L.A. Lakers: Why Mitch Kupchak Shouldn't Give Away Pau Gasol

Kobe Bryant finally spoke up. Laker management didn’t bother to ask him about the coaching hire, they didn’t bother to ask him to talk to Lamar Odom.

Last night Kobe was fed up and he wasn’t going to wait for management to come to him any longer. This is his team and he was going to make to it known, his message was short and simple: “I wish management would come out and either trade him or not trade him." This to insiders translates, “Don’t drop the ball again.”

If Kobe is Batman, then to him from a scoring standpoint it makes no sense to trade his “Robin” Pau Gasol.

If Jim Buss isn’t ruing the day he hired Mike Brown, Mitch Kupchak has to be, but that doesn’t mean there is a need to trade the best power forward in the game because his numbers aren’t what they were in the previous years.

As elementary as this may sound, management needs to recognize that without an offensive scheme established around taking the best optimal shot, any offensively talented player's numbers are going to suffer—that is unless you are Kobe Bryant.

It’s no big revelation Kobe is leading the league in scoring, he is a superstar, and to the majority of Laker fans, what separates him from “King James” is not just his five championship rings, but also an intangible his “killer instinct.”

The definition of a superstar is relative, but to be such an elite player that system changes don’t hurt your game one bit is the reason why MJ allows his name to be spoken in the same sentence as Kobe's.

So as the rumors continue to fly about Pau Gasol being on his way out, Kobe can’t allow management to make another bad decision without saying his peace. His statements last night were a so-called “smoke signal” to the powers that be in the front office: “I'd rather them not trade him at all.”

There was a time when people looked at all the decisions the Lakers made in the front office and marveled in awe of the moves they were able to make. It’s a nice thought to think Laker GMs, more specifically Jerry West, were bothered when the phone rang for trade propositions.

Instead of the situation now, with rumors flying about them practically having each NBA team on speed dial hoping to make some miraculous move by March 15.

Other owners and GMs once reveled when they looked at the Lakers front office leaders, Jerry Buss and Jerry West, the “Dream Team.” Though the present duo of Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak has Laker fans screaming “nightmare!”

Even though Kobe doesn’t want Pau to go, I think he was more upset at trade possibilities and rumors he has been hearing, i.e. Pau Gasol for Carlos Boozer? I am sure Kobe spoke up last night after the game for two reasons:

1. The game Friday night versus the game Sunday night was a huge 180 for the starting five, the lack of scoring coupled with bad defense had to be killing the Black Mamba; especially considering your head coach is supposed to be a “defensive genius.
2. It’s one thing to trade the best power forward for a superstar point guard, i.e. Chris Paul, D-Will, but it doesn’t make sense to replace your power forward (who arguably is the best in the game at his position) for another power forward and bench players.

So what does this mean for Laker fans everywhere? It means the trade deadline might hold as much hope as keeping Shaq and Kobe together held six years ago.

Looking from the outside in, the Lakers problem isn’t just NOT having a point guard who can create shots for the Mamba and the 7-footers. It lies in a deeper footnote; the fact that even though defense is essential to winning championships, the ability to average more than 93 PPG a night is a greater challenge for such an offensive talented team.

Laker fans always stay by their team, and it’s no play on words that Laker fans look always look to the future as “Purple and Golden,” but if Mitch Kupchak trades Pau Gasol without getting a superstar point guard, the future maybe simple: “Purple and Bleak.”