, they dud.
And the responded by winning 66 games and securing the top spot in the playoffs.
Now, if they flame out in the playoffs and the Lakers win, everyone will say "See, Kupchek should have won." But you have to remember that it is easy to look back and say what should have been. The voters were voting on the information they had at the time.
Like the other awards, this one is a regular season award. That is why the voting is completed before the playoffs start.
One thing in Ainge's favor is the fact that the Celtics have been garbage for several years. But he put together a team that has led the league all year almost from the beginning. There was never any question whether the Celtics were going to make the playoffs. There was very little question that they were going to have the best record in the league.
The Lakers made the playoffs last season. There were questions all season about how the Lakers would end. After the trade, they eventually nabbed the top spot in the West, but it was not until late in the season. I realize there were injuries, but that is just part of the game.
I really believe a big part of the thing for Ainge is the big turn around. If they had already been a good team last season and the trades just made them better, Ainge might not have won. It was the big dramatic improvement.
i agree with Spurcse. the main thing you have to look at is the turn around from last season to this season. the Celtics went from 24 wins to 66 wins in one season...that's a 42 game swing! as much as i can't stand the Celtics or Danny Ainge, you have to understand that was the bottom line. the Lakers were still a playoff team in the stacked Western Conference, while Boston finished dead last in the weaker East. as far as i'm concerned, that's all the voters saw.
Now the idea that Kevin McHale is the man in Minnesota, and he has "ties" to Ainge...i'm sure the voters looked away from that playing it's part in that deal for KG.
Personally, I like the move Mitch made to get Gasol and the rights to his brother. That proved to be an awesome move as we can all see.
I would never vote for Danny ainge, but i understand why he won.
Last edited by GameStormC2C on May 15th at 8:54 AM.
Part of that belief stems from the FACT that the Lakers made the T-Wolves a better offer for KG than the one they accepted from Boston but being a former Celtic, McHale wasn't about to do anything to help the Lakers.
But hey, things worked out well for everyone involved.
The Celtics had the best record during the regular season so it's deserving of them to have two regular season awards - DPOY for KG and Exec of the Year for Ainge.
This just gives the Lakers more motivation to win the most important trophy of the season.
First off I doubt Mitch gives a rats #### about this award. I am a Lakers fan, and I hate the Celtics but this is a regular season award, and it is Executive of the Year, well than Ainge deserves it. Alot of the great things that manifested themselves this year such as Farmar, Sasha, Lamar, Bynum and Kobe (teamplay n leadershipt) improvement were done in past drafts and trades, although no move is often times the best move. The Fisher signing was bigger than many people realized but he didnt have to do anything to make that happen this was the only place Fisher would of gone. The Ariza trade was solid, and he dumped Kwame for Gasol. Hey that;s great and I am not so sure Memphis wont make out well too from that as Crittenton and Marc Gasol could end up being quite a pair in the future, but anywho Ainge brought in two bigger pieces, and although in the longrun the team is not better off the entire face of that team changed and their improvement was ridiculous something like forty win improvement. For this season you cant compare the two, over the long term I would rather be in Mitch's seat.
TheSizzle
May 15, 2008
6:54 AM " Kwame Brown $9 million dollar contract.
ainge could have moved him?"
Kwame Brown 9million dollar expiring contract is liquid gold, anyone could have moved him. Do you know how ridiculously valuable that contract is to a team trying to cut costs and rebuild, do you know what the Memphis GM response to why they did the trade. They wanted Kwame!!! He said they looked for the biggest available expiring contract and it was Kwame Brown, the Grizzlies werent talked into this trade, they wanted it. The Grizzlies made out well in that trade as well, unless they wanted to commit to Pau for alot more money then Kwame and still not make the playoffs. They cut costs freeing up a bunch of money, got Marc Gasol from the Lakers who Mitch drafted and supposidley might end up better than Pau. Crittenton easily a top tier point guard prospect, that is not as much of a coup as the sports talking heads make it sound like.
No lakers fans honestly should be saying #### about this Sizzle as 9 out of 10 laker fans were calling for Mitch's head on a platter this year. I had dinner with Mitch as a kid, for winning a freethrow contest it was the prize and I even wanted to fire him as I bought into the hype, even through out the picture I had with him, I think all Mitch wants is a championship and the right to conduct business without all of us talking #### when we dont get immidiate gratification.
Last edited by stopbeingdumb on May 15th at 6:01 PM.
Hoffman- I respect your opinion, but I wouldn't go so far as to say the Lakers offer was a better one. The wolves deal included some dudes the jury is still out on, and honestly noone wants any part of Lamar until this year where he started boarding, stopped jumpshooting and took it the hole more. As far as Bynum if he ever was offered in the trade his potential is great but thus far Jefferson looks just as valuable, and when you take into account the potential for Bynum being a career injury plagued player that his body type likely might be, the lakers offer is not necessarily any better than what the Celtics offered. And I hate Garnett so it worked out for all parties like you said.
