Mitch Kupchak's Past Deserves Los Angeles Lakers Fans' Patience

It's comical, but for all the problems that the Los Angeles Lakers have had to incur on the eve of a season that is destined to be wackier by the day, it was only when the Los Angeles Clippers got Chris Paul that people were ready to write off the Lakers. 

It was not because it had any direct impact on the Lakers.

We can all safely agree that David Stern was never going to let Chris Paul go to the Lakers.

It wasn't because Chris Paul may elevate the Clippers from NBA mediocrity to legitimate contention—From the Lakers vantage point, the road to a championship was already tough enough as it was.

No, it was because watching the black sheep Clippers get Chris Paul was the proverbial insult to injury that sent the team's fragile ego into hysteria and panic.

But it didn't.

All it did was freak out the fans and let media bobble-heads like Stephen A. Smith plant foolish seeds that only sought to disregard everything the Lakers' front office has accomplished up until now.

Here's a popular theory that has been floating around that I want you guys to chew on for a second.

Apparently, ever since Jim Buss started running the Lakers, he has overridden Mitch Kupchak and tried to revamp the team from the Phil Jackson era so that he could put his stamp on them.

Now, does that sound logical at all?

Would the owner of a team that just signed a new TV deal and has stood as one of the most valuable franchises in sports simply treat this commodity like a toy?

This isn't Talladega Nights, guys.

The Lakers have been to the finals four of the last five years.

In other words, their front office knows what it is doing.

Which is why, the first thing Lakers fans need to do right now is to stop pressing the panic button and screaming Dwight Howard's name like he is the messiah.

Dwight Howard, for all his talent and ability on the court, has proven himself to be one of the biggest knuckleheads of the NBA.

No, not in that Lamar Odom sort of way that people grew fond of in LA—especially now that he is gone.

Because Lamar Odom, for all his childishness, always placed his focus on the team before himself.

At least until he felt like the team didn't appreciate him for it.

Dwight Howard, meanwhile, has been hounding the Magic to trade him while sending mixed messages to fans and media.

Now, I know business is business, but if people are willing to ignore the lack of character that Howard has shown thus far, and throughout his career for that matter, then that's their prerogative.

For now though, let's not forget that the Lakers still have their franchise player who is coming into this season healthier than last year.

The team still has its famed height with Bynum and Gasol still in the fold, and I imagine that both will embrace the responsibility of making up for Odom's absence.

Finally, the team still has Mitch Kupchak, a guy that has proven to have one of the finest basketball minds in the NBA.

He is a man that still has assets to work with to improve the team's point guard position and its bench.

So, stop with the war cries.

Don't panic.

And refrain from predicting the Lakers' demise quietly in your head.

Mitch Kupchak has earned that right.

Maybe not your approval but at the very least, your patience.