NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers' Mitch Kupchak Crazy to Go Conservative

Los Angeles possesses no patience.

Losing simply doesn’t compute in the City of Angels. Being content with the Lakers' current roster would lead to nothing but a letdown and that’s why Mitch Kupchak is insane to play it safe at the NBA trade deadline.

Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick reported that Kupchak said he wouldn’t bet money on a big name moving to Hollywood within the next month:

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Of course we'll talk to a lot of teams [about trades], like everybody else does, leading up until the trade deadline to see if there is a way to improve the team. But the likelihood is that this is the team that's going to finish into the playoffs. That's just the way it normally works, but we'll see.

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This Lakers team is the fifth seed in the Western Conference. They are an embarrassing 5-11 on the road this season. How in the world does Kupchak expect to advance in the playoffs with a lower-seeded squad that can’t win on the road?

The weaknesses in the Lakers rotation aren’t minor; they’re gaping holes, craters.

Derek Fisher brings invaluable leadership to the table, but defensively, he’s a revolving door at the top of the key. Every point guard that he matches up with is in position to post career-high scoring totals. He isn’t any better on offense, averaging a pitiful 5.3 points per game.

Starting Fisher and Metta World Peace in the same lineup is just asking for trouble. World Peace is only scoring an average of 4.8 points per this year. Those two, along with Kobe Bryant’s wrist injury, are the reasons why the Lakers are averaging an unacceptable 30.1 percent from downtown this season.

Los Angeles can’t beat the Miami Heat with their current craters. Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook will singlehandedly dominate a seven-game series, if one would even take that long. Beating their in-town rival in the Clippers will be an overwhelming challenge alone for the Lakers.

During the Kobe era, the worst seed an LA championship squad began the playoffs with is a third. The worst regular-season winning percentage is 68.3. Right now, Los Angeles isn’t matching those numbers. And unless they make a move, it’s difficult to imagine them coming close.

If you’re praying that they magically flip the switch come playoff time, prepare for disappointment.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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