Lakers Trade Rumors: Mitch Kupchak Right to Downplay Kobe Bryant's Demands

Kobe Bryant lit a fire in the Los Angeles Lakers' locker room following Sunday night's 102-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

One that GM Mitch Kupchak didn't let engulf the entire team.

Kupchak addressed the Black Mamba's incendiary remarks regarding Pau Gasol's with the team, releasing the following official statement on Monday:

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“As a former player, I understand how the days leading up to the trade deadline can be nerve-wracking for an NBA player. Nonetheless, as General Manager of the Lakers, I have a responsibility to ownership, our fans and the players on this team to actively pursue opportunities to improve the team for this season and seasons to come. To say publicly that we would not do this would serve no purpose and put us at a competitive disadvantage. Taking such a course of action at this time would be a disservice to ownership, the team and our many fans."

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To which I can only say, bravo, Mitch. It has been, is and (for as long as he's the GM) always will be Kupchak's job to explore any and every avenue to improve the group that his coaching staff has at his disposal. It's his responsibility to put together a team capable of competing at the highest level through whatever means necessary.

Save for sending Kobe out of town, of course.

If anything, it's Bryant's presence in LA that most directly necessitates Kupchak's activity on the market. At 33 years of age and with 16 NBA seasons under his belt, Kobe only has so much high-level basketball left in his body, even if his star will never fade completely.

As such, it's imperative for the Lakers' front office to do everything within their power to field a winner while the Mamba can still walk. Anything short of that, and the Purple and Gold will have little choice but to shift into full-scale rebuilding mode.

And that, too, would likely necessitate moving Pau, who, at 31, isn't exactly a spring chick himself.

That being said, Kobe was smart to come to Gasol's aid after the disappointing defeat in Phoenix. If anything, Bryant's comments serve the perfect purpose of deflecting criticism and shifting the conversation after the team put forth yet another forgettable effort on the road.

It's clear, though, that the Lakers are in a rather delicate position approaching the halfway mark. On the one hand, they're set up for success in the wide-open Western Conference, with an all-time great in Bryant and two seven-footers in Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

On the other hand, the point guard and small forward positions have been veritable black holes for Mike Brown's squad this season, as the entirety of the bench. What's more, correcting those problems would likely require Kupchak to give up one of his big men, thereby undercutting what's currently the Lakers' most decisive advantage on the court.

In any case, perhaps it's best that Kobe and Kupchak keep doing what they do best—impersonating Rumpelstiltskin, albeit in different realms within the organization.

Only time will tell whether one or both are able to turn straw into gold. For now, they should probably just let each other spin away.

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