L.A. Lakers: Notes from Mitch Kupchak and Mike Brown's Friday Press Conference

At the Lakers' El Segundo practice facility on Friday, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and new Lakers head coach Mike Brown sat down and fielded questions from reporters for 40 minutes.

No, the two did not announce Dwight Howard or Chris Paul were on their way to L.A., one of the first questions out of the gate and something surely on the minds of Laker fans everywhere.

But they did provide some newsworthy answers as we approach the beginning of the regular season.

All notes courtesy of Lakers.com official reporter Mike Trudell through his twitter feed. Updates also provided by OC Register's Kevin Ding through his twitter feed.

Lakers Roster

Mitch Kupchak said the team, as currently constructed, can definitely contend. But, like any good GM, he is always looking for "opportunities to improve the team." 

Specifically, Mike Brown was asked whether Derek Fisher is his starting PG, to which Brown responded "possibly." He gave both Fish and Steve Blake credit, saying he wanted to bring both of them to Cleveland during his time with the Cavaliers.

Brown also referred to Lamar Odom as his third big man, meaning we'll see a rotation of Bynum/Gasol/Odom down low. Brown says Odom can indeed play small forward, but he likes using this rotation with Odom deep in the frontcourt.

Shannon Brown

Kupchak confirmed that he has been in talks with representatives for Shannon Brown, a free agent, but that he thinks Shannon will get a package "much more attractive" than what the Lakers can currently offer.

Just as I suspected in a prior piece. Sayonara, Shannon.

Free Agency

Kupchak also confirmed that the team is looking for a veteran who might take a pay cut for the opportunity to win a championship. Given the limited financial flexibility the Lakers have when they attack the free-agent market, this appears to be the likeliest outcome.

On the Lakers' finances, Kupchak bluntly told reporters "when your payroll is as high as ours, it's not like you can snap your fingers and reduce it that quickly."

Shortened Season

To me, the most interesting note from today's presser was Mike Brown acknowledging that the Lakers' practices will be structured to accommodate the compressed schedule.

Brown said he has plans to increase the number of non-contact practices, or at least decreased physical contact, to account for the greater number of games per week. "Walkthroughs [instead of physical practices]," per Brown, will happen "more often than not."

Personally, I feel the argument that a 66-game season hurts older, veteran players is a bit overdone. Players know the physicality of the game, coaches know the physicality of the game—adjust your weekly schedule around your games, manage your minutes and it's not an issue.

In any case, this official press conference was anything but a walk through, giving Laker nation key insights into the start of the season.

The lightest moment of the presser had to be when Mitch Kupchak was asked whether he has any concerns about Metta World Peace's focus for the upcoming season. With a smile on his face and tongue firmly in cheek, Kupchak replied: "We've had concerns since we signed him."

Who needs training camp—Mitch is already in midseason form.